FIND WHOLESALE
BUYERS.

Reference

Know when they buy, show up where they are, send the one page they need, and turn the first order into an account.

FIND BUYERS IN YOUR MARKET →

Guide

HOW TO FIND
WHOLESALE BUYERS.

A wholesale buyer is the person at a store, a chain or a platform who decides what it carries. They are easy to find and hard to reach, because every brand is trying to reach them and most do it the same way. The brands that get through are the ones that show up where the buyer already is, with the one page the buyer needs, at the moment they are buying.

What to know

Know when they buy

Buyers commit months before a shopper sees anything, on a calendar set by seasons and shows. A brand that starts outreach when it feels ready has usually missed the window it needed. Find the buying calendar for your category and work back from it.

Gift and home: buying for the holidays happens in the first half of the year
Apparel: two to four seasons, each bought a season ahead
Grocery: category reviews on a fixed calendar per retailer

Where buyers are

At the trade show for your category, walking the floor with a budget. In the merchandise marts, in showrooms run by sellers. On GRAJ, buyer profiles say what they buy and where, and a buyer in a live market has a page. And in their own stores, on a weekday morning, which is where the smallest brands still open the most accounts.

Trade shows, where buyers come with a budget and a list
Sellers, who already have the relationship
Buyer profiles on GRAJ, by category and market
The store itself, in person, with samples

What to send

A line sheet a buyer can order from, a one-line reason your product belongs in their store, and nothing else. Buyers open dozens of pitches a week; the ones that get a reply are the ones where the buyer could place the order from the email. Follow up once, then once more a month later.

The line sheet, with terms on the front page
One sentence on why this store, specifically
A sample if the category needs one
Two follow-ups, spaced out, then stop

Turn one order into an account

The first order is a trial. Ship it perfectly, on the date, with the paperwork right. Two weeks after delivery, ask what moved. On GRAJ the buyer sees your catalog, orders against it on terms you set, and the reorder carries no extra fee, which is the whole point of getting the first one right.