Category buyers rarely start from scratch.
When a buying process begins, most buyers are already familiar with a small set of suppliers.
Awareness is built over time through repeated exposure, not discovered at the moment a need arises. This reflects how buying roles actually operate.
Buyers work under constant pressure, managing ranges, suppliers, internal reporting and supply volatility. When a requirement appears, the first task is not exploration but elimination. Shortlists form quickly.
Brands that are already known are reviewed first. Brands that are easy to find and easy to assess make it into the working set. Others fall away early, often without discussion. This is why visibility precedes persuasion.
Before margins, pricing or product differences are considered, a brand must already feel relevant enough to evaluate. That recognition is seldom created during the decision itself. It is built earlier through consistent presence in environments that buyers trust.
Absence has consequences. Brands that are not visible are not actively rejected. They are simply not considered. The opportunity passes quietly. Buying triggers emerge unpredictably. A range gap appears, a competitor exits, supply shifts, or performance comes under review. In those moments, buyers act quickly and rely on what is already at the front of their minds.
Waiting to appear until demand is obvious misunderstands how decisions are made. By the time a search begins, the shortlist is often already set. Consistent visibility ensures a brand enters consideration at the start rather than trying to force relevance later.
If buyers cannot see you regularly, they cannot reliably shortlist you. And if you are not shortlisted, the decision has already moved on without you.
This is your last chance to be included in the Grocery Buyers Guide!
