The Retail Food Buyer Wants to Hear this Question from CPG Food Brands

We ask the retail food buyer questions, so you don’t have to.

This was kind of a hot-button question with most the retail food buyer. “How can CPG (consumer packaged goods) food brands partner for future growth?” and “What product innovations are you looking for?” are two of the more common questions retail food buyers and retailers wished suppliers would ask.

What do you need?

Basically, it all seems to boil down to this question: “What do you need?” The retail food buyer wants you to put their interests first and understand their highly competitive retail business. They want you to treat them with respect by not simply waltzing into a meeting and expecting your product to be put on the shelf, and they don’t want to feel like you’ve wasted their time.

A Partnership is 50:50

I’ve heard the retail food buyer say that it was my job, not his job, to move products off the shelf, into the cart, and through the checkout. This buyer expressed frustration at what he perceived as a long line of supplier partners whose only concern seemed to be getting the product into his planogram.

Retail food buyers look at the partnership as a 50:50 proposition. However, buyers clearly believe that manufacturers and suppliers should take some ownership over end-line sales. This sentiment stems from the spirit of partnership that many buyers and retailers are looking for. Since small companies like yours ought to be thinking about building their power base and expanding product offerings with key retail partners anyway, it makes sense that they take some ownership as a way of showing support for their partners.

Preparing for the retail food buyer meeting? We’ve been there and can offer our expert advice. Please reach out to the NewPoint team. If you are interested in more food marketing topics, please visit our Food for Thought page or check out NewPoint’s Patrick Nycz’s book: Moving Your Brand Up the Food Chain.