The Disappearing Retail Buyer: A Barrier to Innovation in CPG
In the world of CPG sales, persistence and relationships are everything. But what happens when the people you’re supposed to build relationships with seem to vanish behind layers of corporate silence?
More and more, CPG sales teams are finding it nearly impossible to connect with retail buyers—especially at the head office level. Reception desks no longer answer phones. Company directories are locked down. And email addresses don’t follow predictable naming conventions. It’s as if the gatekeepers have gone digital and the castle walls have never been higher.
The Vanishing Act
Retail buyers today often operate behind a veil—no direct contact info, no way to confirm who handles what, and no clear path for vendors to initiate a conversation. For many in CPG sales, this creates an uneven playing field. It becomes less about the strength of your product and more about whether you’ve cracked the code to even reach the right person.
What this ultimately leads to is a dangerous kind of masking. Buyers can effectively shield themselves from contact, removing their identity from the interaction. This takes away a critical layer of accountability in the supplier-retailer dynamic. If nobody knows who the buyer is, nobody knows who is making decisions—or why.
Isolation Breeds Protectionism (and boring me-too product assortments)
This isolation doesn’t just make it hard for sales teams to do their jobs—it fosters protectionism within the category. Established power brands, often with long-standing buyer relationships, are protected by default. Their items stay on shelf, while smaller, emerging brands—often more innovative, agile, and consumer-focused—are left knocking on a door that won’t open.
In this environment, shelf space becomes less about consumer need or product merit, and more about who already has a seat at the table. It stifles competition. It limits innovation. And it hurts the very consumers that retailers claim to prioritize.
We Need a New Standard
This isn’t a call for buyers to answer every cold call or read every generic email. But it is a call for transparency, accessibility, and fairness. Retailers that champion innovation should create clear pathways for new brands to introduce themselves. That could mean:
Creating a submission portal for new products with actual follow-up. Company new product submission portals are often used to deflect sellers away from buyers while others like RangeMe are expensive black holes. If a retail buyer says “Oh, we use RangeMe, here’s the link to submit”…she is most likely deflecting.
Publishing non-personalized buyer contact points by category or department.
Hosting open-line review cycles that are publicly posted, and meetings are booked.
Holding quarterly discovery calls or “office hours” for emerging brands.
Because when retail buyers become invisible, the entire system suffers. The CPG sales community isn’t asking for special treatment—we’re asking for a fair shot.
Let’s make space for connection. Let’s put people back into the buying process. And let’s ensure that the next great product has a fighting chance of being seen, heard, and shelved.
As a final thought for new brands, a good broker will help you get on shelf because it’s the brokers job to be able to get you the meetings. A good broker is your trusted shortcut to rapid sales growth and a trusted advisor to help avoid costly mistakes. A good broker can pick up the phone and get a meeting with any buyer in their area of coverage. Buyers constantly change jobs, so a good broker has connections to get the meeting…it’s no longer just about longstanding relationships.