You make a product and you have never sold in the target market. The first question is not whom to email but which distributors already carry products like yours, to which buyers, and under what kind of arrangement. This research answers that from public sources and hands you a shortlist to start conversations from.
The work begins with the brief: what the product is, how it is positioned against what is on shelves or in catalogues, and what you want from a distributor (stocking, technical support, marketing, after-sales). We then read the channel from the demand side: who stocks comparable products, which distributors list competitors' lines, and who appears at the trade events and in the trade directories of that category. Candidates are profiled from their own sites, registry entries and trade listings, and each statement in a profile is marked as verified fact, inference, unavailable or client-provided.
A distributor that carries a competitor is a signal about the category, not about willingness to take you on. The shortlist says what the sources show and leaves that conversation to you.
Needs to know whether the market is served by a few large importers or many regional ones. The profile stresses storage, certification claims the distributor states and the customer type it supplies.
Wants a distributor for the professional channel without undercutting its web sales. Candidates are read for how they sell, to whom, and which brands they already hold that sit close to yours.
Asks what a country-level distributor adds on top. The shortlist separates distributors that aggregate resellers from those that sell direct.
Margins, minimum volumes and exclusivity arrangements between a distributor and its brands are private. They appear as unavailable.
Public sources show range and presence, not how much a distributor actually moves.
Only a conversation shows that, and approaching candidates is outside this service.
The order matters because each stage removes candidates for a stated reason.
Starting points are the category's trade directories, retailer and importer listings and competitors' stated stockists, read before any single company is profiled.
Distributors carrying a directly conflicting line, or outside the product class you sell, are set aside and logged with the reason.
Each candidate gets a profile: what it sells, to whom, which brands it lists and what the registry entry shows.
Candidates are placed side by side so differences are visible before you decide whom to approach.
Research reports what can be established from public and provided sources. It is not a guarantee about a counterparty's future conduct and not legal advice.
The product and positioning, the target market, the partner type you want, your exclusions and any contacts or conversations you already have.
No. The deliverable is a sourced shortlist with suggested questions for a first conversation; outreach is yours.
No. It lists candidates matching your criteria in the sources reviewed, and states what was searched.
No obligation. We read your request and reply with a straight answer.
Tell us what you need to find out and by when. We confirm scope before any work starts.
Request research