Still chasing your buyer? Try this instead 📬
Do you ever feel like your buyer ghosted you?
You email, you follow up, you ask for a meeting, and you get... nothing.
It's not personal. They're busy people getting hundreds of emails a day, and if yours doesn't obviously help them, it's easy to ignore.
In my early days as a Category Manager, I was trying to build a relationship with a buyer at Morrisons. A competitor's category team already had their feet firmly under the table: regular meetings, first call on everything. I could have given up.
Instead, I kept turning up with something useful, category insight, market trends, anything that might genuinely help the buyer do her job better. Nothing changed for a while. Then her existing category captain did something she didn't like, and she came straight to me. That's when the relationship really took off.
The lesson is simple. Be in your buyer's inbox regularly with something useful.
Consistency and persistence beat chasing every time. Do it well, and when they do need category support, you're already top of mind and first in line for a seat at the table.
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But what is useful? Here are 10 ideas to help you get started.
1. A snapshot of category performance
Pull together a simple one-pager on how the category is performing.
Keep it visual, keep it short. You're not trying to replace their own reporting, just giving them a quick, easy-to-digest view that saves them time. It shows you're across the numbers without them having to ask.
The easier it is to digest, the better. Just a two minute read in their inbox every period saves them from having to look up the data later.
2. “Have you seen this?” store photos
Spot a great bit of in-store execution from another retailer?
Snap a photo and send it over with a line on why it works. It's quick to put together and buyers love a bit of visual inspiration they can actually use.
Buyers don’t have time to get to store every week, so real-time updates on what’s happening are like gold dust!
3. Repurpose your analysis
You've probably already done some really useful analysis that never left your building.
Turn work you’ve already done into a one-page summary and share it. It’s a little extra effort, for a big perceived value.
It doesn’t even need to be your own work, share across your team to lighten the load.
4. KPIs by shopper demographic
Break down performance by shopper group rather than the usual headline numbers.
It's a different angle on data they already half-know, and it often sparks an "oh, I hadn't thought about it that way" reaction.
5. A seasonal calendar heads up
Buyers plan months ahead, so get ahead of them.
Flag Christmas in June or Back to School in April. A short nudge on what's coming and what it means for their plans shows you're thinking further out than they are.
6. A quick win you’ve spotted
Suggest one small, easy change, maybe a distribution swap or a tweak to planogram placement.
No need for a full analysis behind it. Buyers love a low-effort, high-impact idea they can action fast.
7. A summary of the headlines
Retail and category news moves fast, and nobody has time to read it all.
Pull together three or four headlines that matter to their category, with a one-line note on why each one's worth knowing.
It takes you ten minutes and saves them from scrolling the trade press themselves, which is exactly the kind of thing that makes you indispensable.
8. Share something you've read
Sources like Mintel, IGD and Kantar Worldpanel publish free reports and headline stats regularly, so keep an eye out and forward the useful bits.
Add one line on why it matters for them specifically. It shows you're reading around the category, not just working in it, and costs you nothing but a bit of time.
Check out our previous newsletter on free resources you can use to do just that.
9. Mythbusting
Pick a common assumption in the category and challenge it with a stat or insight.
This one's fun. It gets people talking and positions you as someone who digs beneath the surface.
10. A short video or voice note
Talk through a chart or insight on camera or via voice note instead of writing it up.
It takes less time than you'd think, and it stands out because almost nobody else does it.
The takeaway
None of these need to be perfect or polished.
It's about little and often, not big and occasional. Being in your buyer’s inbox consistently with something genuinely useful, so when they do need help, you’re the first person they think of!
Pick two or three from this list, pop them in your diary, and get started.
Any questions at all, just get in touch. I'm always happy to chat it through.
All the best,
Ella & the May Insight Team
August 2026
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