As a mature buyer, the normal process of inspecting suppliers is no more than the following steps:

1. Find foreign trade suppliers through appropriate channels

Some purchasers look for suppliers directly through the network.

Before the epidemic, many large customers may not find suppliers through the network, and their assessment process for suppliers is very strict. But under the epidemic, some large customers also began to try network development. If you are just starting to do foreign trade buyers, network development is indeed a low-cost way to find suppliers. And more online communication with different suppliers, you can have more understanding of the industry. About how to find suppliers through the network specifically, you can turn to the previous article in the introduction.

Some traditional buyers mainly purchase through the exhibition, but also have begun to use the network for pre-screening and negotiation of suppliers

Many foreign buyers cannot participate in Canton Fair these years in China, because of the epidemic. But with the improvement and normalization of the epidemic, the buyer's field visits are believed to be only a matter of time. Therefore, buyers use the network, pre-screening of suppliers, and more purposeful development in the later exhibition is a good program. In order to increase the effectiveness of the exhibition to find suppliers and find better suppliers, you can search for new products and suppliers through the network 1-3 months in advance, and at the same time make inquiries and negotiate trade terms through email, and then make an appointment to negotiate at the exhibition.

In some cases, suppliers reached out to buyers through door-to-door marketing.

Not only the buyers, but also the suppliers discovered the advantages of online development during the epidemic, and reached out to more target customers through social media such as LinkedIn, Facebook, etc. They also made their advantageous products fully exposed on these social media to gain traffic.

2. Factory site visit

Field observation will not be expanded in detail here. Friends who want to understand can turn to our other articles related to the introduction. Under the current epidemic environment, it is suitable to have procurement offices in the supplier's country, otherwise the field visit is more costly for the buyer in terms of process and cost.

The new product development time node

Usually, buyers will be at the end of the year summary meeting, announced the work plan for the next year, including the development of new products planning. According to past experience, after the year-end wrap-up meeting, buyers will start looking for new products, including 2 kinds of new product search paths:

1. Inquire about new products at the original cooperative suppliers.

For Chinese suppliers, the annual spring and autumn Canton Fair is the best chance for buyers to communicate with suppliers face to face. Usually, the spring fair is held in April and the autumn fair is held in October every year. Buyers start to look for new products after they have made their purchasing plans. At the original cooperative suppliers, the buyers will send the new product development plan for the new season so that the suppliers can make relevant recommendation documents according to the development plan.

Because there has been cooperation with the original supplier, so the pre-production of new product proofing can be carried out before the spring Canton Fair, which only enhances an opportunity for face-to-face communication. Between suppliers and buyers, they will discuss the problems in new product proofing, or look at other new product development of suppliers again.

2. Develop new suppliers with new products.

Cooperation with the original supplier produces problems, or the original supplier's product development capabilities cannot meet the purchaser's development, the purchaser will consider the development of new suppliers.

Large buyers for new supplier development cycle are relatively long. At the beginning buyers is interested in a new product of the supplier, and then improve understanding of the supplier. If the supplier is satisfied with all aspects of the assessment, then cooperation will be considered.

For buyers, use a variety of ways to search for new suppliers, including the Internet, magazines, exhibitions, through this to meet new suppliers.

The bulk purchase time node

If you purchase in China, the bulk purchase time point is very close to the Canton Fair time in spring and summer 2 seasons.

1. Orders after the Canton Fair in autumn are mainly to meet the buyer's first half of the market sales needs. (i.e., buyers January-June orders)

The time sequence is as follows:

-September October: looking for

-November: picking up and comparing

-December: formal order and factory production

-More than 1 month ship date

-Sales start in February.

2. Orders after the spring fairs in spring are mainly to meet the needs of buyers in the first half of the market sales. (i.e., buyers July-December orders)

The time sequence is as follows:

-March, April, May: Buyers looking for new factories and new products

-May: Factory inspection picking up, comparing

-June: order and factory production

-July: shipping

It is important to note that buyers will place larger orders throughout the year from March-June to suppliers during this period.

During sales time between April-December (including Christmas), sales cycle accounts for 75% of the time, sporadic purchases are not limited, and buyers will usually have small purchases sporadically throughout the year. Sales time is most in January to March each year, and this time is also the off-season sales.

Understanding the procurement cycle situation of these buyers, new buyers’ friends are not also having some ideas about their procurement plans? Welcome to visit our official website to learn more about industry consulting: https://www.hbsocket.com/