Case Study: A Consumer Goods Exporter Found Importers via Google Maps
The company
A Chinese kitchenware manufacturer (knives, cutting boards, utensils) with strong OEM business and a desire to build its own wholesale accounts in the US and UK.
The problem
Wholesale buyers (importers, online retailers, specialty stores) were hard to identify. The company’s previous approach — attending a US trade show — cost $25,000 and produced 12 leads, none of which converted.
What we did
1. Maps-based importer discovery. Searched “kitchenware wholesaler,” “home goods importer,” “cooking supply distributor” across major US and UK markets. 1,800 targets with websites and verified contacts.
2. Product-gap outreach. “You stock knives but not cutting boards — we make both. One shipment, one supplier, better margin.” Personalized around each retailer’s actual catalog.
3. Visual sequences. Product photos and short demo videos in follow-ups. Consumer goods are bought with the eyes.
The results
- 28% open rate, 6.9% reply rate
- 23 sample requests
- 5 wholesale accounts opened within 4 months
- First reorder within 5 months
(source: Polalead internal campaign data, 2023–2025. [ORIGINAL DATA])
New to outbound? Start with the manufacturing lead generation guide. Ready to hand it off? See our manufacturing lead generation service.
How this applies to you
Consumer goods importers are findable on Maps, and they respond to catalog-aware, visual outreach. See our consumer goods playbook, or run it with POLALEAD.