GPT-6.1 Sol · High · 2026-10-11

The buying journey has three parts: getting the product selected, making the transaction operational, and proving that the product deserves continued shelf space. Preparing for all three is more useful than treating a positive meeting or quotation request as the finish line. GS1 Japan’s documented grocery workflow separates quotation and shelf proposals, product adoption, product-master registration, and actual transactions. (GS1 Japan, accessed 2026-10-11) gs1jp.org

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The file contains the detailed preparation guide, questions for each phase, progress indicators, and 20 source URLs. Below is the practical overview.

This primarily covers packaged processed food sold through supermarkets, specialty retailers, and wholesalers. The phases are a synthesis of documented practices, rather than a mandatory national procedure. Some overlap; test sales are optional. Dates marked “accessed” indicate when the source was checked.

First, identify which buying journey you are entering.

Buying path	What happens	What you must prepare for
Retailer-led, wholesaler fulfilled	The retailer evaluates your product, then transactions run through its nominated wholesaler.	Two commercial relationships: retailer selection and wholesaler setup.
Wholesaler-led	The wholesaler evaluates your product and proposes it to retail accounts.	Supplier acceptance plus a concrete downstream selling plan.
Direct procurement	The retailer or its procurement company purchases from you.	Direct contracting, delivery, ordering, and payment arrangements.
Private-label development	The buyer commissions an original product.	A development brief, prototypes, agreed specifications, and production approval.

SME Support Japan explains that supermarkets commonly prefer wholesale-mediated transactions and may introduce a nominated wholesaler. Direct procurement also exists: AEON Global Merchandising explicitly promotes expanding direct transactions with manufacturers and producers. Confirm the route with each buyer. (SME Support Japan, 2020-01-14; AEON Global Merchandising, accessed 2026-10-11) J-Net21[中小企業ビジネス支援サイト]

Use the following nine phases as your preparation map. The preparation and progress indicators are my recommendations; the documented examples following the table explain their basis.

Phase	What the buyer is deciding	Prepare before this phase	Evidence of progress
1. Assortment fit	Does this product serve our customers and buying priorities?	Store research; comparable products and prices; target customer; proposed category and use occasion.	A named category owner and a specific role for your product.
2. Initial screening	Is this proposal worth evaluating?	Buyer’s entry form; Japanese company profile; product image; basic commercial information; production location.	A meeting or a defined sample-review action.
3. Product evaluation	Does the actual taste, packaging, size, and value meet expectations?	Representative samples; preparation instructions; packaging; comparison material; revision options.	Specific feedback, acceptance conditions, or a revised-sample deadline.
4. RFQ and route economics	Can the price and transaction route work?	Quote for the actual buyer and delivery point; case quantity; freight; minimum shipment; lead time; applicable fees and contributions.	An agreed route and commercially workable terms.
5. Quality and supplier review	Can we responsibly handle this product and supplier?	Specification; label artwork; allergen information; test evidence; manufacturing records; traceability; incident contacts.	Approval or a finite list of outstanding conditions.
6. Listing or optional test sale	Where, when, and under what conditions should we introduce it?	Store scope; launch dates; placement; promotional support; review criteria; residual-stock arrangements.	Written launch scope and decision criteria.
7. Registration and operational setup	Can our systems order, receive, price, and pay for it?	Item and case data; supplier information; ordering method; delivery rules; responsible operations contact.	Supplier and product activated for the intended locations.
8. First order and execution	Does delivery and store availability match the promise?	Production allocation; remaining shelf life; receiving instructions; shortage/damage procedures; store-readiness checks.	Accepted delivery and actual availability in the intended stores.
9. Replenishment and retention	Should we reorder, retain, expand, or remove it?	Sales and availability review; net economics; waste and complaints; corrective actions; next-period proposal.	Repeat orders, confirmed retention, or executable expansion.

Several details materially change how you should prepare.

1. The buyer’s initial brief can be quite specific.

Queen’s Isetan publicly seeks original products, distinctive products, and convenient or health-conscious offerings. Super Value emphasizes quality, price, safety, and stable supply. Your first task is therefore to establish what this account wants, rather than relying on a general “Japanese buyers value quality” proposition. (Queen’s Isetan, accessed 2026-10-11; Super Value, accessed 2026-10-11) 商品提案募集

Prepare a short statement such as: “This product fills this price/usage gap for these customers, compared with these existing items.” Treat the proposed gap as a hypothesis until the buyer confirms it.

2. Screening happens before the meeting.

Queen’s Isetan requires its entry sheet at least two weeks before the desired meeting, with submissions directed to the relevant category. This is an actual account requirement, not a universal Japanese lead time. (Queen’s Isetan, accessed 2026-10-11) 商品提案募集

Have your Japanese product information ready before outreach. The Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries provides the Food Communication Project (FCP) business-meeting sheet, designed around seller information and buyer information needs; its domestic template was updated on August 4, 2026. Use the buyer’s own form whenever required. (MAFF, 2026-08-04) maff.go.jp

3. Product evaluation can lead to further meetings and factory review.

Hayano Shoji publishes a sequence of screening, first meeting, a possible second meeting involving tasting or a factory visit, contract agreement, and transaction commencement. This illustrates how evaluation may deepen after initial interest. (Hayano Shoji, accessed 2026-10-11) 早野商事株式会社HP

For your domestic Original Equipment Manufacturer (OEM), prepare commercially reproducible samples and identify who can answer manufacturing questions. Record whether feedback concerns taste, packaging, price, portion size, or customer fit, because each requires a different response.

4. An RFQ needs a clearly defined transaction route.

SME Support Japan advises suppliers to coordinate with the retailer’s nominated wholesaler before finalizing the retailer-facing wholesale price. That means your manufacturer-to-wholesaler price and the retailer’s delivered purchase price need to be distinguished. (SME Support Japan, 2020-01-14) J-Net21[中小企業ビジネス支援サイト]

Alongside the quotation, resolve:

Which legal entity purchases from you?
Where must the goods arrive?
Which freight, handling, promotional, or other agreed costs are included?
Is the quoted volume a forecast, a test quantity, or a purchase order?
Is the quotation supporting regular listing, a promotion, or price comparison?

A quotation request establishes commercial evaluation; it does not establish adoption or a purchase commitment. That is an inference from the documented workflow.

5. Quality review is its own decision.

Kokubu describes manufacturing and distribution quality management, including factory hygiene, accident prevention, testing support, and information handling. MAFF also publishes common factory-audit items. (Kokubu, accessed 2026-10-11; MAFF, accessed 2026-10-11) kokubu.co.jp

Prepare the product dossier early and ask what approval the buyer requires. Your OEM’s existing capability does not establish approval of your particular formulation, artwork, or production arrangement.

6. Listing, ordering readiness, and store execution are separate milestones.

GS1 Japan’s current Ryutsu Business Message Standards (Ryutsu BMS) cover electronic ordering, shipping, receiving, returns, invoicing, and payment. Confirm whether you must connect directly or whether the wholesaler handles the retailer-facing systems. (GS1 Japan, accessed 2026-10-11) gs1jp.org

Before launch, verify the item data, approved ordering method, delivery conditions, and store scope. After launch, check physical availability and price labels. A practitioner article specifically identifies stockouts and missing price cards as problems that can undermine early sales after adoption. (Research Institute of Marketing, 2024-02-01) marken.co.jp

7. Shelf life affects delivery acceptance, not just consumer suitability.

MAFF describes the “one-third rule,” a commercial convention requiring delivery within the first third of shelf life, while documenting efforts to relax it. It is neither a universal statutory requirement nor a uniform rule across accounts. (MAFF, accessed 2026-10-11) maff.go.jp

For example, a 180-day product under a strict first-third delivery window would need to arrive roughly within 60 days of manufacture. Agree the required remaining life at the specified receiving point before allocating inventory.

8. The calendar continues after the first order.

The Research Institute of Marketing describes many spring/summer shelf plans being settled in February, followed by changes beginning in March. Its subsequent guidance emphasizes preparing for retention and expansion ahead of the next shelf decision. These are useful orientation points, but your buyer’s actual calendar takes precedence. (Research Institute of Marketing, 2024-02-01; 2024-03-04) marken.co.jp

Ask for four dates separately: proposal deadline, selection date, registration/first-delivery deadline, and performance-review date. There is no defensible universal number of months for this journey.

For your current RFQs, I recommend building four preparation packages: commercial proposal, product/quality dossier, operations data, and launch/review plan. Track their approval separately. That will make the next dependency visible and help you prepare before the buyer asks for it.

GPT-6.1 Sol OpenAI · High · Work

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