Franchise marketing for trade wholesalers brings business owners and tradespeople to the wholesale location in their region, with product range, opening hours and trade terms. We carry it out for every location in your franchise brand, so your marketing team keeps room for brand and strategy.
What makes marketing for wholesale chains different?
Business customers look for a nearby wholesaler with stock, early opening hours and good terms. A tradesperson who needs materials in the morning chooses the location on their route.
That combination of brand and local choice calls for a different approach from marketing for a single business with a single address.
How do business customers search for trade wholesalers?
These are search queries we see again and again in this sector, along with what the location needs in order to be chosen.
| Search query | What the location needs in order to be chosen |
|---|---|
| [trade] wholesaler [town] | A location profile with product range |
| wholesaler open at 7am | Early opening hours |
| apply for a trade account | Registration for business customers |
| delivery to building site | Delivery services |
How the same question sounds in an AI assistant
In ChatGPT, Gemini or Google AI Overviews, business customers ask longer questions, for example: "Which installation wholesaler in the region opens at 7am and delivers to the building site?" An AI can only recommend a location if those details are literally stated in the profile, reviews and location page. That is why we combine local findability with automating local campaigns.
What goes wrong at wholesale chains?
In the baseline measurements of wholesale chains, we see the same patterns again and again. They can be fixed, but they take time and specialist knowledge.
Opening hours not aligned
Early opening hours are not shown correctly in the profile.
Product range unknown
Tradespeople do not know whether something is in stock.
Cumbersome trade applications
New customers do not register.
Consumers wrongly informed
It is unclear whether consumers are welcome.
Our approach for trade wholesalers
This is the starting point for wholesale chains. After the pilot, we adjust based on what the data shows for each location.
| Channel | Use for trade wholesalers |
|---|---|
| Google Business Profile | Opening hours, services, who the wholesaler is for |
| Location pages | Product range, delivery, trade account |
| Google Ads | Campaigns aimed at tradespeople in the region |
| Content for installers and contractors | |
| Promotions and news for business customers |
No time or expertise in-house? Leave your franchise marketing to us.
Rules and points of attention for trade wholesalers
Prices for business customers are often excluding VAT; state this clearly. Be clear about whether consumers can buy.
This is not legal advice; if in doubt, we consult your franchise brand's lawyer or trade association.
What does better visibility deliver for wholesale chains?
The NFV non-food retail sector, under which we classify trade wholesalers, had 180 franchise brands with 7,713 locations and €13.5 billion in revenue in 2025. That is an average of around €1,750,000 in revenue per location per year. The worked example below shows the revenue effect at which the Growth package pays for itself.
| Item | Amount |
|---|---|
| Average revenue per location per year | €1,750,292 |
| Per month | €145,858 |
| 1% extra revenue per year | €17,503 |
| Cost of Growth package per year | €3,000 |
| Break-even point: required revenue growth | 0.17% |
Which KPIs matter for wholesale chains?
In addition to the standard KPIs in our monthly report (visibility, customer actions, reviews and position in Maps), in this sector we also look at:
| KPI | Why |
|---|---|
| New trade accounts | Growth |
| Direction requests | Visits |
| Online orders per location | Revenue |
When should you plan marketing for trade wholesalers?
The construction and installation sector is busiest in spring and autumn; the construction industry's summer shutdown causes a dip. We put these peaks in the content calendar, so that profiles, ads and social media are ready in time.
How do we get started with franchise marketing for trade wholesalers?
We start small and measurable. First a baseline measurement, then a pilot with ten to fifteen locations, and only then the whole franchise brand. That way, after a quarter you can see what franchise marketing for trade wholesalers delivers, with real figures per location.
| Period | What we do |
|---|---|
| Weeks 1-2 | Baseline measurement at three locations for searches such as [trade] wholesaler [town] and wholesaler open at 7am, plus an AI test with fixed questions |
| Weeks 3-4 | Google Business Profile: opening hours, services, who the wholesaler is for |
| Month 2 | Location pages and Google Ads: campaigns aimed at tradespeople in the region |
| Month 3 | LinkedIn live and first monthly report with new trade accounts and direction requests |
Checklist: is your wholesale franchise in good shape online?
- A location profile with product range
- Early opening hours
- Registration for business customers
- Delivery services
- Email: promotions and news for business customers
Can you not tick off every point for every location? Then the free scan shows exactly where the gains are.
Who works on franchise marketing for trade wholesalers?
Every location of your franchise brand is backed by the same team, working the same way: Gijs Bodenstaff for strategy and client contact, Angela for analysis and content, Elisabeth for local Google Ads, Peter for local authority and ten trained freelancers for day-to-day delivery. Every week we train on changes at Google. See who is behind this agency.
Related sectors and services for trade wholesalers
This page belongs to marketing for non-food retail brands. Comparable sectors are franchise marketing for garages and franchise marketing for sports shops. For trade wholesalers we focus mainly on local search ads and location pages that rank. For more on costs, see weighing in-house against outsourcing; you can start by measuring ROI per franchise location.
Frequently asked questions about franchise marketing for trade wholesalers
Wholesalers: does local findability work for a wholesaler?
How do we attract new business customers?
Do you also work for wholesale chains that are not franchises?
What do franchisees of wholesale chains notice from this?
Wholesalers: can customers find our locations through AI assistants?
How quickly do wholesale chains see results?
How do tradespeople and contractors search for a wholesaler in their region?
Should a trade wholesaler state whether consumers are welcome?
What role does LinkedIn play in the marketing of a wholesale chain?
When should you plan marketing for a wholesaler in the construction and installation sector?
Sources
Gijs Bodenstaff
Franchise marketer, local SEO and GEO specialist, author
Curious how the locations of your wholesale franchise are doing? Request the free scan of three locations.