If you saw my last article (Dealers that lead succeed), you may recall my (shameless) plug for space this month to explore the cleaning and catering sectors in more detail.
As it turns out, fortune really does favour the brave – I’m now able to share deeper insight into what makes these industries so compelling for diversification. The following draws on two decades of experience navigating B2B markets, distilled into actionable intelligence for your business.
Let’s pick up where we left off: how do you build a thriving cleaning category? Getting the foundations right will make a dramatic difference to performance over the coming months and years. Cleaning is, fundamentally, a commodity product – people buy toilet cleaner every month – and this necessity creates the attractive reality of predictable, recurring revenue streams.
However – and this is where many dealers have stumbled – unlike other commodities, the purchasing decision in cleaning rarely comes down to price alone.
Efficacy will always trump price when it comes to cleaning products. Nobody wants to spend more time than necessary choosing which toilet cleaner to buy. Nor does anybody want to go to the toilet and find it dirty. Customers want reliable cleaning products they can set on repeat order without a second thought. If a product doesn’t perform, no matter the price, they simply won’t buy it again.
Market momentum
As covered in the last issue, cleaning and catering remain robust growth engines. Professional cleaning supplies continue to ride a post-pandemic sentiment shift, with forecasts showing 12-15% CAGR through to 2030. Meanwhile, catering (non-food) is expected to grow at a more modest, yet still attractive, 3.7-6.5% CAGR over the same period.
But here’s the insight that changes everything: According to Cleaning in Motion’s State of the Market Commercial Cleaning Edition 2024, 63% of B2B cleaning clients rank quality and reliability above price, while 71% are willing to pay premiums for specialised services. In other words, nearly two-thirds of your potential customers are explicitly not optimising for lowest cost – they’re prioritising dependability, expertise and results.
This shift reflects a deeper truth in modern B2B procurement. Commercial decision-makers face real pressure – maintaining operational continuity, meeting compliance obligations, supporting workforce satisfaction and delivering on corporate sustainability commitments. A dirty facility reflects poorly on management, while a supplier collapse disrupts workflows. These aren’t academic concerns; they’re board-level risks. Consequently, the purchasing process is markedly more sophisticated.
Cleaning: Securing your edge
Commercial cleaning procurement is no longer decided by a single gatekeeper. Cleaning in Motion’s research shows an average of 3.5 decision-makers are now involved in selecting cleaning products. Dealers must navigate multiple stakeholders: facilities managers concerned with operational efficiency, procurement teams focused on cost controls, safety officers reviewing certifications and protocols, and executive leadership assessing ESG implications.
Current market dynamics reveal what sophisticated B2b buyers truly prioritise:
- Quality assurance and compliance: Customers increasingly demand evidence of quality through recognised certifications (eg Nordic Swan, ISO standards) and verifiable performance metrics.
- Performance-based contracts: These are now favoured by 58% of large corporations, according to Cleaning in Motion and 78% of facilities managers, according to Softbank Robotics’ The Cobotic Evolution in Cleaning research. This means that suppliers aren’t just promising results, they’re guaranteeing them through measurable KPIs.
- Flexibility and adaptability: There’s been a noticeable behavioural shift among customers wanting adjustable cleaning schedules that respond to foot traffic and operational changes. This signals a move from ‘set-it-and-forget-it’ supply to partnership models that require a deeper understanding of a customer’s business rhythms.
- It’s a change that tends to favour smaller, local dealers over large national ones, while also highlighting the robustness of supply chains. The need for stock flexibility is now a very real factor when assessing which manufacturers to partner with in this category.
- Sustainability and corporate alignment: Demand for eco-friendly cleaning products is growing at a 14.7% CAGR, states Mobility Foresights’ Europe Green Cleaning Products Market Size and Forecasts 2031 study, with plant-based and biodegradable formulations becoming mainstream rather than premium differentiators. This isn’t virtue signalling – it’s customer expectation and it will continue to impact your business if you don’t offer a solution.
Catering: Distinct dynamics
Catering presents a more complex picture, but, as with cleaning, quality matters. Customers value durable equipment and presentable tableware, favouring reliable purchases over cheap options that require frequent replacement.
Sustainability is also a macrotrend. Cleaning in Motion’s research shows that 61% of B2B buyers now prioritise sustainable sourcing in catering supply chain decisions, elevating it from a ‘would-like’ to a ‘must-have’. However, unlike cleaning, catering procurement combines practical needs, subjective preferences and corporate values. Tableware choices, for example, are as emotive as selecting office furniture, where quality and style matter most.
Ultimately, customers accept higher prices when suppliers demonstrate expertise, reliability and value alignment, as against just proposing a price point.
Building your advantage
As you consider or execute cleaning and catering category diversification, anchor your strategy on three key principles:
- Invest the time to get the right building blocks in place. Get the foundations wrong and these categories will always be a ‘bit part’ of your business.
- Develop a transparent, outcome-focused service model. Be clear on how you will satisfy core customer needs – whether sustainability, certifications or a robust supply source. These are not box-ticking exercises; they are fundamental to growth in these categories.
- Compete on trust, not price. Your edge lies in capability and alignment with your customers’ strategic objectives. Adopting this mindset transforms your entire go-to-market approach.
The cleaning and catering sectors are, in many ways, commodities. But commodity markets aren’t won through race-to-the-bottom pricing; they’re won by distributors that understand that today’s B2B buyer values certainty, capability and partnership