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What Can Be Some Persistent Advantages for Smaller Players in the Lubricants Market?
A call to arms for the small and independent lubricant manufacturers and supply chain!
As pressures mount from consolidation in the lubricants industry (“The Europe Commercial Vehicles Lubricants Market is moderately consolidated, with the top five companies occupying 45.27%.”) digital disruption, and margin compression as highlighted in Lubes n Greases., it’s easy to believe that bigger always means better. But from the buyer perspective, the data tells a different story. A story where smaller lubricant businesses can retain powerful, persistent advantages.
While large organisations scale through volume, global reach, and integrated systems, smaller players thrive on what buyers say they actually want: responsiveness, relevance, and real relationships.
Here’s what the Buyer Revolution research tells us about the strategic edge smaller players can hold onto and double down on.
You can read more about our takeaways from the UKLA Roadmap 2025 when we discuss how to influence your end buyers, even when you’re one step removed in the supply chain.
Speed Wins. Smaller Players Can Create Advantage by Moving Quicker
In a sector built on machinery uptime and operational performance, speed matters. Speed not just in delivery, but in how quickly buyers feel heard and helped.
For example, our research suggests that 75.9% say speed of response actively affects who they choose to work with
Smaller suppliers don’t get lost in process. They can make faster decisions, escalate concerns quickly, and respond in real time and this is something larger firms often struggle to replicate at scale. Consider how the surge in AI can help here in providing consistent and reliable response, even if the response isn’t a full solution, recognition of a query here helps.
Personalisation Still Matters. Smaller Can Mean Closer.
Buyers consistently express a preference for personalised communication over generic brand messaging:
81.2% say they value reps who offer insight tailored to their specific needs. What a great opportunity for your sales reps who can prioritise personal connection from a smaller, nimble organisation.
Smaller businesses often operate in tighter geographies or within niche verticals, which allows them to know the customer better, not just the site and specs, but the person, the pressure, and the priorities.
This kind of proximity can build trust, which even best-in-class automation can’t replace.
Smaller Players Can Show Up Better
With fewer layers and silos, smaller organisations can prepare better, follow up quicker, and adapt faster to customer needs.
Consider this:
- 82.4% of buyers feel disappointed or frustrated when reps arrive unprepared. This is a staggering number that sales teams are leading wide open to destroying value in the buyer seller relationship.
Smaller businesses are often closer to the action; the R&D team can speak to the customer, the MD might lead the pitch, and customer feedback can be acted on immediately.
The result? More meaningful contact. More trust. More loyalty.
See more about what buyers really want from their Account Managers. The detail may surprise you!
Agility in a Market That’s Changing Fast
The buying process itself is evolving. Buyers now:
- Begin with self-led research
- Prefer digital-first interactions
- Expect supplier websites and content to help them decide before a call is made
Smaller players can pivot content strategies, update digital presence, or adjust messaging more quickly than global giants. In a world where customers want answers now, agility is not a bonus, but more a strategic advantage for smaller and independent lubricants businesses.
Read more about the evolution of the top end of your sales funnel and how you might consider adapting this to future proof your sales operation.
Culture Beats Size
Finally, there’s the human factor. Smaller businesses can often foster stronger internal cultures of ownership, responsiveness, and pride and buyers feel that difference.
When buyers were asked what they hope to see more of in the future, the top response wasn’t “better pricing” or “bigger product ranges.”
It was more value-adding support and expertise from the people they deal with.
That’s the game small suppliers can win. By being brilliant at the basics, showing up prepared, staying close to the customer, and offering insight that solves real problems.
In Summary: What Smaller and independent lubricants businesses can lean into
| Advantage | Why It Matters |
|---|---|
| Speed of response | Builds trust, drives loyalty, and directly impacts buying decisions |
| Personalised relationships | Preferred by buyers over generic communications |
| Domain-specific expertise | Domain-specific expertise Enables reps to offer tailored insights and real problem-solving |
| Operational agility | Adapt faster to buyer needs, trends, and feedback |
| Cultural proximity | Enables authentic, accountable, and high-trust engagement |
Final Word: The Revolution Isn’t Just for the Big Guys
The Buyer Revolution has levelled the playing field. The customer now sets the terms and those terms increasingly reward the supplier who listens well, responds fast, and shows up prepared.
And those aren’t things that require a global footprint.
They require intentionality, insight, and human connection.
If you’re an independent player in the lubricants market, this isn’t your disadvantage.
It’s your opportunity.
The Buyer Revolution Workshops.
Keen to understand more? Why not consider the Buyer Revolution Workshops, designed specifically for business across the lubricants sector, and guided by the voice of the lubricants buyer, this is the revolutionary training event for business in the lube space.
