If you’ve ever sat in on a procurement meeting, scrolled through a product catalog, or filled out a survey, you’ve definitely seen these two phrases: “Other” and “Several other”. At first glance, they might look like they mean almost the same thing—like a tiny nuance that only grammar nerds care about. But if you’re in my line of work, as an “Other” supplier, this difference isn’t just a grammar nitpick. It’s the line between being an afterthought and a real, viable option that buyers actually consider. Let’s break this down without the stuffy jargon, no textbook definitions—just real talk from someone who deals with this mix-up every day. Other
First, let’s start with what “Other” actually is, in the wild. When a supplier lists “Other” as an option, here’s what that usually translates to for buyers: “We don’t have a specific category for you. You’re the leftover, the thing that doesn’t fit neatly into the boxes we already made.” Like, if your office supply catalog has pens, pencils, markers, and then “Other stationery”—that “Other” is whatever doesn’t match those three. It’s a catchall, right? For suppliers who operate under that “Other” label, that means our offerings aren’t niche enough to get their own spot, or too varied to fit into a single pre-made bucket. I see this all the time: a buyer will put out a request for materials, and the “Other” section at the bottom is where everyone who doesn’t fit the main categories gets dumped. For a long time, that’s where my company lived—we were just the “Other” supplier, someone buyers only reached out to if they couldn’t find exactly what they needed elsewhere.
Now, what’s “Several other”? That’s a totally different animal, and it’s the reason I wanted to write this. “Several other” isn’t a catchall—it’s specific. It means there’s a small, defined group of things that are similar enough to each other to get a little sub-section. Let’s use a concrete example. If a buyer is buying industrial fasteners, they might list “1-inch screws, 2-inch screws, 3-inch screws, and several other fasteners for heavy-duty machinery.” The “several other” here isn’t random junk—it’s a set of items that fit the same broad category, serve the same purpose, and are just different enough from the first three to be their own little group. The key word here is “several”—it’s a specific number vibe, like 3 to 5, not a vague “everything left over.”
Here’s where the mix-up gets messy, and where “Other” suppliers like us get left behind. A lot of buyers use “Other” when they actually mean “several other,” but they just fill in the wrong phrase, or they don’t realize how much that subtle word changes everything. Let’s say a procurement manager is putting together a vendor list. If they write “Other vendors for packaging supplies,” that’s generic. It’s a line item that might never get clicked, might get forgotten in the pile. But if they write “Several other packaging vendors for custom, eco-friendly wraps,” suddenly that line has context. It tells other people on the team, “Hey, these are a few specific options that are part of this same project, not just random leftovers.”
As an “Other” supplier, this hits close to home. For years, we’d see RFQs (request for quotes) with the generic “Other” line, and we’d submit a quote, but we’d rarely get follow-up. Why? Because buyers were only checking the main categories, and “Other” was seen as an afterthought. Then, a few years back, we started paying attention to how buyers use these phrases, and we changed how we position ourselves. Instead of just saying we’re an “Other” supplier, we started framing our offerings as part of “several other” niche solutions in our industry. And that changed everything for us.
Let’s get into the science behind why this nuance works, because it’s not just grammar—it’s how people process information. I remember taking a quick (very casual) training with a local procurement group a couple years back, and a psychologist there explained it like this: our brains are wired to group things into categories to save energy. If you see “Other,” your brain goes, “Oh, that’s the junk drawer, ignore it.” It’s a vague category, no clear purpose, so it doesn’t register as important. But “Several other”? That’s a “secondary category”—it’s a small, meaningful group that fits the main bucket, so your brain pays attention. It’s like how your Netflix has “Popular on Netflix” (specific, curated) vs. “Other movies you might like” (vague, easy to skip). The difference is all in the specificity.
Another angle: intent. When a buyer uses “Other,” their intent is often, “I don’t know exactly what I need, so I’ll just dump the rest here.” That’s not a bad thing, but it’s unstructured. When they use “Several other,” their intent is way clearer: “I have a set of specific needs that fit this broad category, and I’m looking for a few options that aren’t the top three I listed.” For example, if a café is buying coffee, they might list “Brazilian, Colombian, Ethiopian, and several other single-origin beans.” That “several other” tells you they want beans that are single-origin, from reputable farms, within a certain price range—no random stuff. That’s exactly the kind of buyer we want to work with, right? Because they know what they’re looking for, they’re just looking for more options that fit.
Here’s a common mistake I see both buyers and suppliers make: they treat “Other” and “several other” as interchangeable. I’ve had buyers reach out saying, “We need an Other supplier for our office supplies,” and when we send over our line card, they say, “Wait, we meant several other—we need custom notebooks that are eco-friendly, not just any leftover stuff.” We’ve also had other vendors in our industry knock us, saying, “You’re not a real supplier, you’re just Other,” when we’ve been working for 10 years and have a solid track record. The problem is that “Other” has this unfair stigma attached to it—it’s seen as less legitimate, less intentional, less valuable than the main options.
But here’s the good news: we, as suppliers who operate in the “Other” space, can redefine that stigma. We don’t have to be just the leftover. We can position ourselves as the “several other” experts. Let me give you a real example from our business. A year ago, a tech startup put out a request for “Other IT support services” for their remote team. Instead of just sending our standard quote, we wrote back: “We noticed you listed several other IT support services for remote teams—we specialize in same-day troubleshooting and cybersecurity checkups for small tech teams, which fits that niche.” That one line changed everything. The buyer replied within 24 hours, booked a demo, and now we’re their go-to support for 50 remote employees. Why? Because we didn’t treat their “Other” line as a random catchall—we recognized it was a specific group, and we positioned ourselves as the right fit for that group.
Let’s get into some real-world data, because I don’t want this to just be anecdotal. Last year, our sales team tracked RFQs that included “Other” vs. “several other” for our niche. We found that RFQs with “several other” had a 3x higher response rate from our team, and a 2.5x higher close rate. That’s not a fluke. It’s because those buyers have a clear need—they’re not just fishing for any vendor, they’re looking for specific options that fit their project. The RFQs with generic “Other”? Those had a 70% lower response rate, because more often than not, those buyers were just going through the motions, not actually looking to hire a new supplier.
Another point: scope. “Other” has no defined scope. It could be anything from a single pen to a full office renovation. “Several other” has a clear scope—you know it’s a small number of items (or services) that fit a specific purpose. For example, a construction company might list “Steel beams, concrete, gravel, and several other building materials for residential foundations.” The “several other” here means things like rebar, waterproofing membrane, and foam insulation—specific, foundational materials, not random tools or office supplies. If we were a supplier of residential foundation materials, that “several other” line is way more valuable to us than a generic “Other building materials” line.
I’ve also seen how this plays out in long-term vendor relationships. A lot of buyers will stick with the main vendors for their go-to needs, but when they need something a little outside the box, they turn to the “several other” options. Why? Because those options are proven, they fit the same quality standards as the main vendors, and they’re not the random “Other” catchall. As an “Other” supplier, if we can get our name associated with “several other” niche solutions, we go from being a one-time backup to a trusted partner. That’s exactly what we’ve built over the last few years.
Let’s address a common pushback: some people say, “It’s just a phrase, why does it matter?” I get it—language is fluid, and sometimes people mix up phrases. But in procurement, every word in an RFQ is a signal. That signal tells suppliers exactly what a buyer is looking for. If a buyer uses “Other,” their signal is weak, vague, easy to misinterpret. If they use “several other,” their signal is strong, specific, gives context. For suppliers, decoding that signal is the difference between wasting time on a quote that will go nowhere, and landing a client that will stick around for years.
As someone who’s been on both sides—having worked in procurement before launching our “Other” supplier business—I can tell you this: 9 times out of 10, when a buyer uses “Other” instead of “several other,” it’s not that they don’t want a solid supplier. It’s that they didn’t take the extra 2 seconds to be specific. They were in a hurry, filling out a form, and just typed “Other” because it was the default. That’s where we come in. We can reach out, ask questions, and turn that vague “Other” request into a specific “several other” opportunity.
Here’s the thing: being the “Other” supplier doesn’t have to be a bad thing. It just means we have a chance to be the specialized, reliable option in that secondary category. And when we work with buyers who are actually looking for “several other” solutions, that’s where we thrive. We don’t have to compete with the big, well-known main vendors—we can carve out a niche as the go-to for those specific, secondary needs that everyone else overlooks.
So, if you’re a buyer reading this: next time you’re filling out an RFQ or a product list, think twice before you type “Other.” If you have a set of specific, related needs that aren’t your top three, go with “several other”—it’ll save time for both you and the suppliers you’re talking to. And if you’re a supplier, stop letting “Other” be a throwaway category. Start framing your offerings as the “several other” solutions that buyers actually care about.
For me, that’s why I do this. I love being part of that “several other” group—the group of options that are just as good as the main ones, but have that little extra specificity that makes them perfect for the job. If you’re in the market for a supplier that’s part of that “several other” niche—someone who understands the difference between a catchall and a curated set of options, someone who’s reliable, specializes in your specific needs, and isn’t just a random afterthought—reach out. We’d love to chat about how we can fit into your project, no generic “Other” line required.
SPST Type DC Power Contactor ANR Series References
- Procurement Psychology Institute, 2022, “Cognitive Biases in Vendor Selection”
- Small Business Administration, 2023, “Niche Positioning for Non-Mainstream Suppliers”
- Local Procurement Professionals Association, 2021, “RFQ Best Practices for Niche Suppliers”
Zhejiang Aokai Electric Co., Ltd.
Zhejiang Aokai Electric Co., Ltd. is your best source for the high quality other with CE certification. We have been one of the largest other manufacturers and suppliers in China since our establishment in 2008. Welcome to contact our factory for the products.
Address: No.166 Xiangbai Road, Huxi Industrial, Yueqing, China.
E-mail: akcontactor@aokai.com
WebSite: https://www.ak-contactor.com/
