Top 3 Need-To-Know Tactics Growing Wholesale Fashion Brands Can Implement Fast

Fashion brands trying to grow their wholesale sales and operations know one simple truth: it isn’t easy. Heads of fashion brands constantly want new strategies to diversify their distribution channels, drive growth, and secure significant market expansion. But whatever their best-laid plans are, reality can quickly bite. At almost every turn, they’re undone by manual, operational, and sales process inefficiencies that block progress and build frustration. 

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If that sounds familiar, ask yourself how many of these day-to-day challenges you recognise:

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• Manual processes that take up time, reduce productivity, and distract sellers from building relationships and expanding their distribution channels in new markets

• Outdated tech that leads to operational and sales issues including delays, errors, and reduced customer satisfaction

• Inconsistent sales processes that result in missed opportunities, lower conversion rates, and inefficient resource allocation

• Managing and optimizing inventory levels with incomplete or inaccurate data, leading to both stockouts and overstocking

• Juggling the demands of maintaining brand identity across platforms, managing inventory and supply chain complexities, and negotiating favorable terms—all while preserving brand value as you expand your network of retail partners

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Here’s the good news: these difficulties don’t have to be permanent. There is a way forward that can help you achieve your short-, medium- and long-term strategic goals.

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In this blog, you’ll learn three proven operations-related tactics. Each one can help you grow your wholesale fashion business, streamline sales order management, optimize real-time inventory management, and automate and standardize sales processes.

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Do one and you’ll take a noticeable step forward. Implement all three and you’ve got a gamechanger on your hands. All three tactics rely on you embracing digital transformation. But if you do, the rewards are waiting.

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Why Digital Transformation is Key for Growing Wholesale Fashion Brands

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As the industry changes at speed, stubbornly sticking with the old ways of working simply doesn’t work. The best wholesale fashion brands recognise their success lies in positively embracing technological change, such as digital transformation, to meet evolving customer expectations. They also know that doing so secures their long-term future.

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For growing and ambitious fashion brands, successful digital transformation:

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• Empowers you with streamlined order processing and inventory management
• Frees up resources for product development and market expansion
• Automates tracking and invoicing, driving efficiencies in both cash and manpower
• Gives you the space to breathe and concentrate on exploring new partnerships

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3 Essential Digital Transformation Steps to Grow in Wholesale Fashion

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1. Streamline your order management and sales processes 

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You know you’ve reached a breaking point when your current systems can no longer support an expanding business. Old school pen and paper, emails, and phone calls might have done the job in the past. Today, though, they’re just a recipe for errors and backlogs.

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A powerful digital wholesale fashion platform can sort this at a stroke.

• No more emailing order forms or Excel sheets back and forth to confirm each order from each different retailer…
• No more answering requests for suitable imagery to jog your buyer’s memory of which products they liked…
• … And no more manually checking your stock levels when a buyer makes a query while visiting your brand showroom.

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By adopting a wholesale fashion software platform that integrates with your ERP system, the whole process becomes seamless. First, brand data like styles, linesheets, images and inventory are fed across via API or Flat File (Excel). Then, when wholesale orders are placed, the orders are either automatically sent back into the ERP system (API) or the returned Excel file is uploaded by your sales team once it’s received from your buyer.

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This automation and streamlining gives you more time and mental space to devote to other tasks. Rather than wasting hours or even days creating an order, everything happens automatically and then instantly syncs across your entire business. Think of the extra internal focus you’ll enjoy when your team isn’t distracted with tiresome manual processes and correcting unnecessary mistakes.

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2. Use digital linesheets and catalogs for real-time inventory updates and planning

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Ever been left with shortages or overstocks? If you have, you’ll know the importance of getting a grip on your inventory. Fashion is cyclical, so it’s critical you can plan with confidence and precision. Otherwise… well, you’re risking a world of pain.

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Consider the reputational damage when your in-person showroom mistakenly tells a buyer products are available because they don’t have accurate, up-to-date information. Or count the lost revenue when your leadership team can’t access real-time ordering information that highlights unexpected spikes in demand. With no insight, you can’t authorize the extra production increases that can pull in those extra sales.

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What’s the solution?

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Investing in a B2B fashion platform with real-time inventory tracking and management is the best way to guarantee better stock optimisation. Choose the right platform, and you could also create custom linesheets to display a bespoke selection of products to particular retail partners.

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By linking your PoS, your buyers can see exactly what you’ve got in stock. They can’t make accidental orders of something that’s unavailable. Your team can’t make human errors either. So the chances of any rogue order getting through are almost immediately eliminated. That means better brand reputation for you (no more messed up orders), happier customers, and a better bottom line from no more overstocks.

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3. Provide customized ecommerce and pricing

The right digital wholesale fashion platform unlocks serious competitive advantages when it comes to ecommerce and custom pricing. Get this part of your business running well, and the possibilities are limitless. 

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• Look for a platform with the ability to create customized linesheets (think exclusive colorways or custom discounts) for different retailers…
• You’ll want the ability to either export the linesheet to a PDF (created within seconds) or share a direct online link…
• You’ll want your retailers to be able to search linesheets by filter or group, then view available colors, wholesale and retail price, sizes, and pack sizes—for every item…
• … And when retailers place orders directly through your staff or sales agents, those sales agents should also be able to apply a discretionary discount. 

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For negotiations that have already happened offline, product pricing on each linesheet should be able to be individually changed to reflect those agreements before retailers log in and place their orders remotely.

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Either way, when the order is ‘placed’ it should still have to be accepted and approved by someone in your team—so you always have final say on the deal.

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JOOR is Your Shortcut to Digital Transformation and Wholesale Growth

Growing a wholesale fashion brand is a fast-moving and complex challenge. Too often, it feels like you’re juggling too many balls at once. And that’s why many simply avoid digital transformation: the thought is just too daunting.But saying yes to new tech can reap huge rewards—especially if you adopt an industry-leading platform like JOOR.

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JOOR’s been designed from the ground up to work alongside your growth ambitions rather than restrict them. By streamlining your order management and sales processes, offering real-time inventory updates and providing customized e-commerce and pricing, JOOR gives you the flexibility to grow at speed—without the restrictions of manual systems holding you back.

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‍Book a JOOR demo today and see what’s possible for your wholesale fashion brand.