Are you ready to sell your products wholesale this holiday season? When should you start your holiday prep?

As I sit down to write this, it’s the beginning of May. It’s almost halfway between being Christmas and being past Christmas. If you haven’t taken the lights down at this point, you’ve committed for the whole year and are way past annoying your neighbours.  

So why am I talking about holidays?

Because retailers are already deep into planning their holiday selection and promos. Truth be told, you should be too.

In this article, we’ll discuss how to make the most of working with retailers for the holiday season, when to start planning and other questions I commonly get about the topic.

What should you plan before reaching out to retailers and boutiques?

Before you even start reaching out to retailers, you must do some research first. It’s not a matter of getting your product on the shelves. It’s about getting them on the right shelves!

Some questions to ask yourself include: 

• Does this retailer share my brand’s values?
• Does my price point align with the store’s target market? 
• Does my target customer shop here?

Setting up partnerships with the right retailers sets you and your brand up for ongoing success. Your retailers speak for you and say more about your brand than you might think.

Why do you need so much extra time for the holiday season?

It’s not as simple as “I like your product and I will carry it in my store.” (I wish!) 

Retailers plan their budgets, especially for the holidays, months in advance. It’s their most crucial time of year, so of course they have to be organised. It’s a pretty involved process to get goods from manufacturing all the way to store shelves.

To get your product on the shelves, there are a number of steps involved, including: 

• Planning and Budgeting (9-12 months before)
• Vendor Selection and Product Sourcing (6-9 months before)
• Order Placement (3-9 months before)
• Production and Manufacturing (3-6 months before)
• Shipping and Logistics (1-3 months before)
• Merchandising and Marketing (1-3 months before)

How far ahead should you be reaching out to retailers?

You should start contacting retailers at least six months before the holiday season. For example, many retailers are doing their Christmas shopping as early as February!

The mistake most people make is starting too late. You don’t want to be talking to people about Christmas in August because consumer shopping has already begun by then. 

This is true for every holiday – Mother’s Day, Valentine’s Day, etc. – so start planning your calendar now!

The sooner you can contact a retailer, the higher your chances of securing part of their holiday budget for your products.

Am I too late for holiday prep? 

What if you’re reading this blog and it’s well past the time you should have begun planning? Is all lost? 

No! You’re just going to have to be more intentional and strategic about how you approach it. 

Here’s how you can make the most of this holiday season: 

Assess your inventory and timelines carefully. 

Ensure you have enough inventory to support wholesale orders and consider how many retailers you can realistically supply. Don’t plan to sell to 20 stores when you only have inventory to supply 10. 

Really hone in on reaching out to retailers that align with your brand values and target market. 

Building strategic partnerships with retailers can lead to brand alignment and free marketing opportunities. Even with limited inventory, strategic partnerships can pave the way for future success.

Be willing to act fast for retailers who still have a budget for in-season buying. 

Get those in-season orders shipped out as fast as possible so that the retailers have more opportunity to have your items in store.

And of course, now that you know, you can start earlier next year! (That’s the fun thing about business – there’s always something to learn!)

Grow your small business and start selling wholesale this holiday season with Alteration Consulting!

When selling wholesale, it’s about doing the right thing at the right time, but it can be hard to know what that is. That’s where I come in. 

Alteration Consulting has a simple mission: to empower women-owned businesses in wholesale and retail. Over the past 15 years, I have worked in the wholesale and B2B world, helping many brands take their products from DTC to retail favourites. 

If you’re looking to make the most of your holiday sales, book a call today!