5 Keys to Unlock Wholesale Orders On Sites like Abound, Bulletin or Faire
Author: Christina Ellis | Co-Writer Parker Steed
If you're a brand who is trying to grow your wholesale business, and you aren't on these wholesale platforms... Stop what you're doing right now & get on board! Here are some of our shiniest diamonds of wisdom. We hope they help you!
Dress (Your Products) for Success
They say a picture is worth a thousand words… but here we can attach actual dollar signs. Instagram is a testament to the value and difficulty of taking quality pics, and we know that our shop owners have enough on their plate already. If you're strapped for resources, you can give them the same pictures you use for your own site/social. Ideally, when you schedule your next photoshoot, reserve some time for wholesale collateral so you can differentiate, while maintaining quality.
Put Words in Their Mouth
If you want retailers to preach your gospel, you’ve got to supply the scripture. And by scripture, we mean a product cheat sheet. When it comes to site design and optimizing SEO, nailing the description is key. A product cheat sheet legitimizes your business and makes it easier for retailers to train their employees. It also helps them feel confident in your product before they even buy it.
The cheat sheet is particularly helpful with a complex product. Think of one of your trickier products that might fill a retailer with confusion, or make them think customers will be filling their inbox with questions.
For us, it’s our herbal tea toke line. We have received just about every question you can imagine, and we have all of the answers neatly tucked in the cheat sheet so our retailers are at ease at first glance. Here is a peek at one of ours below.
This plays an even bigger role in the digital world, when building product descriptions for their website. A lot of retailers that have purchased our product from wholesale sites, don’t have a history of e-commerce, but have been forced to take their business there.
Create Your “Retailer Tool Kit”
The tactics mentioned above lay the groundwork for repeat orders, and set your retailers up for success. Once you have checked the boxes above, you can leverage those assets & add value to your retailers by building a simple online portal, using free tools like Google Drive.
This consists of all of the images and copy they could ever need (ie. your photos & product cheat sheets, logo file etc…). The more descriptive you make it, the better. These are tools they can use to build more business for you & for them! We love a win-win!
It may seem obvious, but the success we’re looking for isn’t so much the orders that come through our wholesale sites, but rather orders placed with our retailers from their customers. A high quality online portal makes life easier for your retailers, creates a positive reputation for your business, and gives you control over how your brand is broadly perceived. We recommend updating the portal quarterly and sending it to all of your retailers to provide ongoing support!
Give Them a Taste
Providing samples is becoming the standard, and there’s a reason. The shop owner needs to see and feel the products to reassure them of their quality. Every shop owner is unique, and some simply won’t buy without a sample. Feel free to charge for it, but strive to make the sample as accessible as possible. Remember that you’re both in this for the same reason, searching for high quality repeat business. Each owner will have a slightly different process, timeline, etc. and you want to facilitate as many as you can.
Make the Support Team Your Best Friend
This is one of the most critical and undervalued resources that has been a game changer for our business. The support team is getting paid to make you successful, and most people only reach out when there is an issue. Here’s the trick - it’s usually a smaller team than you think, and you can make personal connections that will ultimately make you stand out among thousands of brands.
The marketplace is always looking for success stories to promote their platform, and if you are willing to help them, they will go out of their way to promote you - another win-win! While you’re getting to know the team, get familiar with the site and capabilities, alerts, campaign emails, reminders, etc. This will make you more successful, and it provides additional motive for the team to highlight you as a power user.
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