A new style can appear to sell slowly for two very different reasons: customers may not want it, or the sizes they want may already be missing. A top-up order made from the style's total sales alone can repeat the wrong size mix. This short review gives a boutique team a way to separate demand, availability and presentation before asking for more stock.
Start with what was actually available to sell
For each colour and size, keep five figures together: units received, units sold, units currently on hand, units reserved or being transferred, and the date the size first became unavailable. A style-level sell-through figure hides the difference between a full rail of slow sizes and a rail that lost its most requested size after a few days.
Also note when the style reached the shop floor. A delivery held in the stockroom for a week has had less selling time than one displayed from day one. Compare only periods when the item was visible and available in the size being assessed.
Record demand that a till receipt cannot show
Ask the team to make a brief note when a shopper wants a missing size, tries a piece but leaves it, or asks how it should fit. Record a reason in the customer's own words when possible: “needed a longer length” is more useful than “didn't like it.” Count a request from the same shopper once, even if they ask again later. A request is evidence of interest, not a guaranteed future sale.
- Missing-size requests: which size and colour was requested, and was a substitute accepted?
- Try-ons: which sizes reached the fitting room, and what stopped a purchase?
- Returns: was the issue fit, expectation, quality or something else?
- Visibility: was the style on a mannequin, a feature rail or a less visible fixture?
These notes should be short enough for a salesperson to capture immediately. A shared sheet or a note against the style works better than relying on memory at the end of the month.
Use the pattern to choose the next action
| What you see | What to do first |
|---|---|
| Sales and repeated requests cluster around sizes that are now unavailable. | Check stock, reservations and incoming transfers. If the season still has selling time, ask about a top-up in those sizes. |
| Customers try the available sizes but leave with the same fit objection. | Improve the fit explanation and check whether the piece suits the customer you are showing it to. More of the same stock will not answer the objection. |
| Most sizes are available, but few people stop or try the style. | Test a clearer outfit or a more visible position, then review the next selling days before ordering again. |
Review the notes after the first week on the floor and again after the second. The purpose is to see whether a change in availability or presentation altered customer behaviour; there is no universal sell-through percentage that makes every reorder correct.
Send a useful top-up brief
If the evidence points to more stock, give your agent or brand a concise request: style and colour, sizes required, units sold by size, unfilled size requests, current on-hand units, and the date the stock needs to be on the floor. Ask for the current service and delivery dates before committing. If the next delivery would arrive after your selling window, it may be better to sell through the remaining sizes and carry the learning into the next buy.
For boutiques reviewing a Be Sunset assortment, the wholesale application is the starting point for discussing the collection with our team. Bring your size-level observations: they make the conversation more useful than a request for “more of everything.”
