A wholesale deadline is useful only when it connects to the day you need a garment on the rail. Start with your floor date, then work backwards through delivery, preparation and the supplier's confirmed service date. This guide gives you a repeatable way to do it without turning a forecast into a promise.
1 · Write down the floor date
Choose the first week your customer will want the category, not the date you receive the goods. Consider your local climate, tourist season, events and the time it takes your team to label, steam, photograph and merchandise the delivery. For a holiday edit, leave extra time before the event. For transitional pieces, think about when customers begin asking for layers, not when the weather has already changed.
2 · Build the timeline backwards
Use the supplier's current confirmed dates. The example below is a planning method, not a Be Sunset delivery commitment.
| Milestone | Question to answer | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Floor date | When should the display be ready? | 1 September |
| Store preparation | How many days for receiving, labels and merchandising? | 3–5 working days |
| Delivery buffer | What delay can the store absorb? | 1 week |
| Required arrival | When must the stock physically arrive? | Mid August |
| Supplier service date | What date is confirmed for the order? | Check with your agent |
If the confirmed service date falls after your required arrival, do not quietly assume an earlier shipment. Change the display plan, select available stock, or move the campaign date.
3 · Give each style a role
Build the opening order around a small number of complete stories. Label each proposed style as a hero (draws attention), outfit partner (makes the hero easier to buy), or repeatable piece (works with items customers already own). If a style has no role, ask why it belongs in the initial delivery.
For each style, record the colour, size range, opening quantity, target floor date and the reason you expect it to sell. A note such as “works with two of our best-selling bottoms” is more useful later than “beautiful top”.
4 · Use comparable history carefully
- Compare the same selling window, not an entire previous season.
- Separate full-price demand from discounted late-season clearance.
- Record returns and exchanges by size, not just gross units sold.
- Check whether last year's late orders have already moved earlier this year.
- Include current stock and confirmed inbound orders before planning a reorder.
For example, if a store sold 12 pieces of a similar dress before the end of October but returned two, a starting point is 10 net pieces. Adjust for the new fit, price, colours and customer base. That is a planning example, not a recommendation to order 10 of every dress.
5 · Send your agent a brief that gets a useful answer
Copy this structure into an email or message:
Our floor date is [date]. We are planning [stories/categories] for [customer/occasion]. We sold [net pieces] of the closest comparable styles in the same window last year. Our strongest sizes were [sizes]. We already have [stock/inbound]. Please confirm current availability, service date, size options and any pieces that complete these looks.
Ask for confirmation before promising a customer a delivery. If you need immediate stock, say so explicitly; a preorder and a ready-stock order solve different problems.
6 · Review after the first delivery
One week after the pieces reach the floor, note which styles attracted attention, which sizes were tried, and what sold or came back. Use that evidence to decide whether to reorder, change the display or stop. Keep the forecast as a range while demand is uncertain.
To see the current collection and connect with the team, request wholesale access. Your agent can confirm the dates that apply to your order.
