Wholesale has an inventory problem. And yes we know, that’s not exactly news. Even prior to COVID-19, UBS noted inventory growth for apparel, footwear and accessories had outpaced sales growth for four quarters running -- with many companies bringing in inventory sooner than usual to get ahead of expected tariff increases. Not to mention, demand forecast in general has perplexed the industry for quite some time. Add to this the delayed deliveries and mass order cancellations of Coronavirus Spring, and a perennially smoldering issue just became a five-alarm fire. 

Now is the time to take wholesale business online. Here’s your 4-point checklist for choosing the right digital platform.

As more and more in-person gatherings across the retail industry have been canceled or postponed due to COVID-19, tradeshows and events are forced to rethink the way they reach customers and provide a seamless experience for the brand's buyers in this new way of working.  For many businesses, not having access to these gatherings for the opportunity to promote their brand seems like an unmanageable challenge. But the show must go on. Many shows have already turned to digital alternatives to continue wholesale business in this new landscape. 

The ability to think and act fast during market appointments is crucial. JOOR allows brands to have more appointments by increasing the efficiency of each session with our easy-to-use order-taking iPad app. When we learned that brands needed a faster way to connect orders to new clients in order to follow up, we created a new tool for them to connect these orders to retailers seamlessly from their Orders List page.

With the new catalog page, you will now have the ability to easily shop across linesheets with enhanced filtering, grouping features, scrolling, and searching.

Fashion and wholesale succeed through partnerships.  The industry’s highly interconnected ecosystem makes it strong, agile, and able to continuously reinvent under fire.  The independent designer/department store collaboration exemplifies this dynamic: it re-energizes wholesale year-on-year, serving as a vital innovation engine and a bridge to the future.  Outdated marketing and operations practices, however, have begun to hold it back.  Through the ‘100 Project,’ JOOR and Not Just a Label (NJAL) are forging more open and efficient digital pathways to set up the young talent/retailer alliance for the long term win.

The coronavirus has brought intense challenges to our industry--ones we have never had to face. Even in this shifting environment, however, there are two things we can hold on to with certainty:

• Our industry has always shown unmatched teamwork and tenacity in the face of global crisis--whether economic, or humanitarian.
• This time around, we not only have each other--we have technology in our corner as well.

Amid a moratorium on events and calls for more sustainable practices, tech that facilitates virtual fashion presentations is thrust into the spotlight.

An interactive client base is essential for your wholesale business, however, are you fully taking advantage of your own knowledge when it comes to maximizing sales? With JOOR, upselling can become a seamlessly integrated part of your day-to-day business if you use the right tools at the right time. No one understands your buyers more than you, so let us show you how you can leverage that knowledge and upsell to your buyers on JOOR.

“There is often an assumption that ‘sustainable’ can’t live in mainstream fashion. JOOR helped us break into the wholesale space in such a way that we can compete with ‘normal’ brands and truly go mainstream. That’s a good thing for Tribe Alive--and a good sign for fashion in general.” -- Hannah Paul, Brand Development Associate, Sales and Ethics, Tribe Alive.