Boost Your Wholesale Business | Webinar Replay

Good morning. All right, I see some people are coming in and we are going to get started in just a few minutes. Welcome to the Wholesale Success webinar. And I can see some of our friends are joining now. We're excited to see you. If this is your first time on a Boutique Hub webinar, don't be shy. Come on in. This is going to be a really informative session. You're going to leave with some really great takeaways to help you get started. So I know this was a popular session. We've got a lot of wholesale brands that are looking for that secret to success, and we are going to be sharing those today. So as you're coming in, our team will be monitoring the chat, so feel free to keep the conversation rolling as usual. Something we do at the Boutique up all the time is have conversations like this where we're just talking about business and we're sharing what's working for us and what's working for others. Asking questions, you know, whether you're brand new to the wholesale business or you've been doing this for a while, there's always something to learn. And so that's why we really invite you today to use this session as an opportunity to network with other wholesale brands and then also for you to be able to ask questions to us. So our team is going to be here in the chat. I've got Dane Cohen and then also Phoebe Grossman, who are both part of the Boutique Hub, super knowledgeable in all things markets, wholesale and success. So if you have a chance to, you know, drop in your the comments and let us know any questions you have, we're going to be happy to help you there. So we will get started in just a minute. I see a few more people popping in. I'm excited to have you guys here today. We are going to be talking about what are the things that you need to know to be successful as a wholesale brand in 2025. And the crazy thing, like every year, right, we're always saying things this year will be easier, this year will be better. And I do think that better days are always coming and that things are good. But I don't know if I can say it's any easier yet. And what that means is we've just got to really double down on our strategy and work smarter, not harder. And so that's what we're going to do today on this webinar is uncover those key principles that are taught in the Boutique Hub for you to have success with your wholesale business. So I see that our room is getting full, so I'm going to go ahead and get the slides started because if you guys are like me, I'm like, give me the meat and potatoes. Right? Like, I want to get started right away. So we will do that. Now. Let me find my slides and I will share my screen and we'll get going with that. Like I said, you're going to see my colleague Dane and Phoebe in the chat. So feel free. If you have a question, drop it there. And then I'll take a breath and check in with them too and make sure that all your questions are answered and on our chat. So the first one I see that we've dropped is going to be are you a member of the Boutique Hub? So make sure you take a chance to fill that out. And for those of you that are just coming, I can see people just rolling into the room right now. We're going to be talking about boosting your wholesale sales. So how to find and connect with boutiques in 2025, and as we mentioned, is that every year is different. There is no season where we can predict exactly what is going to happen. And that's what we've seen really in 2025 is we started off very strong. We've had some challenges with the economy, some opportunities with the economy. And so what we need to do is we need to double down on our strategy and make sure that we are doing all the things we can do to be successful with our wholesale business. So let's go ahead and pop on in now and we will go through this. So my name is Samantha Connor. I'm the director of wholesale at the Boutique Hub. I've been with the company for about almost five years in June. I come from a strong sales background and I'm really passionate about connecting people with resources. So whatever it is that you need to be successful with, either you'll find it inside the Boutique Hub or we'll connect you with that person you probably know, Ashley Alderson and Sarah Burks, who are also in this photo with me. Ashley is our CEO and founder and Sarah Burks is our director of education. And so we have a whole team of people that are aligned to help you be successful with your business. So let's get started with it. You know, kind of a gut check, A reality check for me is, have you felt like this recently? And I ask this because so much in our business is feeling, but then also actual things that are happening. So do you feel like this and do you see this happening? In your business, is it harder for you to find really strong leads and vetted buyers? Has that been a challenge for you? Like, you know, your product's great, but you're like, I just can't find the people to buy it. Are you hitting kind of that wall where your profit margins are a little bit too small and the sales aren't really supporting it? So sales are low, you're looking for a way to increase sales. And then do you feel kind of unclear on what is that next step to take? And if you've said yes to one or to all three of these, let me just tell you, you're not alone, and you're in the right place. You found the boutique of. And that's where we have conversations like this all the time. The great thing is, we've been doing this for 11 years. And so we bring together all the people in our community, whether from retailers to wholesalers to amazing service providers, and we bring that education to you updated on a daily basis. And the great thing is, recently I did several polls to prepare for this presentation because I wanted to bring you guys real data. I wanted to give you numbers. And talking to our retail members, 75% of them are looking for new brands to work with. Now, that's exciting to me. If I was a wholesaler, 75% of people are looking for something new to sell in their store, something exciting. So what this means to you as a wholesale brand is you've got opportunity. And so what we have to do next is if an opportunity is knocking, we got to open that door. And so we're going to dissect on what are the steps we need to take to take advantage of that amazing opportunity. People are looking for products like yours, but maybe they just can't find them. So let's help them do that. So, told you. We've been doing this for 11 years. We've talked to a lot of wholesale brands. We work with people that are small to meet big, large corporations. And over and over and over again, we have found that the number one secret to success in wholesale is simple. And we always say it's simple, but it's not easy. But it's pretty simple. And it's what we call the growth strategy. And for those of you that have been to one of my webinars before, you've met me at Market, I was a former teacher. So the way that I like to take all of this information and help you guys learn is to put it in an acronym or something you can remember. And so that's what the growth strategy is. It's a digestible, easy way for you to think about your wholesale business and be successful with it. So let's break that down a little bit. The growth strategy, like I said, is really four steps. One, gain visibility and build trust. This is essential. You cannot Skip this step two is reach buyers 24, 7. You need to have a way that you can be reaching buyers constantly, even when you're not live in front of them at a trade show. How can they continue to sell or buy things from you so your sales continue? Right. We want to build that. That fire that burns 24 hours a day, seven days a week. How can we optimize our marketing? There's a lot of shiny, amazing things that are grabbing for attention from our retail friends. And so how do we focus them on our product and let them know that we're the solution to the problem they have? And then the last one is win. And that's really with you win. What are those exclusive resources that you can use and access to stay ahead of the game? Because that's what you're going to need next. Right. We know things are changing so quickly in this industry. And so, you know, we can have. We've got the buyers, we've got a way to sell to them all the time. But how do we stay atop of the things that are changing and happening? Make sure we're using the latest strategies and resources, and that's that. W. And that's going to be the. Really that. That final piece to the growth strategy, the Boutique Hub. Like I said, We've got 11 years of data, and we're going to use it to help you build your wholesale business successfully. So before we jump into the growth strategy and really break it down, the thing that I want to talk about next is what are the resources you're going to need to be successful with this? And so what we look at here is there's three things that I'm going to recommend. I'm going to touch on them lightly because I'm going to mention them throughout the webinar. And so I wanted to make sure you're aware of the words that I'm using and what they mean. If you're a member of the Boutique Hub, you might already know about a few of these resources, but if you're new here, welcome. And let me tell you a little bit about what we offer for wholesale brands like you. So number one, like I mentioned, the Boutique Hub, it's a membership that is super important for wholesale Brands that are looking to meet reach thousands of independent retailers. Number two is Hubventory. This is the wholesale platform that was created by the Boutique Hub. It was created by the industry, for the industry. There's no platform like it. And then finally, Boutique Hub Black, which is going to jump you into that marketing strategy is going to help you be successful. It's going to help you burn that fire 24 hours a day, seven days a week. Even when you're sleeping, you'll be able to make sales, you know. And we pulled this quote out here because it is so true. Success in wholesale is simple. We can see what the steps are, but it's not easy. And the reason why it's not easy is because you have to keep at it. And so what we're doing in the Boutique hub is we're helping make it a little bit simpler for you. We're showing you that strategy and saying, okay, you did this, now here's the next step. Let me show you where to go next. If you have not joined the Boutique Hub yet, like I said, I want to make sure you're very aware of it. It is an organization of 8,000 independent retailers plus 800 wholesale brands. This is your community. It's a place where you can surround yourself with people that are doing business in a successful way. They can help lift you up, they can help you stay on top of all those latest and greatest things that are happening. When there's news, updates. I just saw something come through about tariffs. Did you guys see there's a 90 day lift on the tariffs now? They've been reduced back down to about 30% and 10%. So that's a big thing. We're sharing that kind of information all the time. So you've got to have that community that's going to help you stay on top of everything. Next is Hubventory. This is going to be your other tool for success. When you join the Boutique Hub as a wholesale brand, you get access to Hubventory. Hubventory is a wholesale platform. So the great thing about Hubventory when you think about why would I want to use a wholesale platform is as a wholesale brand, you're trying to drive that buyer to you. Well, the buyer is always looking for convenience. So if they know they can go to a one stop shop and reach multiple brands at one time and make all their purchases in one place, then that's success for them. And that's why we built Hubventory. So I've laid out some things here with it. We'll Touch on it again throughout the presentation at the end. But like I said, I wanted you to be familiar with the terms of. When you get a brand membership with a Boutique Hub, you automatically get access to sell on hubventory, which is our wholesale platform. List your products, create line sheets, get followers, create leads, and then you also get the support of immediate payouts and just a flat 5% commission. And then finally, Boutique Hub Black. And this is going to be your coach for marketing. So when you've got all your products listed, you've got everything ready and you're feeling successful, this is that final piece of the puzzle of how do I reach those customers that are out there all of the time? How do I get them when they're scrolling on Facebook? How do I stay top of mind? And Boutique Hub Black is one on one personalized coaching for your marketing plan and your advertising projects. All right, so let's get started. This is a checklist that I live and die by when I talk to a wholesale brand for the first time. And it's what do you need to get started with wholesale success? If you have been in this business for a while, I would say, I would go back through this again and say, if I have this, have I updated it recently? If I was new to the wholesale business, what I would do is take a picture of this. Actually at the end, I'll give you the slides. I would look at this list very closely and say, do I have these things outlined? Am I retail ready? And we'll start at the top. A defined buyer Persona and your usp. USP is that unique selling proposition. What makes your shirt different than everybody else's? You know, we use this analogy a lot in the Boutique Hub of when you go to the store down the bread aisle, there's all those breads. And you know, you keep wondering, gosh, how can there be that much bread, right? Like, how can everybody need all these different kinds of bread? And it's because there's success is available for many of us. Just like there's a lot of purse brands, there's a lot of perfume brands, there's a lot of clothing brands. You can be successful, but we really have to break out. Why is your product different? How can you differentiate yourself? So when you think about the bread aisle, some of those breads, they differentiate themselves of low carb or some have more whole wheat. So think about that in terms of your brand. What makes you special? And then who is your ideal customer based on things like price point and what the product, what problem it solves who's your perfect customer. The next thing that I would be building out is your email list of current retailers. So that's essential is that you're constantly building an email list. You can do that on your website. When someone first comes into your website, you know, have them register, grab that email address there. At markets, there's different ways you could say, hey, you know, I want to make sure I can stay in contact with you, send you current line sheets. Let me grab your email address. So make sure that whatever you're doing, any contact you have with retailers, you're grabbing their email address. It's essential to have a CRM tool. We've got a way to track all those conversations that we're having with the retailers. And then of course, retail ready means having line sheets and catalogs. How are you displaying your products so they can see them? Social media is one of the first things I've seen retailers look at when they are discovering a new brand. They'll pull up on their phone and say, let me see what this person has. Like what are their products look like? Who else is following them? What kind of reputation do they have? So that's essential to have there. Also, you're going to need a wholesale website and a B2B platform. So I recommend for everybody that I talk to, I say, don't put all your eggs in one basket. So if you're selling on your website, you also should have a Facebook group for your wholesale buyers and you should also be on a wholesale platform like Hubventory. You need to give your buyer many options for where they can connect with you and find your product. It's important, very important to see people in person. And then we talk about that, we talk about trade shows or store visits. I know that there's a lot of successful wholesalers that attend trade shows around the clock. Every month they're at a show and they find success with that. I know a lot of wholesalers that that's not a strategy that works for them, but they have a lot of success with going and seeing customers in their store. So find a way to get in front of your customer in person. You know, after Covid, we saw a lot of people doing those zoom calls and selling that way. And that also works. Get face to face with your customer. Put a name with your brand. Make sure you have a clear outline of your minimum order quantity and your turnaround time. Moq and tat people want to know how much do I have to buy and when can I expect the product? To arrive and then sell through stats. Once they get your product, how can you reassure them that this product is going to move? What are your statistics? What people that are successful with your product, what are they doing and how quickly are they usually able to move it? Our marketing plan that kind of goes back into boutique Black. If you don't have a marketing plan, we're happy to build one out with you. And also that advertising strategy. So we do all of these things and get all of these things in line to build a system that's going to generate sales for wholesale business 24 7. Now let's get to the, to the nitty gritty here. People don't buy what you do, they buy why you do it. And this is one of my favorite quotes because I think a lot of times we have a product and we put it online, we're like, okay, they're gonna buy it, but we haven't given them enough reason to part with their hard earned dollars. And so that's the why. So let's go back to our growth strategy and start with G, which is gaining visibility and building retailer trust. So visibility is going to be the very first thing. Can they see you? Where are you showing up? Are you retail ready? So these are the things that are required for retail visibility. In order for retailers to know you exist and what you have, they have to be able to see you. And so we start with clear branding. Do they understand your why? What is the story behind your brand? Why is it unique? What are the products that you're selling? Do you have a very strong logo and voice? We mentioned wholesale website. We have to have a way where that retailer can check in with you in between seeing you in person. They need to be able to access your line sheets, your catalog, and then on those exact places too, find out that information about minimum order quantity and turnaround time. We see a lot of successful wholesale brands in the boutique hub that use social media like pros. They're showing merchandising tips, product drops. They're building out that entire picture for the retailer because you have to assume the retailer doesn't know what to do with your product once they get it. So how can you solve that problem for them? We talked about B2B marketplace. It's essential that you're showing up somewhere where it makes it convenient for them to shop. So let's think for a minute about you as a consumer. When you go somewhere, let's say you want to go to get a dress, you know, you could drive to one boutique and then get in your car and drive to another boutique. And get in your car and drive to another boutique. But wouldn't it be easier if all those boutiques were on a main street and you could just pop right in? Well, Hubventory is your virtual main street and so that lets the retailer have a one stop shop. So it's like an online version of a trade show. Email marketing is one of the number one ways that people are staying in front of retailers. And then industry exposure we talked about, the Boutique hub really gives you that. You know, if you have not accessed the Boutique hub yet and you're not a member yet, we really invite you to come into our community. Like I said, There's 8,000 retailers in there. And so what that's going to give you is an opportunity to have amazing visibility. Can you imagine one place where you could show up and see that many buyers at one time and focus them on what it is and your brand story and what you're selling and you could use your professional assets like your photography and your line sheets and promote those there. So find a place where you can show up where retailers are able to see you. Because really, at the end of the day, that's what is going to be the number one thing. Can they see you? There's too many shiny things pulling their attention. And so we go back to 75% of people are looking for product and then we went to a visibility of they're looking for new to show up where they are. So are you getting that new in front of them all the time? And if not, what can we do about it? What can we do about it? All right, so going back to visibility, it's one thing to show up and they see you, but the other thing is trust. I spend a lot of time on one on one calls inside the boutique of looking at people's businesses, both retail and wholesale. And I'll look at their website and I think that the thing that gets it really clear to people is I will say, would they be willing to give you their money? Do they trust you enough to put their credit card down? Do they trust you enough to pay you and hope that you will send them the product? And for a lot of us we're like, well, of course they would trust me, of course they would. But how do they know that? How do you build that trust? And one of the fastest ways that we can build trust is number one with the membership of the Boutique hub. Because when they see that pink sticker on your booth or on your website, they know that you've been vetted and you're a member of the hub. But what are the other things that you can do to build trust? Because retailers right now are living in uncertain economic times and some of them have been burned by brands and you want to stand out as I will never burn you, you're going to be successful here with us and how can we do that? So some things that we've seen work really well inside the boutique hub that wholesale brands are doing to build trust is they provide a ton of product education to their retailers. So in their emails, in their social feed, they are letting them know these are the features of the product that you should be promoting in your store and these are the best sellers. And this how it's working, this is how we can merchandise it together. Let me show you how to build a collection. They're providing images and brand story and then even simple things like on the garments or on the product. Can you add hang tags or stickers or labeling something that completes that piece of the puzzle for the retailer? Because although they may have bought it from you at market and they love your brand story, once that product gets shipped and in the store, oftentimes it's a sales associate and it could be a fabulous 18 year old girl who has no idea why your candle is so essential and is such an amazing product. So if you can help the owner of the store educate her employee, that includes more sales, the product turns quicker and you're going to get a reorder faster. Now let's go down to reorder system which brings me right there. If they need product, how easy is it for them to reorder? So make sure you have that system built out and that rolls into customer service as well. We need to make sure we have fast responses. So if someone sells out of a product, are you able to get it to them quickly? Do they understand what the shipping time is and the minimum order quantity to get that reorder? You know, talking to wholesale brands in the boutique hub, we've heard that some people will reach out, right? They know that most of these products are going to sell through in three or four weeks. So what's the fastest way that we can reach out to our customer and say, hey, I know that you're probably coming up pretty soon where you need to reorder. Here's what you got last time. Would you like to go ahead and place a reorder for that? Or I also have some new things that I think would do well with you. So keeping that conversation going, keeping the customer close to you at all time is essential. You know, we talked about tariffs a lot in the boutique hub over the past month, really started in April, and we have heard from a lot of people that they were having to increase their prices, the tariffs were affecting them that way. And you know, we went from 165% on the tariff. And then I told you guys at the beginning of this call, I just read an article where that's going to drop down to 30%. So amazing, exciting news. But gosh, guys, it's changing really fast. So make sure you're connected with people that can help you stay ahead of it. But if that 30% is still taking away from your margin, then what are you going to do there to make sure that you're protected? And, and one of the things that we've seen a lot of successful wholesalers do is, is they'll have the cost of the product and then they'll have a line item for the tariff that builds trust with the retailer because then they know, okay, they just haven't increased their cost. And when this is over, when that tariff is reduced, then I will see that peeled off of my invoice. That will go away and we really have to communicate with them very clearly about that. I would say now is a really great time too to evaluate your sourcing options. If you've been relying very, very heavily on China and like we said, this is a fluid situation. We are at 165% yesterday and we're down to 30% this morning. For the next 90 days, it's, it's an uncertain market. Then we need to make sure we've got a plan. Right? And we've got a little bit of a Runway. Now. We know we have 90 days. So over the next 90 days if you need to start evaluating your sourcing, then this is the time to do it to make sure that you're in the right place. Back to that visibility and trust. For those of you that are not familiar with the boutique hub, I would be amiss if I did not share this with you because this is important information. We've got 8,500 active paid members and our network of businesses served. This is people that are getting our emails or following us on social media or talking to us at markets is over 76,000. And so what that means to you and why that's important is one, being a member of the boutique hub as a wholesale brand gives you access to get visibility and build trust with those businesses that we're working with. And then two, we're able to pull that data and education from that many people and package it in a way just like with this growth strategy that's digestible and easy for you to follow so you'll know the next step you need to take to be successful in your business. One thing that I do want to suggest to all of you is in June, the Boutique Hub is going to be in Dallas. If you're going to be there exhibiting, I would invite you to come early and buy a ticket to the event and come walk around and see what the Boutique Summit's all about. It's a great way to see the Boutique Hub in person and to see what we offer down here, too. I have more information about our marketplace, Hubventory and then our showrooms where you can connect with us. But please feel free to scan this QR code to get more information if you're not a member yet. All right, so we've gone through G. That was gaining exposure, visibility, and that was also that trust factor. And we've got.