Some online sellers operate on a different scale than their fellow ecommerce pros. Wholesalers seek retailers to resell their wares and need to present product information efficiently to potential customers. Artisans and designers are great examples of those wanting to expand beyond sites like Etsy and Amazon Handmade by reaching retail stores.
Presenting wholesale product information in the right format benefits from effective technology, with the firm Brandboom offering such a solution to wholesalers. Brandboom COO Amy Zhou told EcommerceBytes about the process, starting with what’s known as a “line sheet.”
“A line sheet is a sales tool used by brands and designers, to present their products to wholesale buyers. Line sheets include all product images and appropriate information – such as product descriptions, color & size options, and wholesale prices – that buyers need to make purchases from your line,” Zhou said.
“Line sheets are a necessary sales tool especially if you plan to hit multiple sales channels like shops, galleries, retail stores, department stores, catalogs, or online retailers.”
Wholesalers with more than a handful of products likely find the process of making line sheets manually a tedious endeavor. Zhou said, “Usually, each brand has to maintain relationships with hundreds of retail buyers to keep them up to date on their product information. Which means, for every retail buyer, brands and designers would customize a line sheet just for them. Multiply that by one hundred, you have yourself an entire graphic design department just making line sheets from scratch on Photoshop, one by one.”
A prepared seller will have completed some necessary tasks ahead of reaching for such sales. Zhou said a typical new client has taken their concept to production. “Which means, they have all of their branding in place, approved samples of their first collection of products, and a clear idea of how they plan to distribute their goods,” she said.
The Brandboom process takes the client’s catalog and all its entries to craft those line sheets. Sellers upload their product images and data to Brandboom. Then they select products and organize them into presentations, according to Zhou. These can then be printed or shared electronically as desired.
“Since all of Brandboom’s linesheets can be accessed online in a simple link, the smart brands and designers would take their Brandboom links and email blasts hundreds of potential retail buyers. This replaces the need for brands in early stages of their business to attend a trade show for at least $10k, just to get in front of a few potential buyers,” Zhou said.
She also noted Brandboom recently debuted their AI feature, Connect, which does this automatically for such brands. Zhou emphasized how “successful customers on Brandboom’s platforms, such as DOPE, Young and Reckless, Pink Dolphin – all have one thing in common: they all know how to use Brandboom as a tactic for growth hacking.”
Zhou sees a couple of ways Brandboom stands out in its niche. “Because of our customers, Brandboom understands how hard it is to be given a chance, to be considered, and to succeed. That’s why we have two very unique offerings that have attracted hundreds and thousands of niche brands that started with Brandboom with $0 revenue, but are now making over $10-$50MM a year with wholesale alone.”
“The first is our forever-free plan, which allows any brand to start using our tools completely free until they have traction on their business,” Zhou said, and then referenced the new Connect feature. “Unlike other online marketplaces where any retail buyers can openly browse products designed by any brands, Brandboom’s AI is designed to protect the brand’s design IP (intellectual property) by making one-to-one recommendations. It gives the power back to the brands so they can make the decision on which recommended (and qualified) retail buyers can view their products.”
