There is no arguing that how products get from manufacturers to retail customers has changed significantly since the introduction of ecommerce. So much so that a November 2023 post on the Business.com website suggested the possibility that wholesale is dead. We are happy to say it is not. The wholesaler-retailer relationship is alive and well in 2024 – at least in the wholesale designer eyewear business.
What We Do as a Wholesaler
Olympic Eyewear acts as a wholesale distributor of men’s and women’s sunglasses throughout the U.S. We carry nearly two-dozen brands, some of which we own. Those we don’t own we distribute on behalf of their manufacturers. To whom do we sell? Retailers who sell designer sunglasses online, in stores, at mall kiosks, etc.
While it is technically true that eyewear retailers don’t necessarily need to depend on wholesalers like us for obtaining inventory, there are very valid reasons for doing so. We wholesalers provide a valuable service that is not easily replaced by direct relationships with manufacturers and brands.
Direct Relationships Are Limited
Purchasing wholesale sunglasses directly from a manufacturer or brand does eliminate having to deal with an intermediary. But such relationships are limited by their nature. For starters, a manufacturer only gives you access to its brands. Any desire to sell multiple brands requires a retailer to establish separate relationships with each manufacturer.
Another consideration is the fact that not all brands manufacture their own products. Some contract manufacturing to a third party. Those third parties generally aren’t allowed to sell directly to retailers. This leads to the exact same problem of limited stock. A brand will only offer access to its products.
On the other hand, sourcing men’s and women’s sunglasses through a wholesale distributor like Olympic Eyewear opens the door to greater access. Retailers have more products and brands to choose from in a single location. With the right relationship in place, a retailer could source all their stock from a single wholesale distributor. That is a lot more convenient than having to work with multiple brands and manufacturers.
Pricing Can Also Be an Issue
Pricing is always a concern for retailers. They want the best wholesale pricing in order to give them enough room to meet their margins. Unfortunately, pricing can be an issue when retailers buy directly from manufacturers and brands.
Manufacturers and brands tie their best pricing to volume. A retailer may have to buy larger volumes of products than is practical in order to get the best wholesale price. As a wholesale distributor, we face the same issue. But we can buy in large volumes because we sell bulk sunglasses to so many retailers. Volume is part of our business model. It is not necessarily part of a retailer’s business model.
Wholesalers Offer More Flexibility
Perhaps one of the biggest reasons the wholesale-retail relationship is still alive and well is the fact that wholesalers tend to offer more flexibility. Manufacturers and brands have a more limited inventory. They are not able to move as quickly or nimbly to match retail trends. So unless a retailer has working relationships with multiple manufacturers and brands, his flexibility will also be limited.
Flexibility is generally not an issue for wholesale distributors. We constantly have the proverbial ear to the ground with the goal of anticipating the market months in advance. We are better at meeting retailer needs in a highly competitive market.
It is true that some eyewear retailers choose to buy their bulk sunglasses directly from manufacturers and brands. That’s fine. But the wholesaler-retailer relationship is still alive and well. It has some advantages worth considering.
The post Wholesale and Retail Still Working in 2024 appeared first on Wholesale Sunglasses Blog.
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