What You Need to Know About Cracking the Wholesale Code

Our very own Joel Bush (RepSpark CRO) and Tim McLain (Director of Marketing) recently hopped on AGM’s educational webinar series and they discussed the differences between DTC and wholesale. 

If you want to watch the webinar, you can find it here. 

But, we also wanted to run through the biggest takeaways because they discussed a lot of topics that are going to be extremely relevant to brands in DTC looking toward wholesale. 

In DTC, consumers buy identity and immediacy; but in wholesale retailers buy confidence and return. To win wholesale, you want to tailor your message to margin and sell-through, align sales and marketing to the buying calendar, enable reps with shoppable catalogs and data, and build a refill rhythm after first orders. 

Do it right, and you’ll see that wholesale growth often boosts your DTC as well.

Let’s get to the key takeaways. 

DTC vs. Wholesale: Same Brand, Different Game

Retail buyers view a new brand as an investment decision: if they put a dollar in, they expect two back. That means your story must revolve around margin, delivery windows, availability, sell-through velocity, and the support you provide on the floor. 

Consumers, on the other hand, are investing in identity and utility like how your product makes them look, feel, and perform right now.

Because the mindsets differ, the scoreboards differ. Wholesale health is best tracked by doors opened, reorder rates and cadence, average order value per retailer, sell-through speed, and ultimately Retailer Lifetime Value. 

DTC lives and dies by CAC, ROAS, CLV, on-site conversion, and order value and frequency. When you align your activities to the right scoreboard, you stop guessing and start compounding.

Messaging That Actually Lands

Consumer copy should feel intimate and immediate: “Step into your power. Performance meets style. Shop the drop.” Wholesale copy should build confidence: “This collection outpaces category sell-through by 30% in comparable urban shops. Here are the margins, MOQs, size curve, and delivery dates. Let’s align on your Q4 assortment.” 

One speaks to identity and impulse; the other speaks to return and risk.

Even your calls to action change. Consumers need a nudge to follow, join, and buy now. Retailers need a path to book a line review, pre-book, and access your wholesale portal.

Where to Show Up (and Why)

Your DTC engine runs through your site and mobile experience, social, email/SMS, paid media, and pop-ups. 

Wholesale lives where retailers live: on a unified B2B portal with accurate ATS and future dating; in thoughtful email and LinkedIn outreach; at trade shows and line previews where reps can present assortments; inside training videos and trade publications; and through associations that connect you to the right doors. 

The best in-person meetings end with a tailored digital assortment and an order placed on the spot.

The Toolkit That Makes Wholesale Work

Make it easy for retailers to say yes. Give them a clear wholesale entry point on your online portal, with requirements, MOQs, terms, and a simple access request. 

Keep digital line sheets and shoppable catalogs fresh with current pricing and availability. Package a retailer toolkit (this can include product education, merchandising guides, imagery, and co-op assets) so stores can launch you cleanly. 

For prospecting, enrich smart lists, sequence them through your CRM/email tool, and work a steady LinkedIn connection rhythm from the recognizable faces of your brand.

A Step-by-Step Plan

Define Your Target Retail Profile

Start by segmenting the market by channel and tier. Identify A accounts that can materially move your business, B accounts with upside, and C accounts that will mostly engage through automated programs. Build regional focus lists and expand concentrically from your home base so reps can support merchandising and training.

Work the Buying Calendar

Many retailers buy months or even quarters ahead. Begin prospecting six to nine months before product should hit the floor. Establish a cadence: initial outreach, delivery of a tailored assortment or samples, timely follow-up, and a clear ask for the order. Treat timing as a strategy, not an afterthought.

Win the First Order and the Second

When you present, come with margin, MOQs, size curves, delivery dates, and proof of demand. After shipment, watch reorder windows and make rebuys effortless with bestseller spotlights and one-click refills. Hold simple quarterly business reviews to align on what sold, what didn’t, and what’s next.

Expand Deliberately

Remember that many shops reserve only a slice of budget for new brands. Your goal is to win the test, prove velocity, and graduate to a larger buy. Set numeric targets for doors and AOV, then use regional momentum to open adjacent markets.

Your Wholesale Marketing Engine

Start with audience-first messaging for retailers, centered on ROI, delivery, and support. Then segment communications by account tier and geography so A accounts receive more personalized campaigns and rep time, while B/C accounts scale through smart automation. 

Curate catalogs by climate, vertical, and concept; let reps duplicate a master book and prune it to what matters for each shop. Keep retailers warm year-round with timely updates, performance insights, and seasonal catalogs built to pre-book early.

Fuel growth with co-op kits, event microsites for quick post-show ordering, and small but meaningful personalization, like placing the store’s logo on the cover of its catalog.

One Team, One Calendar

Sales and marketing should share a seasonal playbook that outlines launches, promos, and reorder pushes. 

Sales brings field realities and trend data back to the mothership; marketing turns those insights into campaigns, content, and assets that keep the story consistent across catalogs, emails, and rep decks. 

As retailers adopt your portal and self-serve, reps can spend more time opening and expanding accounts instead of chasing reorders.

Measure What Matters

Assess wholesale momentum through new accounts opened, reorder percentages, average order value per door, sell-through velocity and markdown rates, and retailer lifetime value. On the marketing side, watch campaign adoption by tier, catalog engagement, portal activations, and retailer retention. Tie these metrics to seasonal goals so you can course-correct in time for the next buy window.

Wholesale Readiness

As you’re starting to gauge what your level of wholesale readiness, take a step back and look to look for these things in your business: 

• Your wholesale portal is live and you’re promoting it on your website, socials, and generally anywhere where you’re actively engaged in. 
• Your shoppable catalogs reflect current ATS and future deliveries
• Your retailer toolkit covers product education, merchandising, imagery, and co-op
• Your prospect lists are segmented by tier, region, and channel
• Your outreach calendar starts six to nine months ahead of floor dates
• Your reps carry tailored assortments and a simple QBR template
• Your refill engine highlights bestsellers and enables fast rebuys
• Your dashboard reports on doors, reorders, AOV, velocity, and RLTV

Wholesale success isn’t the result of flipping a DTC switch; it’s the outcome of running a different playbook with discipline. 

Speak to ROI, time your motions to the buying calendar, enable your reps with shoppable tools and data, and keep sales and marketing on the same page. 

Do that, and wholesale becomes a repeatable revenue engine and a tailwind for your DTC.

If you want some help in determining your level of wholesale readiness, then set some time with our team. 

FAQ: Cracking the Wholesale Code (DTC vs. Wholesale)

1. What’s the main difference between DTC and wholesale?
DTC is about identity and immediacy for consumers, while wholesale is an investment decision for retailers. Retail buyers care about margins, delivery windows, sell-through velocity, and support. 

2. Why won’t my DTC playbook work in wholesale?
Because the buyer, buying cycle, and success metrics are different. Wholesale requires longer lead times, proof of sell-through, clear margin stories, and a rep-driven sales motion that DTC tactics don’t cover.

3. Which KPIs matter most for wholesale?
Track new doors opened, reorder rate and cadence, average order value per retailer, sell-through velocity (and markdown rate), and Retailer Lifetime Value (RLTV).

4. How far in advance should I sell into retailers?
Plan outreach 6–9 months before the product needs to hit the floor, aligned to each vertical’s seasonal buy windows.

5. What should be in a retailer toolkit?
Include product education sheets, merchandising guides, approved imagery and copy, pricing and delivery info, UPCs/SKUs, and co-op marketing assets.

6. How do I build a target retailer list?
Segment by channel (e.g., green-grass, specialty, department, online), tier accounts into A/B/C, layer geography, and enrich contacts via tools like LinkedIn and data enrichment platforms.

7. How do I encourage reorders?
Monitor sell-through and inventory, share weekly or monthly bestseller updates, provide quick-reorder links, and run simple quarterly business reviews to plan refills and newness.

8. How does a B2B platform like RepSpark help?
It centralizes ATS and future inventory, offers shoppable catalogs and assortments, supports rep tools like a whiteboard for line reviews, and enables retailer self-service so reps can focus on growth.

9. Are print catalogs still necessary?
They’re complementary. Most brands lead with digital, shoppable catalogs and bring slimmer print pieces to shows, usually with a QR link to the live version.

10. How should trade shows and line previews connect to digital ordering?
Arrive with pre-built, buyer-specific assortments and take orders on a tablet or laptop during the meeting, then follow up with a shoppable catalog and portal access.

11. What’s the best way to use LinkedIn for wholesale outreach?
Have a recognizable brand leader or rep connect with targeted buyer titles weekly, send short contextual messages, and nurture relationships alongside email sequences.

12. Does wholesale lift my DTC sales?
Often, yes. Retail exposure drives discovery, and many shoppers buy more online after meeting your brand in store.

13. What is Retailer Lifetime Value (RLTV)?
RLTV estimates the total gross profit a retailer generates over the relationship, factoring in order value, reorders, margin, returns/markdowns, and support costs.

14. What belongs on my wholesale page?
Publish dealer requirements, MOQs, terms, territories, and timelines, plus a clear “Request Access” form, rep contacts, and a link into your wholesale portal.

15. What’s a realistic first-step plan?
Launch your wholesale page and portal, segment target lists, calendarize outreach 6–9 months ahead, build tailored assortments and shoppable catalogs, book line reviews, and measure doors opened, reorders, AOV, and velocity.