The first quarter of the year brings a mixed sense of relief and urgency. You survived the Q4 holiday rush, but now the scoreboard has reset, and the decisions you make in these first few months have the potential to dictate whether you hit your revenue targets in December.
But looking at the same “total revenue” spreadsheet isn’t enough. Retailers are buying closer to the season, B2B digital adoption is non-negotiable, and inventory efficiency is king.
What you’ll have to do is look under the hood of your business and measure what actually drives growth.
Here are the 10 wholesale metrics every brand needs to review right now to ensure their Q1 strategy is built on data-backed facts.
This is the heartbeat of your product performance. It measures the percentage of inventory a retailer sold versus what they bought.
In 2026, looking at a global number hides the truth, so break it down by channel.
How are golf pro shops performing versus big-box outdoor chains? If a style has a 70% sell-through in specialty boutiques but only 20% in department stores, you know exactly where to allocate your remaining inventory.
Cash flow is the lifeblood of any apparel brand, and inventory turnover tells you how fast your cash is moving.
A low turnover rate in Q1 is a flashing red light that you are overstocked on slow-moving goods.
This year, aim to increase this number by leaning into chase strategies, which means you want to hold less upfront stock and rely on quick-turn production or reserved fabric for top sellers.
This metric tracks the percentage of your active accounts that log in and place orders via your B2B portal versus calling a rep. If this number is below 60%, your sales team is likely bogged down in administrative data entry instead of selling.
High digital adoption means your retailers are self-servicing reorders, freeing your reps to hunt for new business.
The days of booking 80% of your year in advance are fading. Retailers are holding back budget for in-season at-once orders to chase trends.
Review your ratio from 2025.
If you see a shift toward at-once orders, you need to adjust your production planning to have ready-to-ship inventory available in Q1 and Q2, rather than tying everything up in preseason commitments.
Trust is your most valuable currency with buyers. Your fill rate measures the percentage of customer orders you successfully shipped without cuts or backorders.
Retailers will drop brands that consistently short-ship them. If your fill rate dipped below 90% in Q4, investigating your supply chain bottlenecks should be your top priority this quarter.
Returns destroy margins, especially in footwear and fitted apparel.
But don't just look at the total number; look at the why. Are returns driven by fit issues, quality defects, or shipping errors?
If you see a spike in fit-related returns for a specific pant style, you can catch a production error now before it ruins your Spring/Summer sell-through.
This is the ultimate profitability metric. It asks: "For every dollar I invested in inventory, how many dollars of margin did I get back?"
It exposes theproducts that generate high revenue but require massive discounts to move.
Use this metric to decide which styles earn a spot in your Fall line plan and which ones should be cut.
How quickly does a retailer come back for more?
High reorder velocity is the strongest signal of brand heat. If your hero product takes 12 weeks to see a reorder, you might be losing momentum.
Fast reorders indicate that your product is turning on the shelf and that your B2B ordering experience is frictionless enough for them to restock immediately.
It’s easy to celebrate opening 50 new accounts, but how many of your old accounts are still buying?
This metric separates your active doors (those who ordered in the last 6 months) from your dormant ones.
Run a re-engagement campaign targeting those dormant doors. It is almost always cheaper to wake up a sleeping account than to acquire a brand new one.
This forward-looking metric tells you how long your current inventory will last based on your current sales pace. If you have 20 weeks of supply for a trendy, seasonal item, you are in trouble.
If you have two weeks of supply for your core replenishable product, you are about to stock out.
Reviewing WOS weekly helps you spot risks before they turn into cash flow problems.
The difference between a good year and a great year in 2026 will come down to how quickly you can react.
By keeping a close watch on these 10 metrics, you stop guessing and start moving from reactive fire-fighting to proactive growth. If you are tired of chasing down these numbers across different spreadsheets and disconnected systems, it might be time to centralize your operation.
A robust wholesale platform gives you this data in real-time, letting you focus less on the math and more on the strategy that drives your brand forward.
Schedule some time with our team to see if we can be your wholesale platform.
What is the most important wholesale metric for 2026?
While revenue is always key, Digital B2B Adoption Rate is critical for 2026. As buyer preferences shift to self-service, ensuring your retailers are comfortable ordering online is the best predictor of long-term efficiency and scalability.
How often should I review my wholesale metrics?
You should review tactical metrics like Sell-Through and Weeks of Supply weekly to make fast inventory decisions. Strategic metrics like GMROI and Pre-Book Ratios should be reviewed monthly or quarterly to guide your broader assortment planning.
Why does return rate matter for wholesale brands?
High return rates erode profitability twice: once in lost revenue and again in logistics costs. Analyzing returns by reason code (e.g., fit vs. defect) helps you identify production issues early, protecting both your margins and your reputation with retailers.