Choosing a wholesale fabric distributor is a big deal. Having the right supplier can make the difference between meeting your project timelines and staying caught up.
Whether sewing your products or opening a fabric shop like Lindsay Prezzano, working with the right distributor can be crucial. Here are the top qualities to look for to help you choose the best fabric wholesaler for your needs.
Customer Service
Customer service is one of the most essential qualities to look for in a wholesale fabric distributor or supplier. It sets them apart from competitors and makes customers loyal to their brand, products, and services. Companies that provide excellent customer service often see higher revenue and growth than those that do not.
Motteram explains that excellent customer service encompasses three main elements: friendliness, empathy, and convenience. Friendly customer service means addressing the needs of each customer and providing them with the attention and answers they deserve. Empathy is putting yourself in your customer’s shoes and understanding their perspective. Lastly, convenience ensures that each customer has easy access to the company’s products and services.
A quality wholesale fabric distributor will have an outstanding customer service team and offer a turnaround time that meets or exceeds the client’s deadline. Working with a US-based distributor will also ensure fewer time zones to navigate, faster shipping periods, and the ability to resolve any issues that may arise quickly.
Knowledge of the Industry
Industry knowledge refers to a specific understanding of the inner workings, nuances, and trends of an individual sector or field within an economy. It’s an important characteristic to look for in a wholesale fabric supplier, as it ensures they can provide expert-level advice and guidance regarding the best materials to meet your brand’s needs.
Fabric wholesalers are often middlemen in product supply chains, purchasing large quantities of fabrics at discounted rates and then reselling them to businesses for a profit. This allows them to offer specialized services that other fabric shops cannot, like custom dyeing and printing.
When choosing a fabric wholesaler, it’s critical to consider their location. Choosing domestic rather than international can make a significant difference in terms of communication and time zone issues, shipping times, potential customs barriers, and the availability of remedies if your order isn’t fulfilled accurately. It’s also helpful to ask for a list of references so you can hear directly from other professionals in the industry about their experiences with different fabric suppliers.
Experience
When it comes to working with fabric, experience is invaluable. For a long time, a wholesale fabric distributor in the industry knows the ins and outs, allowing them to provide valuable knowledge to their customers. This knowledge can help a fashion brand avoid costly mistakes and improve the quality of fabrics.
Choosing a fabric supplier with a lot of experience also helps to cut down on turnaround time. An excellent wholesale fabric supplier will have a large inventory of fabrics in stock, which can reduce the time needed to wait for an order to be processed and shipped.
Sometimes, a wholesale fabric supplier can even make custom dye lots to help reduce color variances in the textile industry. This can be a great solution if a fabric isn’t available in the color required for a specific design project.
Pricing
Fabric wholesalers are the middlemen that connect fabric mills and manufacturers to retailers. They buy bulk fabrics at a discounted rate and pass the savings on to you, their customer. Small businesses can work with more expensive materials without breaking the bank.
When searching for a fabric wholesaler, looking at the pricing structure and minimum order quantities (MOQ) they require before working with them is essential. Having this information upfront will prevent you from going down a rabbit hole of fabric sourcing that never ends.
Another essential thing to consider is the turnaround time a supplier has. This will be crucial when meeting your production deadlines for your line. Ideally, you want to choose a wholesale fabric supplier that can deliver on their promises with a speedy turnaround. For example, they should be able to meet or beat your timeline for ordering sample yardage (fabric hangers) and then quickly deliver the yardage you need for your production runs. This can save you a lot of stress in the long run!
Turnaround Time
A company must have efficient processes to keep customers happy and increase revenue. Turnaround time is often a big part of this. To improve turnaround times, companies can review financial data from previous periods, conduct surveys to see what customers want from their products, and use various other tools.
When choosing a wholesale fabric distributor, it’s also essential to consider their turnaround time. A quality supplier should have a quick and easy ordering process and be transparent with their projected timelines. This is particularly important if you’re working with a supplier overseas, which can cause delays in shipping due to time zones and other factors.
While today’s technology makes it possible to work with fabric suppliers thousands of miles away, this only sometimes guarantees that their turnaround time will be fast or efficient. Working with a domestic wholesale fabric distributor is recommended, as this can significantly improve your overall experience and lead to faster project completion. This will help your brand stay on schedule and meet customer expectations.
