After thinking and planning a lot, finally, you have decided to land into the wholesale industry. Well, that is a pretty good decision, but it is not the time to celebrate. First of all, you need to know what documents you need and how you can stand out. You have heard a lot about the line sheets, but it is time to create one.
A line sheet is a document used to make a stellar first impression on potential buyers. If you do not know where to start, then continue reading the article. We will discuss what a line sheet is and how you can make a fashion line sheet sample to take your business to a new level. So, let’s start!
What is a line sheet?
Whether you own a small brand or a large one, you want to earn profits. But not every brand succeeds in making enough profits to stay in the industry. There are many things a brand owner needs to consider to reach a point where he could generate revenues.
A line sheet is a simple sales tool that helps businesses represent their mix to potential buyers. It makes it easy for them to tell what is unique about their products and how they can place an order. The information contained in the line sheet is sometimes confused with a catalog. But you need to understand that a line sheet is different than that of a catalog.
In a line sheet, there is no place for lifestyle imagery or long paragraphs. You cannot ask the buyer to make purchases in the line sheet. It only tells him how he can buy your products.
The importance of a line sheet:
The brands get only one chance to make a great first impression. If you are in the wholesale business, then you must know how important a line sheet is for your business. It helps you present your mix in the best possible manner.
Suppose you are reaching out to five stores every day. Would you show them each and every product? This is not possible as you cannot show every client what you have in your warehouse. You need all the information in one place so that you can tell your customers what is unique about your products that too without taking them to the warehouse. You need a line sheet.
You include all the information needed by a buyer to make a purchase in the line sheet. He reviews it and decides whether or not to buy your products. Bear in mind that line sheets are made to make buying seamless, so make sure you do not include any irrelevant information in it.
Start making a great line sheet:
A line sheet is not a mere document only. As a matter of fact, it is a sales tool that helps wholesale businesses in bringing more customers. But make sure your line sheet is effective enough to convince them to at least take a look at the products you are selling.
Here is how you can make a great line sheet:
General information:
The line sheets are made with the purpose of making the buying process easier. So they must include the following information:
- Business name
- Business logo
- Contact details
- Email address
- Brand bio
How will the buyer contact you if he is interested in buying your products? You should provide correct contact information in the line sheet to avoid any miscommunication. Make sure that your contact details are easily identifiable in the line sheet. Do not make the buyer search for anything. Cross-check your contact details before sending a line sheet to potential or current buyers.
Product information:
Here comes another important section of a line sheet where you tell your customers what products you have to sell them.
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Product images:
The first thing potential buyers will see is your product images. If they are of high quality, then the buyer will indeed read the whole document and love to work with you. But if the quality of images is low, forget that he would contact you or want to buy your products.
If you were in the buyer’s place, would you consider a brand that has used images taken from a mobile camera? Of course not! So, make sure you use quality images with a neutral background. Also, use the same sized images on each page.
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Product line information:
It is not enough to include quality images to convince the buyer to place an order. He wants to know more about the products. What materials have been used in making a product? Have all the products processed using the same method? The buyer will be interested in knowing what options you give to them. Tell the customers about colors and sizes available as he wants to provide his customers with several options.
Now you have to set your wholesale price, which is indeed a tricky business. Set the prices carefully if you do not want to end up bearing losses. Add the information about the recommended retail prices too.
Wholesale information:
In the next section, you provide all the information about the buying process to make it easy for the buyer to place an order. This is an important section where the buyer can get confused if you do not state everything clearly.
First of all, tell him how much time it takes to dispatch goods? You should describe your shipping policy clearly to avoid any trouble in the future. Tell him who would be responsible for the shipping cots. Would you cover the cost, or it is the buyer who has to pay it? Who is your preferred shipping company?
In addition, tell him about the payment methods you use to collect payments. How much time do you give them to clear all payments? Detail everything clearly so that the buyer can understand everything clearly. You are supposed to tell him everything in a clear manner to prevent any dispute.
Return policy:
What if the products get damaged during transit? Do you accept returns for the reason other than damage? It is highly important to be clear about the refund policy in the line sheet. Otherwise, many issues can arise, and your relationship with the customer will be affected.
Expiry date:
You are not going to sell the same products forever. You will be including some new items in the line and excluding the items that are not doing well. Moreover, the prices of the products also change frequently, so it is highly important to tell the customer how long the information provided in the line sheet will be valid.
If you do not add an expiry date in the line sheet, it may cause many problems between you and your customers.
Is there any difference between a line sheet and a catalog?
For a common man, there is no difference between a line sheet and a catalog. But as a wholesale business, it is necessary for you to understand that both are not the same. People get confused between these two and think that a lime sheet is the same as the look book. But the fact is both are different, and both serve different purposes.
A catalog is a lengthy document that contains all the information about the brand and the products the brand has to offer. You can use long descriptions to tell why your products are unique. You can use lifestyle imagery in the catalog and tell your whole brand story. You can tell your customers how your brand started and where you want to take it.
But a line sheet is a precise document that contains information only related to the product mix. You include images of the products in the line sheet and a precise description of the product under each image.
There is no need to be creative in the line sheet as you are not allowed to write long paragraphs or add lifestyle imagery.
In simple words, you can say that a catalog tells potential customers why how they can be benefited from buying your products. While a line sheet tells how they can buy your products.
It is necessary to understand the difference between both the documents in order to take full advantage of them.
How long should a line be?
We all know that a line sheet is a precise document, so it must not belong at all. The retailers are busy people, and they receive many line sheets every day. They do not have time to read long pages, so make sure that your line sheet consists of one or two pages only. There is no point in making a line sheet that consists of more than two pages as the buyer will not bother even to take a look at it let alone placing an order. A line sheet is, in fact, a one-page document, so it must contain needed information only.
What information should not be included in the line sheet?
If you are in the initial stages of your business growth, then you need to be extra careful. It is the stage when you are getting brand recognition, and even a minor mistake can destroy the reputation. A s a business; you understand that a line sheet is an important tool that can help you boost sales. You know what information you should include in the line sheet. But there are a few things you should not include in the line sheet.
Never include the about us page in the line sheet. You are not supposed to describe your brand in the line sheet as it is a document that contains the information about the buying process only. The buyer is not interested at all to know your brand story or the background of your business in the line sheet.
All he is interested in is your product line, contact information, and wholesale information. He wants to know what you have to offer to him, but he does not want to know what made you start the brand. He is interested in knowing about your led times and cut-off days, but he does not want to know your future plans. So, make sure you include relevant information only. Be as precise as possible while making a line sheet.
Can I make a line sheet myself?
It is an important question that arises in the mind when you learn how important a line sheet for your wholesale brand is. But making a line sheet is not easy as a few mistakes can cost you a sale. Well, you can make a line sheet by yourself if you know what information it must contain.
You cannot use long text to describe anything. You have to be precise and state everything using minimal text. There is no need to be creative in the line sheet.
If you think it is not a good idea to make it yourself, then consider hiring a graphics designer. The budget can be a problem in this case as graphics designers charge huge amounts for their services. You can online templates too to make a line sheet, but free templates do not look professional. If you have a budget, then get paid templates to make your line sheet look professional.
Summing up:
A line sheet is an essential tool that can help product-based businesses to present their product mix to a potential buyer in the most professional way. It contains all the information from the product line to contact details, which makes it easy for the buyer to place an order. Using fewer words does not mean that you can skip any important details. Make sure that you have included the correct information on the sheet.
Do not use the same line sheet for every client. Try to understand that every retailer has different requirements, and having a customized line sheet ready can help you take your business to a new level.
