The 2025 Guide to Building a Wholesale Channel

Starting a wholesale channel for your e-commerce brand can seem like a big leap, but it’s likely one you want to take. 

Adding wholesale to your repertoire isn’t just about selling more products; it’s about tapping into an entirely new revenue stream, connecting with a broader audience, and building strong B2B relationships. 

If you already have a thriving B2C store, layering on a B2B wholesale channel can yield a lot of positive benefits. 

Since we’ve been helping brands of all sizes (DTC adding B2B and enterprise level brands bolstering their wholesale efforts) for over 17 years, we thought we’d write a guide for 2025.

Keep scrolling and you’ll see details of launching your wholesale channel and several best practices that will keep your mind at peace as you look to add this new channel.  

Understanding the Wholesale E-commerce Landscape

A key place to start is clarifying the difference between wholesale and traditional B2C e-commerce. 

Wholesale Differences

Wholesale typically involves selling products in large quantities at a discounted rate to other businesses. These businesses, such as local retailers or large chain stores, then turn around and resell your items to individual consumers at a marked-up price. 

B2C Differences

Traditional B2C e-commerce, on the other hand, involves you selling products directly to end users, typically in smaller quantities and often requiring more broad-based marketing efforts. For instance, if you run an online clothing store, each order might just be one T-shirt or a pair of jeans from a single customer. 

That difference in audience focus and order size has a real impact on your approach. 

In wholesale, you’re often working with fewer clients who place larger, more consistent orders over time. It can offer higher-volume sales, potentially lower marketing costs, and more stable long-term relationships, assuming your production capacity can keep up and your product quality remains consistent across bigger batches.

Assessing Your Business’ Wholesale Potential

Sometimes it's worth taking a step back and making sure whether your brand is actually ready to explore wholesale. 

One thing you should look at is product demand. You want a strong indication that other businesses are interested in stocking your items. The demand should extend beyond your existing customer base so that retailers feel confident they can resell what you produce. 

Another thing to look at is the ability to maintain quality and consistency. Wholesale buyers usually expect uniform products and dependable service, so you’ll need processes in place to manage production on a larger scale.

Production capacity also comes into play, since you’ll be fulfilling bigger orders more regularly. Some brands launch a wholesale line only to realize they don’t have the manufacturing power to keep pace with demand, which can damage their reputation. 

Identifying your competitive advantage is similarly important, whether that means superior quality, unique branding, or a completely novel product category. You’ll need to emphasize whatever sets you apart to attract retailers who are already bombarded with offers from other suppliers. 

Finally, make sure your wholesale pricing model is financially viable. Crunch the numbers to ensure you can offer discounts while still making a healthy profit, and account for any extra operational costs you might incur, such as bulk shipping and more sophisticated inventory management.

Planning Your Wholesale Strategy

Once you’ve decided your brand is ready to go wholesale, mapping out a clear strategy will keep you organized. 

It’s helpful to define your target market in precise terms. 

Figure out if you’ll focus on niche boutique stores, big-box retailers, golf clubs, or perhaps other wholesalers. Having a clear picture of who you’re trying to sell to, including their size, industry, and geographic location, will make it easier to tailor your outreach.

Next, consider how you’ll actually approach these potential wholesale partners. Will you engage them online via your website, through trade shows, over the phone with a dedicated sales team, or maybe go for a software platform that opens your business up to tens of thousands of retailers? 

A well-thought-out plan will also include your pricing structure and terms for payment, such as whether you’ll allow net-30 terms or if customers must pay upon ordering. Don’t forget to create a smooth onboarding process for new wholesale customers. 

A simple online application form, a clear account approval procedure, and a user-friendly portal where they can place orders will help set a positive tone from the very beginning. 

Finally, it’s smart to put all terms and conditions in writing, including minimum order quantities, return policies, and shipping details, so that everyone knows what to expect.

Choosing the Right E-commerce Platform for Wholesale

One of the simplest ways to manage your wholesale operations is through an e-commerce software platform. Fortunately, we consider ourselves experts in this field, and admittedly have a bias for which you should use. 

Your e-commerce platform is the backbone of your wholesale channel, so take the time to pick one that aligns with your goals. Because you’re selling to other businesses, you’ll want features that cater to a B2B environment. 

You want the ability for your buyers to self service and order your products online. Digital catalogs are a big benefit to you as it gives you a powerful tool to promote and show off your products. Product customization is something you’ll also want as many buyers look for customization options on their orders. But these are just a few to start. 

Integration options are another key factor. Ideally, your new platform will “talk” to whatever systems you already have in place, such as an ERP for inventory and accounting or a CRM for managing customer relationships. 

This helps you avoid double-data entry and keeps everything synchronized. 

Ease of use matters, too, especially if you have a lean team. You don’t want your staff or your wholesale customers to be put off by a confusing website experience. 

Setting Up Your Wholesale E-commerce Store

Once you’ve chosen a platform, the next step is configuring your wholesale store. Part of the setup involves designing a storefront that feels professional and aligned with your existing brand identity but is still straightforward enough for busy business buyers to navigate. 

Organizing your product catalog in a logical way can also save your wholesale customers a lot of time. Consider how best to group products, whether by category, season, or best-selling status, so that retailers can quickly locate what they need.

Comprehensive product listings are still important in a B2B setting. You might include detailed product specs, high-quality images that clearly show any unique features. 

Since wholesale pricing and content are typically private, most platforms allow you to create a secure login system. That way, only approved wholesale buyers can access the special rates and ordering options.

It’s also crucial to set up payment and shipping methods that make sense for a B2B operation. Unlike B2C, where credit cards and PayPal might be the norm, some wholesale buyers prefer bank transfers, checks, or invoiced orders. Offer various options when possible, and make sure your shipping setup can handle large or recurring orders in a predictable timeline.

Pricing and Discount Strategies

Pricing often shapes how appealing you’ll be to potential wholesale clients. One approach is cost-based pricing, where you calculate your total production and overhead expenses, then add a margin that still gives retailers enough room to mark up the product for their customers. 

It can also help to look at competitors and the overall market to see how they price similar goods. If you notice that everyone else in your niche is charging roughly the same wholesale price, you can use that as a benchmark.

Businesses often love volume discounts, so consider offering discounts for bigger orders. Think free shipping or a certain percentage off once you’ve purchased over $X amount. 

Managing Inventory and Logistics

Effectively managing inventory and logistics is essential when you move into wholesale because mistakes can become more costly at larger scales. In fact, the CEO of L*Space listed managing inventory as the most important thing brands should look at once they’ve surpassed the $50M in revenue mark (check this out in the video above). 

A centralized inventory management system that syncs with your wholesale storefront can help you stay on top of stock levels in real time, preventing overselling or costly stockouts. RepSpark, in this case, can sync with your ERP to ensure that you and your customers always have a live, and accurate, showing of your inventory data.  

It also pays to regularly forecast demand by analyzing past sales data and current market trends. This makes it easier to identify which products are likely to move in higher quantities and ensure you’re not stuck with unsold surplus.

Close relationships with your suppliers can be another pivotal piece of the puzzle. If you rely on third parties for materials or components, make sure they can reliably meet higher demand. On the fulfillment side, wholesale buyers often expect quick, accurate delivery with minimal fuss. 

In some cases, working with a third-party logistics provider can streamline the packing and shipping process, freeing you up to focus on growing the business rather than worrying about warehouse operations.

Marketing Your Wholesale E-commerce Business

Although marketing for wholesale might differ from B2C, it remains a critical part of the equation. A robust content marketing strategy can help position you as an expert in your industry and attract retailers searching for high-quality suppliers. 

This may involve writing informative blog posts or hosting webinars that address common concerns retailers face. 

Email marketing remains a powerful tool to generate leads and stay top-of-mind with potential buyers. You can segment your lists so that different types of businesses receive relevant content and promotions. 

Social media, particularly platforms like LinkedIn, can also be used to network, share valuable content, and highlight your brand story or new product lines. 

On a more traditional note, trade shows and industry events offer a chance to meet prospective wholesale customers face-to-face. This personal interaction can be very effective for building trust and forging meaningful connections.

Building and Nurturing Customer Relationships

You want to cultivate strong and enduring relationships with your wholesale customers to ensure your long-term success. 

Providing personalized service goes a long way. While you might not be able to meet every request, showing that you genuinely care about their business needs can set you apart from competitors. 

Quick, friendly communication is another hallmark of good service. If a wholesale client has a question or concern, being responsive proves your reliability.

Flexibility in terms of policies and logistics also helps sustain good relationships. A small accommodation, like offering custom payment schedules for a high-volume buyer, can turn a one-time order into a long-term partnership. 

Regular check-ins, whether through emails or scheduled calls, keep you informed about how products are selling and open the door to upselling or cross-selling opportunities. These conversations also give customers a chance to share feedback, which you can then use to refine your offerings.

Measuring Success and Scaling Your Wholesale Channel

Regularly measuring how your wholesale channel performs is the best way to see what’s working and where you might improve. Many businesses pay particular attention to revenue growth, average order value, order frequency, and customer retention. 

If these numbers trend upward, it’s a clear sign that your wholesale strategy is on the right track. If they plateau or drop, it might be time to adjust your approach, whether that means revisiting pricing, changing your marketing tactics, or expanding your product line.

As you find success, consider ways to scale even further. Some companies introduce new product lines to appeal to a broader range of wholesale buyers. Others look at entering different geographic regions or industries to grow their customer base. 

Launching a wholesale channel can transform your e-commerce business by introducing higher-volume orders, stable partnerships, and significant growth potential. 

That said, success in wholesale requires thoughtful planning, from confirming product demand and production capacity to choosing an e-commerce platform and forming long-term relationships with buyers. By being strategic in your pricing, attentive with your customer service, and diligent about inventory management, you’ll pave the way for a thriving wholesale operation.

Remember that wholesale success isn’t about making one-off sales to random retailers. It’s about creating mutually beneficial relationships, offering consistent quality, and understanding the unique needs of the businesses you serve. 

And on that topic, we also spend a lot of time trying to understand the unique needs of the varying types of brands trying to enter the wholesale space. So we built an ROI calculator where you can plug in some of your information to see how much more revenue you could generate by using RepSpark to facilitate your wholesale efforts.