Inventory management for Shopify apparel brands

The inventory problems apparel brands run into

• Size curve complexity. a single style can split into 30 or more SKUs once you cross sizes and colors, and popular sizes like M and L sell out while XS and XXL sit on the shelf.
• Long overseas production runs. many apparel brands manufacture or source overseas, so the gap between placing an order and receiving stock often spans several weeks or more, which means reorder timing mistakes are costly.
• Seasonal and style obsolescence. unlike staple goods, apparel often has a selling season tied to a collection drop, so ordering too late means missing the season entirely, and ordering too much means markdowns later.
• Minimums per colorway, not per style. suppliers often set MOQs per color or per print, not per style overall, so a popular style in an unpopular colorway can still trigger a large minimum order.
• Pre-order and restock mismatches. many brands pre-sell limited drops, so incoming stock is already partly spoken for before it even reaches the warehouse, making true available-to-sell harder to track.

Seasonality and demand

Apparel demand usually moves in collection cycles rather than a flat calendar. You might have a spring/summer drop, a fall/winter drop, and holiday gifting peaks layered on top, each with its own size curve and reorder timing. Because production lead times are often long, you need to place orders for a season well before it starts selling, which means forecasting off last year's same-season sales rather than just recent weeks. Plan safety stock higher heading into a known peak like holiday, and plan it lower at the tail end of a season when you expect to mark down and stop reordering.

Suppliers, lead times and minimums

Apparel suppliers range from domestic cut-and-sew shops to overseas garment factories. Domestic suppliers often turn around smaller orders faster, while overseas factories typically take several weeks or more once you include production and shipping time. Minimum order quantities are usually set per style and per colorway, often as a prepack covering a full size run, so you may need to commit to a case of assorted sizes rather than a single unit.

Worked example

A denim jacket in size M sells an average of 2 units a day. Your supplier's lead time is 20 days and you keep 5 days of safety stock, so your reorder point is 2 x (20 + 5) = 50 units. You want 30 days of cover, you currently hold 40 units, and you have 20 more on order. Order quantity = 2 x (20 + 30) - (40 + 20) = 100 - 60 = 40 units, which SteadyShelf would round up to your supplier's case pack of 48.

Try it with your own numbers in the reorder point calculator, or size your buffer with the safety stock calculator.

A simple system to start this week

1. List every SKU as its own size and color variant in Shopify, not just by style.
2. Enter each supplier's case pack or prepack size and approximate lead time into SteadyShelf.
3. Check the weekly reorder email and compare suggested quantities against upcoming collection drops or markdown plans.
4. Approve purchase orders inside SteadyShelf so they go to the right supplier automatically.
5. When stock arrives, receive it in SteadyShelf right away, including partial shipments, so forecasts stay accurate.
6. Review slow sizes and colors manually each season, since SteadyShelf forecasts from sales history and won't know a style is being discontinued.

How SteadyShelf fits apparel brands

SteadyShelf fits apparel brands well for the core job of knowing when to reorder each size and color before it sells out, and for turning that into a purchase order your supplier can fill without back-and-forth emails. It does not track expiry or shelf life, which is not usually a problem for apparel, but it also does not manage multi-location stock transfers, so a brand splitting inventory between a warehouse and retail stores needs to handle transfers separately.

$29/month flat, unlimited products and suppliers, 30-day free trial.

SteadyShelf is launching on the Shopify App Store. Join early access to get the install link first.

More: inventory management by store type · inventory glossary · Stocky alternatives

FAQ