Wholesale planning for the year ahead: How to build predictable sales

By Therese Oertenblad, Small Business Collaborative

Most product-based business owners plan their wholesale the same way they post on Instagram. A burst of energy when they feel motivated, followed by long stretches of silence. Then a busy season hits, panic sets in, and everything becomes reactive again.

If that sounds familiar, you’re not on your own. But it’s also why your wholesale sales feel unpredictable.

A strong wholesale sales strategy never relies on motivation. It relies on structure. And the brands that grow year after year are the ones that treat wholesale planning as a non-negotiable part of running a wholesale business.

This isn’t about working harder or becoming someone you’re not. It’s about building an annual sales plan for your small business that feels realistic, repeatable and rooted in how wholesale actually works in the UK.

Here’s what wholesale planning truly looks like when your goal is predictable sales.

Why your wholesale feel unpredictable

Most independent brands don’t struggle because their product range isn’t strong.

They struggle because their sales activity has no rhythm.

Patterns I see consistently:

• They start the year full of intention

• They pitch for a few weeks

• They get busy and stop

• They wait for sales instead of creating them

• Their confidence drops

  
  

This has nothing to do with talent or drive. It has everything to do with structure.

Retail buyers need consistent visibility. Not constant pressure. Just steady, reliable communication. Wholesale planning helps you stay present without burning out.

If you need some simple ideas to get momentum flowing, you might also like my blog 18 Ways to Improve Your Wholesale Sales.

Wholesale planning isn't complicated, but it is essential

A strong wholesale plan isn’t about predicting revenue perfectly. It’s about giving your business a backbone so you stop relying on luck or bursts of motivation.

A solid wholesale sales strategy helps you:

• Set clear, realistic targets

• Anticipate seasonal sales patterns

• Approach retail buyers with confidence

• Focus on the right stockists at the right times

• Remove the emotional decision-making

• Stay visible in a way that feels sustainable

  
  

Without planning, everything feels personal.

You overthink.

You procrastinate.

You disappear for weeks.

Planning takes you out of your head and puts you back into your business.

Start with your non-negotiables

Before you think about numbers or targets, identify what actually works for you.

Ask yourself:

• How much time can I genuinely give to wholesale each week?

• What revenue do I want wholesale to contribute?

• Which stockists do I want to deepen relationships with?

• What does a sustainable outreach routine look like?

• What seasons are heavy or light for my production or launches?

  
  

Your wholesale planning should support your lifestyle, not bulldoze it.

Plan around the real UK buying cycle

Planning becomes easier when you understand what retailers are buying and when. When you align your wholesale sales strategy with the buying cycle, sales become far more predictable.

Here’s a realistic UK retail buying cycle with the categories that perform well.

Valentines

Buying window: October to January

What sells: small, meaningful gifts, jewellery, cards, candles, accessories.

Mother's Day and Spring

Buying window: January to March

What sells: soft colours, fresh motifs, wellbeing, stationery, ceramics, textiles.

Father's Day

Buying window: March to April

What sells: cards, mugs, socks, grooming items and humorous gifts.

Teacher Gifts and End of term

Buying window: May to June

What sells: small thank you gifts, candles, stationery, cards, treats.

Summer holidays

Buying window: March to June

What sells: travel accessories, lightweight textiles, outdoor gifts.

Back to school and Autumn reset

Buying window: July to August

What sells: calendars, planners, stationery, home office, organisation.

Christmas

Buying window: June onwards

What sells: seasonal products, gifting bundles, ornaments, decorations and all things festive. This is the biggest buying season of the year.

If you start pitching during the actual event month, you’re already behind. Wholesale planning helps you stay ahead rather than catching up.

Why outreach planning matters

You can have the best products and the best intentions, but without a clear structure for when you reach out to buyers, wholesale becomes unpredictable.

Outreach planning matters because:

• Retailers buy when they’re ready, not when you finally feel brave enough to pitch

• Most brands disappear for long stretches, so consistency sets you apart

• Timing directly affects the size of orders

• It reduces the emotional load of selling

• It keeps your wholesale sales strategy moving

  
  

This isn’t about volume. It’s about having a repeatable rhythm that fits the way you work.

The details of how you do this is something I teach inside Sales Growth Lab.

For now, it’s enough to understand why it matters.

Follow up is where predictability comes from

Most small business owners send one email, hear nothing and assume the buyer isn’t interested.

In reality, silence almost always means the retailer is:

• Busy

• Doing stock counts

• Preparing for a season change

• Short staffed

• Waiting for budget

  
  

Following up is one of the simplest ways to increase wholesale orders, yet it’s the step most people avoid because they don’t have a system.

Predictable wholesale sales come from repetition and structure, not guesswork.

A good wholesale plan is simple, repeatable and sustainable

Wholesale planning is not about doing more.

It’s about doing the right things consistently.

Your plan should give you:

• Clarity

• Confidence

• Seasonal structure

• Emotional ease

• Predictable income

• A sense of control

  
  

This is how you move from winging it to running a wholesale business that feels stable, supported and scalable.

Ready to build predictable wholesale sales this year?

If you want a wholesale plan that finally feels clear, repeatable and tailored to your business, the waitlist for Sales Growth Lab is now open.

This is where I help you build the systems, seasonal structure and repeatable outreach habits that create genuinely predictable wholesale sales.

Join the waitlist here and be the first to know when doors open.