The first batch is where a brand either learns cheaply or pays for lessons. I cannot give you a number, and I want to say why: I do not know your customers, and any figure I wrote would be a guess dressed as advice.
What I can give you is a way to find your own number, and a few warnings about the ways it goes wrong.
Why is the first batch small?
Because hardware is paid for before it is sold. If a batch sits in a warehouse, that money sits there too. A small first batch exists so that the worst result is a lesson, not a crisis.
Our offer is built on this idea. You start with two samples, then a small first batch, or you do not order at all.
What is the minimum order?
It depends on quantity and branding, and I do not publish it. You receive the minimum order and the unit price, by quantity, with and without your branding, in one quote, within one business day of your request.
Be wary of treating the minimum as a target. It is the lowest number the factory accepts, not the right number for you.
How do you find your own number?
Work through four questions on paper before you reply to the quote.
- How many customers do you have who buy a collar, harness or lead from you in a season?
- What share of them might want a smart one? Use your own reviews and messages as evidence.
- How many units do you want to hold back for testing, photos and gifts?
- How many can you support in the first weeks without losing the quality of your answers?
I do not give a share or a percentage, because I have none from your market. Make your own estimate and then lower it.
What about different sizes?
The available sizes appear on the factory's one-page spec sheet, which comes with the quote. I do not quote them in articles. When you have the list, match it against the dogs your customers own, and size the batch across them. A batch heavy in one size can leave you with stock nobody can use.
What if it sells faster than you expected?
Then you reorder. The first-batch lead time, from your approved logo mock to shipment, is stated in the quote, so you can plan the next order before the first one runs out. A stock-out is annoying. An overstock is a larger problem for a young product.
What if it sells slowly?
Then the small batch has done its job. You have learned what your customers think, with a bounded loss. Use the units for your most loyal customers and for reviews, and decide whether a second order makes sense.
Do not discount to clear stock until you have asked buyers what they disliked. The answer may fix the next batch.
How do samples fit in?
Samples come first and are not tied to an order. Two collars with a mock of your logo tell you whether a batch is worth discussing at all. The sample cost and delivery time are shown before you pay.
What is the main rule?
Buy a quantity you could explain to a friend without wincing. If the number makes you nervous, it is too high for a first order.
What does a sensible first plan look like?
Split the first batch into three parts in your head. A part for customers who are likely to buy, based on your own list. A part for testing, photos, reviews and gifts to people who will give honest feedback. A small reserve for replacements. I do not give proportions, because the right ones depend on your business, but having three parts makes the number easier to defend.
Write the number and the reason for it in one sentence. If you cannot write the sentence, you are not ready to order.
What can you adjust after the quote?
A lot. The quote shows the unit price by quantity, with and without your branding. You may find that a slightly larger batch changes the unit price enough to matter, or that it does not. Ask us to show two or three quantities side by side, then decide with your own sums in front of you.
Do not let a discount for a larger batch decide for you. A lower unit price on stock you cannot sell is not a saving.
What do I want you to avoid?
I want you to avoid ordering a figure because it sounds like a proper order. A first batch is an experiment with a budget, and a good result is that you learned what customers want at a cost you could afford. If a number in the quote tempts you to go bigger, ask for the smaller one in writing as well and compare them calmly.
Who should you ask for a second opinion?
Someone who sells to the same customers as you. A colleague at a shop, a distributor you trust, a friend with a pet brand. Show them your number and the reason, and ask what they would change. Outsiders are good at spotting hope disguised as a forecast, and ten minutes of their time is cheaper than a pallet.
To read the whole sequence, go to How to add a smart collar to your pet brand. To get the quote, request two samples and name your expected quantity.