Ave FLEX is LIVE!!!
The Ave FLEX launch is officially open to all shops!!
Glen went live yesterday to share all the details. A recap is below and the full replay to Glen's call is HERE!
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Ave is always trying to pivot and stay ahead of market shifts!
FLEX is an inventory co-op approach that we want to offer in addition to our regular launches. We’ve been beta testing this program with a group of 20ish shops and so far the feedback is incredibly positive!
TRADITIONAL BOUTIQUE BUYING
Benefits:
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You can purchase styles from any vendors that you love
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Allows you to curate a specific style niche for your customer base and set yourself apart from other shops.
Downsides:
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Increased financial risk (cost of goods, shipping expenses, purchasing in packs, increased payroll, processing costs, etc)
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Risk of unsold inventory
DROPSHIPPING
Came on the scene to help solve a lot of the traditional downsides!
Benefits:
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Allows you to offer lots of inventory with very little personal risk
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Alleviates a lot of the burden of ordering, processing, shipping, etc.
Downsides:
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No control over the styles being offered
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Launching the exact same products as lots of other shops.
Ave FLEX
The goal of FLEX is to take the best of these two approaches and combine them!
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You have the option to pick and choose best selling styles from our tried and true vendors...but Ave still handles the logistics!
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Your risk is dramatically lower because the inventory cost is shared by Ave and other shops who select the same styles.
How Does It Work?
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Ave will provide a list of available FLEX styles from trusted vendors every other week. You can find them HERE!
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If you want to offer one of these styles you pay a “buy-in” fee. This is much cheaper than the cost of buying your own pack(s) and paying for shipping.
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Only shops who buy in will be able to launch that style and share the inventory when it arrives to our warehouse.
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If 80% of a style sells through, Ave will credit you back 50% of the initial buy-in fee to your Ave Tech balance.
FAQs
How much is a buy-in?
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On a 6 pack it’s 2 pieces. So if the cost of the item from a vendor is $15, your buy in for that style would be $30 (versus the $90 + shipping you would normally pay for the entire pack!).
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Some styles come in packs of 8, some are a full size run (12 or 14 pieces). So the buy in is adjusted a bit higher in those cases to compensate.
How much is shipping from the vendor?
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Ave covers the shipping from the vendor to our warehouse and we will still order, receive, process, store and ship the product for you.
How many packs does Ave order if I buy in to a style?
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We take the total buy-in payments from all shops and Ave doubles it.
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So for example if ten shops buy in on a S-L style, the buy in per shop is $30 x 10 = $300. Ave adds $300 so now there is a budget of $600 total to spend on this item.
Will the standard Ave markup apply to FLEX styles?
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Yes! These items (including your sample) have the standard Ave markup to cover shipping, receiving, processing, shipping, etc
What happens to leftover quantities?
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After two weeks, the FLEX items are opened up to all shops to sell (even shops who didn’t buy in!). At the 4-5 week mark, they will move to a clearance strategy through Monday Markdowns, etc.
- Our current Open to Sell items (available from our initial beta test launches) are available HERE!
Can FLEX items ship with regular Ave items?
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Yes! If your customer shops a regular launch and also a FLEX launch, the items can all ship together.
What about samples?
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Samples are optional and are purchased up front!
When do I pay?
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If you want to purchase a sample, you’ll be charged for the sample up front when you commit to the item. The remainder of your buy in will be charged when the style arrives to Ave.
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If you don’t want to purchase a sample, you’ll need to pay 1/2 of the buy in up front and the remainder will be charged with the style arrives to Ave.
Do sample purchases and sales from other non-FLEX shops (two weeks after launch) count towards the 80% sell through?
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YES! All full priced sales will count towards the sell through rate. Any units that sell after an item goes to clearance will not count towards sell through rate.
Will Ave still create product listings?
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Yes! Vendor photos and vendor descriptions will be included in the product listings. Basically the same information that you would get if you purchased directly from the vendor or on FashionGo, etc.
Will Ave still take pictures/measurements and write descriptions for these styles?
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Not currently!
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In the future if lots of shops buy in to a style and we are purchasing a large number of packs, it might make financial sense to offer the full Ave treatment.
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In these early stages when we’re only purchasing a small number of packs, it’s not financially possible for us to do all of those things.
So far our beta shops love that they can select styles that appeal to their individual customer base and offer products that are different than other dropship boutiques (while still sharing the risk and the workload!).
We're super excited for everyone to give it a try. Let us know what questions you have!