Chain Reactions: Scout’s Deb Waterman Johns on implementing a pre-book wholesale model

If a boutique wants to carry products from handbag maker Scout, they are going to have to plan ahead. 

In mid-2020, Scout transitioned to a pre-book wholesale model, which entails giving retailers an opportunity to secure their orders “almost a year in advance,” founder Deb Waterman Johns said on the Modern Retail Podcast’s new series: Chain Reactions. Previously, Scout took retail orders on an as-needed basis and by estimating demand for their upcoming seasonal designs. “It’s a commitment on our part, as well as on their part,” she said of the upfront booking and payment transactions, Waterman Johns said.

Wholesale retailers are a major part of the company’s business. Scout, which launched in 2004, and sells its handbags across roughly 50 stores, including local boutiques, gift shops and drugstores.

This episode is the first in a series where Modern Retail explores the quick fixes brands are making as a result of the supply chain craziness experienced over the last year-plus. Chain Reactions will dig deep into short-term decisions that had longer-term effects. For Scout, its big change was to the way it handles orders.

Waterman Johns said that because of the pandemic’s impact on these smaller accounts, Scout wanted to create a better system for wholesale orders. The shuttering and restructuring of many boutiques and gift shops -- where Scout sells its tote designs -- prompted Scout to want to better understand how it produces and distributes its inventory to wholesale partners, Waterman Johns said.

For a business, selling out of products is usually a great thing. However, Waterman Johns said the company wanted to transition into a more efficient “newer normal,” in which Scout ensures its retail partners have access to the merchandise they want while the brand has better insight into its in-demand styles and patterns.  

So far, the results have been positive, Waterman Johns said. With advanced pre-booking, Scout can also better communicate inventory volume to its overseas manufacturers. Whereas previously, the company was “guesstimating” its wholesale demand (and selling off excess to off-price retailers in later seasons), the new pre-book model has helped avoid over or underestimating demand.