Hustle 28: Wholesale Intelligence Platform
DTC brands are being crushed by rising ad costs and shrinking margins. Wholesale is no longer optional, but most brands don’t know how to price, pitch, or scale wholesale profitably. An AI-Driven Wholesale Intelligence Platform fixes that. Instead of guessing, brands use data to decide which products to wholesale, which retailers to approach, and how to price without killing margins. This model works because it sells clarity and leverage, not inventory risk.
What the business actually is
This is a platform or service that helps brands optimize wholesale decisions using AI. You are not buying inventory yourself. You are providing the intelligence layer that tells brands:
which SKUs are wholesale-ready
what price ranges retailers will accept
which retailers are the best fit
how wholesale impacts margins vs DTC
when wholesale beats paid ads
AI analyzes sales data, ad spend, margins, sell-through rates, and retailer performance to guide smarter wholesale expansion. You become the brains behind wholesale strategy, not the middleman.
Who it’s perfect for
This model is ideal if you:
like operations, pricing, and systems
understand e-commerce fundamentals
want a B2B service with higher ticket clients
prefer advising and optimizing over fulfillment
want recurring revenue instead of inventory risk
Perfect for consultants, operators, analysts, and ex-DTC builders.
Tools you need
Inventory Management Software
Used to analyze stock levels, turnover, and sell-through rates.
CRM Software
Track brand clients, retailer relationships, and wholesale pipelines.
Translate raw data into clear wholesale recommendations and reports.
LINKS:
https://claude.ai/login?returnTo=%2Fnew%3F
Data Analytics Tools
Used to model pricing scenarios, margins, and demand forecasts.
Host your platform, sell subscriptions, onboard brands, and deliver reports.
LINK: https://systeme.io/?sa=sa0254126310cdac9ef5f93831e66c253a04fe4a5a
Notion or Google Sheets
Build wholesale scorecards, pricing models, and retailer match databases.
LINK: https://www.notion.com/
How you make money
Wholesale Strategy Consulting
Charge brands to build or fix their wholesale strategy.
Monthly Intelligence Subscriptions
Brands pay recurring fees for ongoing pricing, inventory, and retailer insights.
Retail Readiness Audits
One-time audits that tell brands if they’re ready for wholesale.
Performance-Based Fees
Charge based on wholesale revenue growth or margin improvement.
White-Label Platform Access
Agencies pay to use your tools under their own brand.
How to start
Step 1 — Choose your target brands
DTC brands doing $100k–$5M annually are ideal.
Step 2 — Build a wholesale readiness framework
Criteria for pricing, margins, packaging, and scalability.
Step 3 — Collect sample data
Use public brand data or early clients to model wholesale scenarios.
Step 4 — Use AI to analyze margins and pricing
Simulate wholesale vs DTC outcomes.
Step 5 — Build your service page on System.io
Explain why guessing wholesale kills brands and how you fix it.
Step 6 — Create a standard wholesale report
Clear recommendations brands can act on immediately.
Step 7 — Offer pilot audits
Low-risk entry offer to get case studies.
Step 8 — Add recurring monitoring
Track inventory, pricing, and retailer performance monthly.
Step 9 — Introduce subscription tiers
Basic insights, advanced analytics, and full advisory.
Step 10 — Partner with agencies or brokers
They bring clients, you bring intelligence.
Step 11 — Expand into retailer matching
Recommend which retailers brands should approach.
Step 12 — Turn insights into a platform
Dashboards, alerts, and automated recommendations.
Word of advice
Wholesale isn’t about volume. It’s about control. Most brands fail because they chase distribution without understanding margins, velocity, or retailer fit. If you can explain wholesale decisions clearly and back them with data, brands will trust you with high-impact decisions. You’re not selling products. You’re selling leverage.
