Case Study: Getting an E-Commerce Brand Ready for Distributor-Level Sales

Display of various pairs of socks on a wooden rack in a store.

From UK D2C to 1,000+

Global retailers on Faire— and distributors knocking on the door.

The Journey So Far

We launched Bare Kind in 2018 as a UK-based D2C sock brand — socks that save animals. For the first few years, our customer base was almost entirely direct-to-consumer.

Fast forward to 2025, and Bare Kind is now stocked in thousands of stores worldwide, with distributors in the US, Europe, Asia and New Zealand actively signing us on. The shift didn’t happen overnight. It came from levelling up across every single part of the business — product, packaging, merchandising, operations, and brand.

The good news? The exact same playbook can be applied to your brand.

  • Distributor
  • Distributor

Why Faire Was the Turning Point

Everything we built for success on Faire — from optimised listings to stronger POS, from packaging upgrades to operational reliability — has had a ripple effect across the entire business.

  • More retailers → stronger visibility.
  • Better POS → higher sell-through.
  • More sales → more buzz around the brand.
  • More buzz → distributors wanting in.
  • More distributors → bigger and better talent joining the team.

Put simply: success on Faire = success elsewhere. Nail Faire, and you’ll have the foundation to attract distributor-level partners.

The Stages of Improvement

To be distributor-ready, there are five key areas we had to overhaul.

1. Product Improvements

Consistency and quality are non-negotiable. Distributors want confidence that your supply chain is reliable, scalable, and ethical.

For Bare Kind this meant:

  • Working with multiple manufacturers across countries.
  • Standardising sock fit and quality.
  • Cutting 3+ months from our design → sampling → delivery cycle.

The result: faster product launches, more range for retailers, and a product distributors knew they could rely on.

2. Packaging Improvements

Small tweaks make a huge difference on the shop floor. From barcodes to hang tags to retail-ready packaging, every change was designed with one goal: help retailers sell more socks.

(We go deeper into packaging strategy in our dedicated case study on retail packaging.)

  • Packaging evolution
  • Packaging back evolution

3. Merchandising Improvements

Merchandising is the most overlooked skill in product businesses — yet it’s often the difference between scaling or running out of cash.

With the help of a merchandising consultant, we:

  • Categorised stock into Level A, B and C sellers.
  • Built sales cycles to keep cash flow moving.
  • Created systems that let us confidently fulfil large distributor orders.

Distributors don’t just want great products — they want brands that can move stock smartly and sustainably. A large part of this was improving our Point of Sale range fit for retail, and you can learn more about how we did this here.

4. Operations Improvements

Operations are where Faire either works for you or against you. Miss Faire’s shipping targets and the algorithm penalises you — the same way a distributor would walk away if you can’t deliver reliably.

For Bare Kind, this meant:

  • Switching warehouse providers when service wasn’t good enough.
  • Implementing Scan to Van for accurate tracking.
  • Regular reviews with our 3PL to forecast demand and reduce risks.

Retailers and distributors both expect speed and reliability. Without it, you won’t scale.

5. Brand & Website Improvements

Your brand identity is your shop window. Distributors took us seriously only once our brand felt premium and consistent across every touchpoint.

That meant:

  • A refreshed brand kit (logos, fonts, colours).
  • Lifestyle photography that elevated our product.
  • A streamlined website with optimised CTAs and product pages.

When distributors say “we want to talk,” it’s usually because they can see the brand will stand out in their market.

  • Bare Kind website
  • Bare Kind product page

The Distributor Mindset

Distributors want brands that are:

  • thinking outside of the box icon

    Retail-ready

    (packaging, POS, merchandising)

  • optimise icon

    Operationally reliable

    (fast, accurate, scalable)

  • Brand strong 

     (design, photography, consistency)

  • low MOQ icon

    Proven on Faire

    (the biggest B2B marketplace in the world)

Trade shows may be slowing down, but Faire is only getting bigger. Retailers and distributors alike are searching there for the next big brand, will it be yours?

Key Takeaway

What we learned scaling Bare Kind: if you can dominate on Faire, you can scale everywhere else.

Book a Free Discovery Call

If you’re ready to optimise your Faire account, improve your wholesale proposition, and get distributor-ready, our team can help.

Request a consultation