Skip to content

Product Selection

What Commercial Metrics Should You Read Before Developing a New Style?

September 07, 2026 · DONGFAN Editorial Team

You developed a beautiful dress — and discovered too late it doesn't fit your customer's basket size.

The hidden risk

Suppliers don't read your customer's basket — they read your brief. A garment that doesn't fit the average order value gets sold rarely, even if it sells profitably per piece. The supplier thinks the issue is missing marketing; the buyer knows it's that the garment is misaligned.

How to judge

Check 3 numbers before development: customer AOV, return rate in your category, and the average reorders per customer in 12 months.

What the supplier must provide

Reference customer data points so you can cross-check whether your candidate garment aligns.

How DONGFAN handles it

DONGFAN shares anonymized reorder profile data per style category so you can place a new style inside the right commercial band before committing — instead of finding out at season review.

Buyer checklist

  • Check customer AOV before development
  • Check category return rate
  • Audit average reorders per customer
  • Align garment price to basket size
  • Validate against reference customers
  • Re-check at season review

Planning a collection?

Book a free 30-min sourcing consultation, or send your brief for a 24-hour FOB quote.