A reorder is not a repeat purchase — it is a reconstruction. Unless something recorded what the last order actually contained, the next one is built from memory, and memory is imprecise about exactly the details that matter: which diameter, which curl, which base, which tray count.
A reorder reference is a short document per SKU that makes that reconstruction exact. It takes an hour to write the first time and saves that hour on every order afterwards.
The six lines that matter
- D count and diameter. Both, always — twelve fibers at 0.05 and twelve at 0.07 are different products with the same label.
- Curl. C, CC, D or DD, and which reference the supplier used if the naming varies.
- Base style. Pointed, short stem, long stem or waistband tape.
- Tray format and count. Single or mixed, and how many fans per tray, plus the length mix if mixed.
- Your SKU code. The name your own system uses, independent of the supplier’s naming.
- The approved sample reference. Date, photographs, and any note about what was accepted or rejected.
Six lines is enough to reproduce an order with any competent supplier. Anything more detailed rarely gets updated, and an out-of-date detailed reference is worse than a current short one.
Why the supplier’s SKU code is not enough
Supplier codes change. A supplier may renumber a range, split a SKU, or use the same code across two diameters shipped to different customers. If your reorder reference is only the supplier’s code, a change on their side silently changes your product. Keep your own code as the primary key and store the supplier’s code as a field against it — then a supplier change is a field update rather than a new product.
Track consumption, not just orders
Order dates alone do not tell you when to reorder. Fans consumed per set does. If a salon is using 180 fans per full set and booking sixty sets a month, the tray requirement is derivable, and the reorder interval stops being guesswork. This number also catches tray fill changes: if fans consumed per set jumps without a change in service, check the count per tray before assuming the artists are being wasteful.
Photograph the tray, not only the product
A photograph of a fan on a white background is useful for marketing. A photograph of the open tray as it arrived is useful for ordering. Shoot the tray flat, with the label visible, in consistent lighting, and date the file. When a tray arrives that looks slightly different, that photograph settles the question in thirty seconds instead of a week of correspondence.
Note what was rejected, not only what was approved
The rejected sample carries information too. If a first sample had a base that was too wide, record that — otherwise the next sampling round may repeat it. A short note of “rejected: base width, fibers outside bond on 3 of 20 fans” tells a supplier exactly what to correct and prevents the same issue from returning on the following batch.
Review the reference before each order
The value of a reorder reference is that it is checked, not that it exists. Before sending a reorder, read the six lines and confirm nothing has changed in your own business: the same densities still sell, the same curl still suits your clients, the tray format still matches your stock routine. Two minutes of checking prevents an order that is accurate to a specification nobody wants any more.