We've been going to market for 10 years. Atlanta, Dallas, Vegas. We've written orders on napkins, lost track of which vendor quoted which price, and come home to a pile of POs with no idea where to start.
So here's the checklist we wish someone had handed us on day one.
Before you go
Look at your sell-through from last season. Which vendors moved? Which ones are still sitting there? Set a buying budget by category and try to stick to it. Make a list of vendors you want to revisit and block time to walk the floor for new brands.
Check your vendor list and make sure contact info is current. You'll be glad you did when you're chasing down a late shipment three months from now.
While you're there
Take photos of everything. The PO, the line sheet, the showroom setup, your handwritten notes. Future you will be grateful. Write clear orders with quantities, costs, and ship dates. Ask every single vendor: "When does this actually ship?" Write it down.
If you use Inventor-Ease, log your visits in Buying Sessions. Snap photos, link notes to POs, keep everything in one spot. It's like a trip journal that's actually useful when you get home.
When you get home
This is where most teams lose a full week. You've got 20+ POs from different vendors and each one needs to get into your system. Typing. Copying. Reformatting.
Upload each PO to Inventor-Ease and it pulls everything out for you. Set your arrival dates, and you'll get alerts when something's late. When shipments show up, receiving takes minutes. Your Shopify store stays current without anyone opening admin.