Buying a collection for a boutique doesn’t end with choosing the styles. It is just as important to decide how many pieces to order in each size. With womenswear in sizes 40-54, the wrong split can quickly tie up part of the budget: some sizes start to run out, while others stay in stock much longer.
There is no single universal size split that suits every shop. A good order split should be based on sales data, customer profile, the style itself and how broadly the boutique wants to cover sizes 40-54.
Why shouldn’t you order the same number of every size?
The simplest way to stock up looks logical: the same number of pieces in sizes 40, 42, 44, 46, 48, 50, 52 and 54. But this split rarely reflects real sales.
Demand is not evenly distributed. The same boutique may see a different sales pattern for dresses, trousers and tunics. The construction of the style also matters: a looser tunic gives more tolerance, while fitted trousers require more precise sizing.
That is why piece quantities should not be set on intuition alone. It is better to treat the size split as part of stock planning.
1. Start with your own sales, not with general assumptions
If the boutique is already trading, the best starting point is its sales history. Simply check which sizes sell most often and how quickly they leave the stockroom.
Look in particular at:
- the number of pieces sold in each size,
- the sizes that most often ran out,
- the sizes left over after the sale,
- differences between product categories,
- returns caused by poor fit.
If size 46 regularly sells out while 42 stays on the rail longer, there is no point splitting the next order evenly. It is worth analysing the data separately for dresses, blouses, trousers, tunics and coats. Combining all categories into one figure can lead to the wrong conclusions.
2. Identify which sizes form the core of your boutique’s sales
Every shop has a group of sizes that account for the largest share of sales. In one boutique it will be 42-46, in another 46-50. That doesn’t mean dropping the other sizes, just distributing stock depth differently.
If sizes 44, 46 and 48 are bought most often, that is where you should hold more pieces of the most promising styles. The outer sizes can have less depth, but they should still be there if the boutique advertises a 40-54 range.
3. Don’t apply one formula to every style
This is one of the more common mistakes when buying womenswear wholesale. The shop sets one size split and applies it to the whole collection.
Yet the style has a big impact on demand:
- trousers need a precise fit at the waist, hips and thighs,
- dresses need to be judged by body proportions, bust, waist and hips,
- tunics and cover-ups can offer more size tolerance thanks to their looser construction,
- coats and biker jackets need to account for how they are worn and the layers underneath.
Even within one collection, size 48 may sell quickly in trousers and more slowly in a tunic. Buying should reflect that difference.
4. With a first order, build breadth rather than excessive depth
A new boutique, or a shop starting to work with a manufacturer, does not yet have data on a specific collection. In this situation, it makes more sense to test more styles with less depth than to commit heavily to a few styles with no proven sales.
The first order should help you establish:
- which styles appeal most to customers,
- which sizes sell fastest,
- how customers rate the fit,
- which categories are worth developing.
After a few sales cycles, you can increase the share of the fastest-selling sizes more and more precisely. Your own data is worth more here than a ready-made “ideal size split” found online.
5. Sizes 50, 52 and 54 should not be treated as an add-on
If a boutique wants to genuinely cater for larger sizes, a single piece at the end of the size range may not be enough. A customer who regularly can’t find her size soon stops seeing the shop as a place for her. This applies especially to an offer aimed at women over 40.
Sizes 50, 52 and 54 should be analysed in exactly the same way as the others:
- measure their sell-through,
- monitor stock-outs,
- check interest in specific styles,
- compare results across categories.
If a size sells regularly, it should be properly represented in future orders. There is no reason to keep it at a token level just because it sits at the end of the scale.
6. Look at stock in terms of sell-through, not just piece counts
Two pieces in size 46 may be too little stock if they sell quickly, while the same number in another size may last much longer. What counts is the speed of sale.
With each new order, check:
- how quickly a given size sells out,
- how many times customers asked for a size that was no longer available,
- whether stock left on the shelf is down to the size or the style itself,
- which sizes need restocking more often.
This helps you tell the difference between too little stock in a popular size and a style that simply didn’t meet customers’ needs.
7. In an online shop, analyse returns too
In online retail, an order is not always a final sale. That is why the size split should be calculated after returns. If size 48 is ordered often but comes back just as often, the problem may lie in the style, the size description or the fit of the pattern.
This difference matters for future buying. A large number of orders in a given size may suggest high demand, but only sales after returns show how many pieces actually found a customer.
8. Best-sellers may need a different split from supporting styles
Not every product plays the same role. For the styles with the greatest potential, it is worth securing the dominant sizes in your boutique more firmly. For more experimental styles, a shallower entry and watching customers’ reactions may work better.
This approach makes better use of the buying budget. Instead of ordering an identical number of pieces of every style, the boutique can put a larger share of its stock into products that match its customers’ proven preferences.
A simple way to plan a 40-54 size split
Before a larger order, you can go through four steps.
Step 1: calculate each size’s share of sales
Check what share of pieces sold came from sizes 40, 42, 44, 46, 48, 50, 52 and 54. Ideally, do this separately for your main categories.
You don’t need to build a complex analytics system straight away. Even a simple summary shows whether sales are concentrated around a few sizes or spread more widely.
Step 2: check lost sales
Make a note of every time a customer wanted to buy a product but her size was no longer available. Sales history alone doesn’t show demand the shop was unable to meet.
If a given size regularly sells out first, its sales may be artificially low. The shop sold every available piece, but doesn’t know how many more it could have sold with more stock.
Step 3: separate a size problem from a style problem
If a style is sitting unsold in every size, the problem is probably not the piece split. If 46 and 48 sell quickly while the other sizes are still available, the next purchase can be shifted towards those sizes.
This distinction protects you from adding stock to a style that simply didn’t interest customers.
Step 4: adjust orders gradually
There is no need to radically change the whole structure after one week of sales. It is better to watch a few consecutive deliveries and gradually adjust the share of each size.
The season, product type or a particular collection can temporarily change the demand pattern. Observing over a longer period gives a much more reliable basis for buying decisions.
A good size split helps protect your margin
Too many slow-selling sizes tie up money in stock and increase the risk of markdowns. On the other hand, too few of the most sought-after sizes means lost sales. That is why the piece split has a direct impact on the boutique’s results.
The best split is a stock level that matches real demand. In elegant womenswear, size analysis should go hand in hand with assessing the style and how it sits on the body.
A well-planned size split has one more advantage: it lets you make better use of a style’s potential. If a customer finds the right size when she is ready to buy, the boutique doesn’t lose a sale just because it distributed its stock badly.
How we approach size ranges at MAKO
At MAKO, we create elegant womenswear in sizes 40-54 and work exclusively on a B2B basis. Our partners include bricks-and-mortar boutiques, online shops, wholesalers, distributors, brands and companies operating in Poland and across Europe.
As a manufacturer, we see that well-planned stocking does not start with a rigid “same number of every size” formula. It should follow from the customer profile of a given shop, the product category and observed sell-through.
That is why, when building an offer, it is worth combining two things: full availability of the sizes that matter to your target group and greater depth where sales really are highest.
If you run a boutique, an online shop or a wholesale business and are looking for a Polish womenswear manufacturer in sizes 40-54, get in touch with MAKO. We can talk about our B2B offer, the available categories and cooperation tailored to your shop’s profile.
