Optical frame assortment planning starts with three questions: who will buy the frames, which options do they need, and what can you afford to order? Choose a focused range before asking for a volume discount. Then check whether the model, size and color quantities meet the supplier’s terms.
This guide helps optical retailers, wholesalers and private-label buyers plan a frame-only purchase. It does not prescribe a fixed number of styles or predict what will sell. Use it alongside our affordable wholesale frame guide to turn a buying budget into a specific assortment request.
Set a cash limit for the complete first order
Write down how much you can commit before the frames generate sales. Allow for charges beyond the frame price: samples, branding, packaging, freight and applicable import costs. Confirm which charges are already included so you do not count them twice.
Keep some cash available for needs that may arise after delivery, such as a repeat order. Set that reserve from your own cash-flow plan; there is no single percentage that fits every buyer. Do not rely on selling the entire first shipment immediately to fund the next one.
Separate the total cost from when you must pay it. A deposit and later balance may spread payments, but the full agreed purchase remains a commitment. Record payment dates alongside the order total. Our landed-cost worksheet covers the delivery side of that calculation.
Identify customer needs before choosing styles
For an existing business, review sales by model, size and color, then compare those records with stock on hand. Include backstock, open orders and recorded returns. A frame missing from the display may already be in a drawer or on its way.
Ask staff what shoppers requested but could not find. In her article on frame inventory, optometrist Jessilin M. Quint describes combining sales reports with opticians’ feedback when reviewing her practice’s range. That is a useful way to investigate a gap; her particular stock mix is not a formula for your business.
If you are starting without sales records, label your assumptions. Define the customers, channels and price positions you intend to serve, then note what evidence would support each choice. A trend report or supplier recommendation can suggest a style to investigate. It cannot establish demand for your store.
For a wholesaler, separate requests from committed customer orders. For a private-label launch, distinguish interest in a design from confirmed purchases. Both distinctions help you decide how much uncertainty the first order carries.
Give each part of the assortment a purpose
Build a short list around needs you can explain. A new color of an existing model may add a useful option, but it does not necessarily fill a missing size or construction requirement.
Use the matrix below as a planning worksheet. It contains questions, not recommended proportions or a claim that every buyer needs every category.
| Role in the range | What to specify | Reason to include it | Supply question |
|---|---|---|---|
| Replace a sold option | Exact model, size and color code | Recorded sales and remaining stock | Can the same specification be reordered? |
| Fill a fit or size gap | Required dimensions and fitting needs | Requests your current range cannot meet | Is a suitable sample available for review? |
| Fill a price-position gap | Required frame specification and target cost | An identified gap in your intended offer | Does the complete quote fit the budget? |
| Test a new option | One clearly defined change or customer need | A stated hypothesis to review after sale | What quantity must you commit to test it? |
Choose materials from the specification and customer requirement, then request prices. Metal, acetate and titanium labels alone do not establish the cheapest suitable frame. Compare actual dimensions, construction and samples. Our frame categories provide starting points for a model shortlist.
Count variants before accepting the MOQ
Plan a seasonal trial without calling it a forecast
Name the selling window, location and channel before adding seasonal styles. A holiday collection in one market is not evidence of demand in another. Treat a brand campaign, celebrity appearance or color report as a design reference to investigate, not proof of sales for your business.
Keep the variants that meet documented ongoing needs separate from the seasonal trial. Give each proposed trial a reason, spending limit and review date. Do not add a new shape, several sizes, several colors and special packaging without counting the combined commitment.
Work backward from the date stock must be available for sale. Ask the supplier to confirm sample review, production, packing and shipment timing for that order. Include time for your own approvals and receiving process; do not reuse another supplier’s advertised lead time as your schedule.
Before committing, decide what happens if the delivery window moves or the trial sells slowly. Ask whether a later order can repeat the same color and construction. An evergreen-looking frame still needs confirmed supply terms.
After launch, compare variants over their actual selling periods and record stockouts, display changes and promotions. Use your results to decide whether to repeat the trial, adjust it or stop. This is a planning method, not a prediction of hot styles or a fixed seasonal buying calendar.
Assortment breadth is the number of different options. Order depth is the quantity bought in each option. A small-looking list can create a large commitment when you add sizes and colors.
For a hypothetical example, four models with two sizes and three colors each create 24 combinations if every combination is offered. One size and two colors per model would create eight. These are counts of variants, not minimum quantities or a recommended buying mix.
Ask the supplier which combinations exist and what minimum applies to each. Do not multiply a headline MOQ across the list until its scope is clear. Different sizes may count separately, colors may have individual minimums, and mixed models may not share a minimum at all.
Use one line per quoted model, size and color. Add the proposed quantity, pack multiple, unit price and extended line cost. Check any minimum order value too. The MOQ guide explains those separate conditions.
If the required quantities exceed your plan, ask about fewer colors, fewer overlapping models or a different supply route. Compare finished stock and made-to-order options before assuming that a factory batch and a distributor assortment can be ordered in the same quantities.
Compare proposed baskets, not just unit prices
Request a quote for your preferred mix and, if useful, a smaller alternative. Keep the frame requirements clear in both. Ask the supplier to identify any specification changes instead of silently substituting a cheaper frame.
For each basket, compare the total purchase commitment, the options it covers and the charges needed to receive it. If a lower unit price requires extra colors you had no reason to carry, calculate the cost of those additional units. Do not give them a guaranteed resale value to justify the discount.
When trimming the list, start with duplicate coverage: similar models in the same size, price position and color range. Decide whether each earns its place. Keep a frame that fills a documented need even if another is cheaper per unit, provided the total order remains affordable.
For private label, quote the frames and branding extras separately. Our budget private-label guide helps you review logos and packaging without adding every option to the first purchase.
Confirm samples and repeat-order references
From a manufacturing purchasing perspective, the assortment needs exact references. “A black rectangular metal frame” leaves too much open for a quotation or reorder. Identify the model, dimensions, color or finish code, branding version and approved sample where applicable.
Review samples against the intended use before committing to a batch. If you plan to glaze the frames, have your optical lab assess the selected sample for that process. Our frame sample checklist sets out an initial review; one acceptable sample does not prove the whole shipment will match.
Ask what repeat supply means for each line: current stock, a new production batch, or a limited lot. Confirm whether components, colors and terms can change. Keep the approved references with the purchase record so the next quotation can identify differences.
Review the first order before expanding
Track units received, sold, returned and still held by variant. Record when each line became available for sale, so a recent arrival is not judged against a frame displayed for much longer. Keep damage, display use and transfers separate from sales.
Choose a review date that fits your selling cycle and the supplier’s confirmed replenishment time. Review both sales and requests you could not meet. A low sales count may call for further investigation into fit, display, availability or price before you decide to drop the model.
Expand where your records support it. Ask whether the next order still meets the budget and quantity conditions, even for an unchanged model. A successful first purchase does not guarantee permanent pricing or stock availability.
Send a focused assortment brief
Prepare a shortlist with model references or photos, required dimensions, quantities by color, destination and target budget. Explain which lines meet existing demand and which are trials. State whether you need existing styles, private label or new development.
Titanium Frames can review wholesale frame, private-label and OEM/ODM requests. Send your assortment for a quotation and ask for suitable options, quantity conditions and repeat-supply terms. A reference image or product link is enough to start the discussion.
Frequently asked questions
How many models should I include in my first frame order?
There is no universal count. Start with the needs you can identify, then calculate the quantities and costs attached to each size and color. Reduce overlapping options if the required commitment exceeds your budget.
Should I divide the budget equally between materials?
Use your customer requirements and actual quotes. Equal spending on metal, acetate and titanium may leave important needs uncovered or fund options without a clear purpose.
Can fewer colors make a wholesale order easier to afford?
It can reduce the number of variants you must fund if color-level minimums apply. Have the supplier quote the revised mix; do not assume the total MOQ or unit price stays unchanged.
Is a large display a reason to buy more frames?
Display capacity is one constraint, but it does not establish demand or cash capacity. Count all stock and purchase commitments before buying to fill empty space.