Identified by Joor as one of five key trends set to shape fashion wholesale in 2026, the resurgence of wholesale distribution is backed by its latest market survey.
According to the fashion wholesale management platform, which analyses exclusive transaction data from more than 14,000 brands and over 675,000 retail buyers across 150 countries, wholesale accounted for 57% of brands’ total business in its latest market survey.
Go deeper with GlobalData
Discover B2B Marketing That Performs
Combine business intelligence and editorial excellence to reach engaged professionals across 36 leading media platforms.
In the same survey, 52% of brand respondents identified wholesale as their most profitable channel.
The other four trends that Joor expects to shape fashion wholesale in 2026 are:
Rising momentum of in-season buying
Retailers are favouring brands that can deliver more quickly, with Joor’s transaction data showing the average time from a wholesale order being placed to the product shipping has dropped from 263 days in 2019 to 102 days in 2024. This inclination towards shorter lead times is expected to continue as buyers increase in-season purchases.
US Tariffs are shifting - will you react or anticipate?
Don’t let policy changes catch you off guard. Stay proactive with real-time data and expert analysis.
By GlobalDataShift to tighter collections
According to Joor’s latest market survey, the share of brands producing full new collections has declined gradually, while those focusing on smaller capsule collections of new styles has risen from 19% to 37% over the past two years.
At the same time, evergreen and bestselling styles are assuming a larger role, growing from 37% of gross merchandise value (GMV) on Joor in 2019 to 49% in 2024.
Ongoing growth of indie retail
Joor’s data shows that speciality stores and boutiques increased their share of total wholesale transactions on the platform from 49% in 2020 to 62% in 2025. Their presence is even stronger in Europe, the Middle East, and Africa (EMEA) and Asia Pacific (APAC), where they represent 74% and 78% of total sales, respectively.
AI-driven expansion
AI is already influencing the fashion wholesale sector, and Joor expects this momentum to continue in 2026 as it moves from a primarily efficiency-focused tool to a core driver of growth.
The wholesale management ecosystem has built AI into several parts of its platform, including Joor Studio Services, which uses the technology to generate custom virtual models representing a range of body types, ages, and styles.
Joor marketing senior vice president Amanda McCormick Bacal said: “2025 was a turbulent year with many economic factors and market conditions increasing the need for information and adaptability. Heading into 2026, the overarching theme for brands and retailers is to focus on agility and informed decision-making.
“The trends we’re seeing—from the resurgence of wholesale as a key driver of profitable growth to the dramatic shift toward in-season buying—demand that brands and retailers have a strategy built on real-time insights. .”
