Private Label and Custom Products
A private-label order is decided long before the price: which material, which size and colour, what the packaging and the label carry, and how your brand appears on the product. We work those points into one specification, prove them on a sample, and hold production to that version.
Seven steps, and what each one has to settle.
The path runs from a concept or a reference sample through material selection, customisation, packaging and labelling, sample approval, production follow-up and quality control. Each step names who owns it, what you confirm and what is written down. Timings, fees and re-sampling rules are agreed on the order rather than fixed here.
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01
Concept or reference sample
The starting point is written down before anything is sourced.
A private-label project starts from a concept or from a reference sample you already have. Either way it is put into words before sourcing begins: what the product is, the quantity behind the order, the market it is going into, the brand positioning and the price position. A requirement that carries an image, a specification, a link, a sample or a functional description is workable; the points still open are listed and settled with you.
Open points listed- Owner
- Sales, with you
- You confirm
- The product, the quantity behind the order, the target market and the brand positioning.
- On the record
- The written requirement, the reference material behind it and the points left open.
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02
Material selection
Material options come from suppliers that fit the requirement.
With the requirement settled, products and suppliers are screened against it — product type, the market the goods are going to, customisation quantity, packaging, price and the brand premium the product has to carry. Material options are put to you with what each one means for the product and its price position, and the choice is yours.
Chosen with you- Owner
- Sourcing, with you on the choice
- You confirm
- The material the product will be made in.
- On the record
- The chosen material, the option it was chosen from, and the screening points behind it.
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03
Customisation
Size, colour and appearance are fixed against the chosen material.
Customisation is the set of points you confirm on the product itself: material, size, colour and appearance, together with the brand presentation the product has to carry. Each point is written onto the specification, so the supplier, the sample and the inspection all read the same version of it. A point that cannot be settled from the description alone is settled on the sample.
Carried on the specification- Owner
- Merchandising, with you on the confirmation
- You confirm
- Material, size, colour and appearance, and how your brand appears on the product.
- On the record
- The confirmed points on the specification, and where a point was settled on the sample.
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04
Packaging and labelling
The retail unit, the label and what the packed goods carry.
Packaging and labelling are worked out with the product, not added at the end. The retail unit, the custom packaging and the label with its product information are confirmed against the market the goods are going to and the channel they will be sold through — including a retailer's own requirements where there is one.
Version confirmed- Owner
- Merchandising, with you on the wording and artwork
- You confirm
- Retail packaging, the label and the product information on it, against your market and channel.
- On the record
- The confirmed packaging version, the label wording and any channel requirement raised.
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05
Sample approval
The supplier makes the sample; you confirm material, size, colour and packaging.
The supplier produces the sample and you confirm material, size, colour and packaging on it. Where the factory provides the sample free of charge we do not charge a sample fee, and the courier cost is borne by you; any further sample charge, and the rule for re-sampling, are agreed on the order. The approved sample becomes the reference the bulk run is held against.
Approved before the run- Owner
- Merchandising, with you on the approval
- You confirm
- Material, size, colour and packaging on the sample.
- On the record
- Sample photography and the written approval of the version approved.
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06
Production follow-up
Pre-production material check, then the run is followed.
The supplier prepares material for the run, and QC or the merchandising team checks that material against the confirmed specification before production. Production is then followed against the approved sample. If a lead time, a change or a quality point comes up, it is raised with you and agreed before the order continues.
Changes agreed on the order- Owner
- Merchandising (follow-up) · QC (pre-production material check)
- You confirm
- Any change to the order, agreed with you before it is carried out.
- On the record
- The pre-production material check, the follow-up notes and the decisions taken on any issue.
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07
Quality control and release
Inspection against industry standards and your requirements, then written release.
Before the goods leave, QC inspects the product and its packaging against industry standards and the requirements raised on the order, with photographs, video and an inspection report; a bulk sample is sent where the order calls for one. Nothing ships until you confirm the report or the bulk sample in writing and settle the balance.
Released after written approval- Owner
- QC (inspection) · Sales (release)
- You confirm
- The inspection report or the bulk sample, confirmed in writing.
- On the record
- Inspection report, product and packaging photography and video, and the written release.
What a private-label brief has to settle.
These are the points that turn a product idea into something a supplier can be held to. They are settled with you before the sample is made, and the same version is read at the pre-production material check and again before the goods leave. The packed goods and their labels are dealt with in more detail on the packaging and labelling page.
Points carried on the specification
- Product and function
- What the product is and what it has to do, described closely enough to be sourced. An image, a specification, a link, a sample or a functional description is what makes the requirement workable.
- Quantity behind the order
- The quantity the specification is being written for. It is one of the points products and suppliers are screened against, so it is settled early rather than assumed.
- Material
- The material the product is made in, recorded against the option it was chosen from.
- Size
- The dimensions the product is confirmed at, written down so the sample and the bulk are read against the same figures.
- Colour and appearance
- The colour and finish of the product as confirmed, not as described in the original message.
- Packaging and brand presentation
- The retail unit, the custom packaging and the way your brand appears on the product and on the packed goods.
- Label and product information
- The label and the product information printed with it, confirmed against your target market and the channel the goods are sold through — including a retailer's own requirements where there is one.
- Target market and channel
- Where the product is going and how it is sold. It shapes the material, the packaging, the label and the price position together.
- Price position
- The price the product has to be delivered at, and the brand premium it has to carry. Price is part of how suppliers are screened, not a figure added at the end.
A point that cannot be settled from the description is settled on the sample. Anything the brief leaves open is listed and returned to you before sampling starts, so nothing is carried forward as an assumption.
Where the project waits for a confirmation.
The path only moves when the point before it is settled. Three of these checkpoints are yours to give: the requirement, the sample, and the release. The three in between are recorded internally, and the inspection report is issued to you. The sample approval and the pre-shipment check are set out in full on the sample development page and the quality control page.
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Requirement confirmed
Confirmed in writingSourcing starts. The written requirement is what suppliers are screened against.
Confirmed by You and Sales
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Supplier screened against the requirement
Internal recordA shortlist goes forward, screened by product type, the client country, customisation quantity, packaging, price, target market and brand premium.
Confirmed by Sourcing and QC
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Sample approved
Approved in writingMaterial, size, colour and packaging are confirmed on the sample, and the version approved becomes the reference for the run.
Confirmed by You
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Pre-production material check
Internal checkThe material prepared for the run is checked against the confirmed specification before production starts.
Confirmed by QC or Merchandising
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Inspection before shipment
Report issued to youProduct and packaging are inspected against industry standards and the requirements raised on the order, with photographs, video and a report; a bulk sample is sent where the order calls for one.
Confirmed by QC
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Written release
Confirmed in writingNothing ships until you confirm the inspection report or the bulk sample in writing and settle the balance.
Confirmed by You
The written forms of these confirmations are agreed on the order rather than fixed in advance. Where a rule is not settled, it is agreed with you before it is relied on.
What the record looks like.
Product and packaging close-ups, material and colour references and the approval record are what carry a private-label project. Each figure below is a placeholder labelled with the size it should be replaced at, so real photography can drop straight in.
Send the product, the specification and the packaging direction.
We will list what the brief has to settle, confirm what the sample has to prove and record what the release depends on. How the sample is reviewed is on the sample development page, the packed goods on the packaging and labelling page, and the check before shipment on the quality control page.