What the sample has to settle
For a private-label product, the sample is where the specification becomes real. Material, size, colour and appearance are confirmed on it, together with the packaging and the way the brand appears on the product. A point that cannot be settled from the description alone has to be settled here — otherwise it is carried into production as an assumption.
Packaging and labelling, decided with the product
Packaging is worked out at the same time as 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 are sold through. Where a retailer or a platform has its own requirement, that requirement is raised at this stage, while changes are still cheap.
Where the bulk is held against the sample
Once the sample is approved it becomes the reference for the run. Material is checked before production starts, production is followed against the approved sample, and the finished product and its packaging are checked again before the goods leave — with photographs, video and an inspection report. That is the same reference read three times, which is what keeps a bulk order from drifting away from the sample.
What to keep on record
- The approved sample and its written approval.
- The packaging version and the label wording that were confirmed.
- The pre-production material check.
- The inspection report, its photographs and its video.
- The written release before dispatch.
The customisation path itself is set out on Private Label & Custom Products, and the packing checks on Packaging and Labeling.