Who we work with
Retail and ecommerce
Retail ties up cash in stock months before that stock earns anything. Buying for a season means committing funds well ahead of the revenue, and getting the timing wrong in either direction is expensive.
Online sellers face the same pattern with the added complication of platform payout cycles, which can hold funds after a sale has already been made.
What owners in this industry come to us for
- Buying stock ahead of a known seasonal peak
- Funding a larger order to secure better supplier terms
- Bridging the gap created by platform payout cycles
- Fitting out or refreshing a shopfront
- Managing import costs and lead times
What lenders tend to look at
Sales data is usually current and detailed in retail, and several lenders assess on it directly rather than waiting for year-end statements.
- Sales history and how it moves across the year
- Where sales happen: in store, own site, or a marketplace
- Stock turn and what is currently held
- Supplier terms already in place
- Trading history under the current ABN
- Credit history and existing commitments
A situation we see often
An online retailer needs to buy stock in September for the Christmas period, months before the revenue arrives. A bank process wanted two full years of financials the business did not yet have.
The useful question is which lenders assess recent trading rather than two years of statements, and that is what a specialist would compare. This illustrates a common enquiry rather than a client case study, and the lender decides what is available on its own assessment.
Finance that commonly suits
Common questions
We sell mostly through a marketplace. Does that matter?
It is worth mentioning, because payout cycles affect when your money actually arrives and some lenders are more familiar with those patterns than others.
Can finance cover stock we import?
Trade finance exists for exactly that gap between order and sale. Whether it fits depends on your suppliers, lead times and terms, so give the specialist that detail early.
See which lenders fit your business
Answer a few quick questions and we connect you with a business finance specialist who works with businesses like yours. No cost, no obligation.
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