Why do we offer a pre-order option for products weeks ahead of when they’re ready?

There are two main reasons why we do that here at Outplay.

One of the biggest reasons has everything to do with eliminating waste as much as possible. When we launch a new product, it’s hard for us to guess what sizes or colors will sell best. When we offer all of you the chance to place your order before the items have been fully produced, we get a better sense of what colors, sizes, or styles are going to have a higher demand and which ones will have much less of a demand. This helps us adjust our production so we’re not making products that aren’t going to sell. Products that don’t sell can end up as unnecessary waste, which is extremely harmful to the environment. Pre-orders are the quickest way for us to prevent having products being produced and later having them sit on a shelf instead of being worn by someone. We already produce in fairly small batches in order to keep waste down to a minimum. Offering pre-orders helps us cut down even more so we make sure what we make gets worn and enjoyed as much as possible instead of ending up in a landfill.

Second and an overlapping reason we launch products with pre-sales is because clothing production is very expensive and we’re a small family business that’s never taken any outside investment. Because we don’t have venture capital or investor money, we need to be as lean as possible with everything we do. The most expensive part of Outplay is production/inventory so we want to make sure what we’re producing is being made in the colors and sizes that all of our amazing customers actually want to wear. Producing products that you all don’t want can slow our growth down significantly, limiting how many more new products we can introduce and when we can introduce them to you. Part of this second reason is also because of Outplay being such a small family-owned and run business. Producing clothing is very expensive. Because we don’t skip out on quality and use the best of everything we can to make the best, most long-lasting activewear possible, pre-orders help us pay for the production. Kind of like Kickstarter but at a smaller scale and for a much shorter delivery time.

In some cases pre-orders are the best way for you to get your hands on products that will and do sell out very quickly. Because we try to keep waste down to a minimum and we produce our products in smaller batches than other larger brands, there are products everyone loves that sell out very quickly. Being able to pre-order a product gives you the advantage over everyone else by guaranteeing you’re going to get that amazing Outplay product without worrying about it selling out once it’s in stock.

One great example of this is the Swimmee. The Swimmee is our best selling product at Outplay. Everyone loves a Swimmee, which means they sell out every time. In the past we’ve offered you to pre-order Swimmees from the following production and currently we’re offering pre-orders on our newly redesigned Swimmee. We know it’s going to sell out again so pre-ordering it guarantees you’ll get your new Swimmee this summer for sure!

It’s kind of fun to order something and then forget about it and a few weeks later get that surprise email letting you know your new Outplay gear is out for delivery. So exciting!!

Check out the new Roraima now available through pre-order. It's almost ready so be sure to be one of the first people to have one shipping out to you in just a few weeks!