How have online wholesale platforms changed the way retailers source from Surat?

The shift to online wholesale from Surat has been one of the biggest structural changes in Indian retail garment sourcing over the past decade. Key changes:

Before online wholesale (pre-2015):

• Retailers had to physically visit Surat or rely on travelling salesmen (agents who carried catalogs and took orders)
• Minimum buying relationships took months to establish
• Small retailers in remote cities had very limited access to Surat variety

After online wholesale platforms:

• Any retailer anywhere in India can browse and order the same Surat catalogs
• First orders possible without any prior relationship — payment and delivery systems remove trust barriers
• Competition among online platforms has driven down minimum order quantities
• Same-day dispatch and 2–3 day delivery made restocking much faster

Impact on traditional agents/middlemen: The traditional travel agent (commission agent who visited cities with samples) has significantly declined — most have moved to WhatsApp broadcasting or social media boutique roles instead.