Because quantity is never just a matter of volume
One of the most frequently asked questions in the perfumery world is also one of the most misleading:
“How many pieces do I need to produce to start?”
The answer many expect is a number. The real answer is: depends on the system you're building.
In the industry, the issue of quantity is often approached superficially, as if “starting small” is enough to reduce risk. In reality, in many cases, starting too small increases the risk.
The myth of micro-lots
Producing few pieces is often perceived as a prudent choice. Less initial investment, less exposure, more flexibility.
But in practice:
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unit costs go up
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margins compress
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suppliers become less available
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the quality of the project suffers
A micro-lot is no longer safe. It is simply less tolerant of error.
Quantity as an industrial lever
In a perfumery project, quantity is not just for “making volume.” It serves to:
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absorb fixed costs
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stabilize production
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make the project replicable
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improve the overall quality
Below a certain threshold, the project has no room to breathe. Every mistake weighs too much.
There is no absolute right amount
The correct amount depends on precise variables:
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sales channel
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retail price
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cost structure
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positioning
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medium-term objectives
A project sold online does not have the same logic as one sold in retail. A high price tolerates different volumes than an affordable price.
Asking “how many pieces are needed” without defining the context is like asking “how big a house should be” without knowing who will live in it.
The first batch is not evidence, it is a message
The first batch communicates many things, even if we do not realize it:
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Communicates how much the brand believes in the project
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communicates solidity to partners
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communicates reliability to suppliers
A first batch that is too small often signals uncertainty. And uncertainty, in the market, is reflected.
The hidden problem of reordering
Many projects are built with only the first lot in mind. Very few give serious thought to reordering.
Yet:
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the second batch is the one that decides whether the project is replicable
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the former can work for enthusiasm
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the second only works if the system holds
If the project does not improve upon reordering, in terms of cost, time, and smoothness, it means that the initial quantity was wrong.
When a few pieces make sense
There are cases where starting with small amounts is correct:
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experimental projects
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royal limited editions
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very targeted market testing
But even in these cases, the limits must be knowledgeable, not suffered.
Starting small works only when:
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the pattern is clear
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costs are under control
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the next step has already been thought out
The right question to ask
The question is not: “How many pieces can I afford?”
The question is: “How many pieces do I need for this project to really work?”
It is a subtle but decisive difference.
Conclusion
Quantity is not a neutral variable. It is a strategic, industrial and economic choice.
The projects that work are not the ones that produce the most. They are the ones that produce quite To be sustainable.
Understanding this threshold before setting out often makes the difference between a project that grows and one that remains stuck in the first batch.
Note Insight Strategy
This article does not invite more production. It invites production criterion.
Because in contemporary perfumery, the right quantity is not the one that reassures at first, but the one that allows the project to last.
