Accessibility to a complete range of a brand products is very important. It suggests inclusion and respect for the knowledge of the customer.

Range tends to be wider when the brand is vertical (direct to consumer) and distributes through its own channels. Conversely, it can be narrower or very directional in a wholesale channel or multi-brand store that selects few, often the bestselling, styles from each brand.

How do retailers decide?

Sometimes, brands and distributors differentiate the range across geographical markets on the base of the qualitative and quantitative perception of the customers of a certain city or a country with the aim to optimize the buy and reduce the risk of stock.

Sometimes, particularly in the food and consumer goods industry they adapt the range to local tastes.

These are all perfectly sensible decisions based on analysis and results.
The fact is that markets are not homogeneous and these decisions may be taken upon views of a type of a consumer or a previous customer (how it should be, what he will buy, etc.) and exclude other pockets or type of clients.

Frequently, modern consumers, particularly the younger and more experienced ones, don’t like to be 'edited' or told what they can or cannot buy.
Whether it is Paris, Los Angeles or Jakarta they want to have access to the entire range a brand has to offer. They like to choose unless the selection and curation available is truly adding something, i.e. a limited collection, etc. Failing to find their perfect choice in stores, they look to e-comm which gives infinite possibilities with worldwide synchronized launches.

Perhaps, it may be worth to change our view of the modern clientele and look how to fix this issue. Vertical brands are in the best position to do so as they control product creation, commercialization and stock often working on their own time table.

Television got there first (Remember? "Same screening as the US?").

Retail will follow.