Custom software development for wholesalers

Where custom software often helps

Pricing in one place

Wholesale pricing often combines a base list, customer groups, individual agreements, volume breaks and time-limited promotions. When these sit in different spreadsheets, staff quote inconsistent prices and margins slip. A pricing engine that holds all the rules, applies them in a defined order and shows how each price was reached lets everyone quote the same figure, whether the order comes by phone, rep or online.

Being able to see why a price came out as it did makes disputes much quicker to resolve.

Order processing essentials

Allocating scarce stock

• First come, first served

  Simple, but may favour customers who order early.

• Priority customers

  Key accounts allocated first, by agreed rules.

• Proportional

  Available stock shared by order size.

• Manual review

  Shortages flagged for a person to decide.

Tools for sales reps

Reps visiting customers need order history, current prices, stock levels and outstanding balances to hand, and a fast way to place orders. A mobile tool connected to the same pricing and stock information means orders taken on the road arrive correctly priced and ready to process, rather than as notes typed up later. Showing customers' usual items and gaps in their recent orders helps reps have useful conversations.

A practical approach

1. 01

   Map channels

   How orders arrive and are processed today.

   Output: Order flow map

2. 02

   Gather pricing rules

   All price lists and agreements collected.

   Output: Pricing model

3. 03

   Build core

   Pricing engine and order entry.

   Output: Consistent orders

4. 04

   Connect

   Accounting, warehouse and online ordering linked.

   Output: One flow

5. 05

   Extend

   Rep tools and reporting added.

   Output: Fuller coverage

Connecting accounting and warehouse

Wholesale software rarely stands alone. Accounting needs invoices and payments; the warehouse needs picking lists and dispatch updates; online ordering needs the same prices and stock. Agree which system owns customers, products, prices and stock, and connect them so each order flows through without re-keying.

Returns and credits

Wholesalers handle returns for damage, short delivery, wrong items and end-of-season stock. A clear returns process in software records the reason, checks it against the original order and price, routes approval where needed and raises credit notes in accounting. Tracking reasons over time shows where picking, packing or supplier quality need attention. Without a structured process, credits are issued inconsistently and patterns go unnoticed.

Agreed rules for which returns need approval keep routine cases quick.

Margin and customer reporting

With pricing and orders in one place, reporting becomes much more useful: margin by customer and product, customers whose ordering has dropped, promotions that worked and lines that rarely sell. These insights are hard to produce when prices live in spreadsheets and orders in several systems. Start with a few reports that support regular decisions, such as monthly account reviews.

Purchasing from suppliers

Reorder suggestions based on stock levels, sales and supplier lead times help buyers place purchase orders on time without overstocking.

Units and pack sizes

Products sold by the each, the case and the pallet need clear unit conversions so prices, stock and picking all agree. Getting units right early prevents many order errors.