Sales reps are the linchpin of a thriving, profitable wholesale distribution business. They foster crucial connections between your enterprise and your clients, guiding customers through their buying journey to ensure a seamless and satisfying experience.
Order processing, for small wholesale businesses in particular, can be a nightmare — as a wholesaler, you’re acutely aware of this.
B2B eCommerce is becoming one of the most efficient ways for wholesalers to reach customers. Even smaller companies can afford to benefit from the opportunity that B2B eCommerce software offers. Giving your customers and sales reps an online order management system will ensure your wholesale business is poised for growth.
Order processing is a seemingly simple, standard business practice that wholesalers, distributors, manufacturers, and importers deal with every single day. If you’re using QuickBooks, you’ve likely learned where the issues in your process are, and you’ve also probably realized that QuickBooks alone isn’t the solution to those issues.
Whether you have a physical warehouse for supplying your wholesale customers or you’re a digital drop-shipping distributor, you’ll run into the same problems business owners have had for hundreds of years.
Management challenges, inventory issues, keeping customers coming back, etc.
The biggest problem that distribution businesses have isn’t any of those. It’s time.
It’s never a bad thing to get new orders. After all, orders keep your business running. The speed bumps arrive when you need to fulfill the order. You’re not alone if you have yet to find the perfect system for fulfilling customer orders as efficiently as possible. Most businesses don’t have a system as streamlined or effective as they’d like.
Why is that?
It starts with the order-taking process. A salesperson may have handwritten a form, called it in, or emailed it, or customer service has taken a handwritten order of its own.
Every small manufacturer is an integral part of a supply chain, relying on robust business relationships with both suppliers and customers. With a lean team, these manufacturers depend significantly on their online order management systems. A typical setup for a small manufacturing firm might include a business owner/manager, four sales representatives, two office staff, and three production workers, totaling a dedicated workforce of ten. Any task that diverts this efficient team from their core responsibilities can impact the company's profitability. In this context, we explore the critical role of price elasticity and its connection to online order management systems.
Manufacturers, wholesalers, and distributors face unique obstacles when it comes to sales. Various integral processes are imperative to sustain, such as access to real-time inventory, management of customer-specific order forms, upkeep of custom pricing, and record keeping of business and customer history.
Many companies turn to sales order management software to successfully manage all of these processes efficiently with minimal time waste. This type of software not only offers companionship in multi-process maintenance but can also be utilized as a tool for growth, expansion, and diversifying clientele.
For many wholesalers, managing orders remains an entirely offline endeavor. This stems from the misconception that online order handling is exclusive to B2C companies. In truth, there are now online order management systems specifically designed for wholesalers and other B2B distributors. These systems address the unique challenges of the B2B industry, making it simple to modernize operations. Here are some capabilities of this specialized order management software that standard online shopping carts typically don't offer:
An excellent order processing system builds accuracy for your wholesale business in many ways. Data management and entry, customer communication and service, and inventory integration increase accuracy with a good order processing system. Since order processing includes customer information, inventory management, and accounting systems, it is imperative that your order processing software integrate with your accounting software, like QuickBooks.
