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Contributed by DDI System
2020 was a year to remember. It was a year filled with unprecedented challenges, ups and downs and the need for wholesale distributors to find new ways to keep their businesses profitable. To Rise Supplies, a jan/san distributor and DDI System Inform ERP user based out of New York City, was able to remain successful throughout the pandemic thanks to having a multi-channel selling platform in place that seamlessly integrated their e-commerce and ERP system.
“By the time stores, restaurants, bars and other shops had to close their doors during the pandemic, we were lucky enough to have implemented DDI System’s Inform eCommerce Pro, allowing us to continue providing service to our customers without any interruption,” says Margarita Garcia, director of marketing at To Rise Supplies. “Thanks to eCommerce Pro, we were able to anticipate one of the biggest pain points that would burden our customers and the world during 2020: the need to place large online order quantities, and for distributors to be able to forecast, anticipate and fulfill these orders properly.”
The ability to successfully service customers during the pandemic was a tremendous advantage for To Rise. The need for cleaning and sanitary products had skyrocketed across the U.S., leading to an unexpected spike in online orders. To Rise was able to rely on their ERP software to identify and adjust for sporadic and unusual demand, allowing for accurate inventory stock levels to be reflected in their online store.
Features such as buy online; pick up at store; SMS order status messaging; online payments; and powerful product filtering were the key to smooth web store operations for To Rise during the pandemic. Offering their customers an online portal that provided sales order history, customer-specific pricing and invoice payments also proved to be valuable — giving customers anytime access to pertinent information.
“With more than 90 percent of our customers (over 400 users) placing orders online, having our eCommerce and ERP systems connected, and our logistical information centralized in Inform, was key during the pandemic,” says Margarita.
The seamless connection allowed for real-time ERP rules, approvals, customer and product information, and stock availability to be reflected accurately in their online web store.
DDI System’s ERP technology and industry-specific experience equips jan/san distributors with the ability to drive operational excellence, improve margins and thrive in today’s competitive, changing marketplace. To Rise was able to triple their average customer sales since implementing their ERP software with DDI System, which is more than any jan/san distributor can ask for. Providing their sales team with valuable insights into customers’ buying habits, purchase histories and pricing information on one easy-to-read screen was a driving force behind the growth they experienced.