AcumatiCares
Reviewed: Jan 2025
Many of today’s wholesale distributors still rely on multiple business management systems to run their companies.
When different systems like CRM, finance, distribution, and inventory combine, they often do not function well together. This can create problems for users. In other words, each piece of software may work well on its own. However, the tech stack might not work together smoothly.
This lack of integration creates siloed data. This means that different parts of the company’s data remain stuck in separate programs. These programs cannot talk to each other.
This limits collaboration between teams, prevents businesses from collecting and analyzing companywide data, and forces employees to resort to manual, error-prone workarounds.
So, what can wholesale distributors like yourself do overcome these challenges? Consider implementing modern wholesale distribution software within a comprehensive enterprise resource planning (ERP) solution.
What is Wholesale Distribution Software?
Wholesale distribution software in an ERP, or a wholesale distribution ERP, helps manage your distribution business. It covers sales orders, purchase orders, and warehouse tasks. It also handles inventory, order, and requisition management needs.
Wholesale distribution applications should offer business intelligence, analytics, financial management, and CRM tools. Unlike generic inventory systems, these tools work together easily. They do not need complex integrations with important third-party applications. All features are included under one platform.
This means you can easily access the information you need to improve efficiency. You can make smart decisions and boost your profits with just a click of a button from a central database.
The Benefits of Wholesale Distribution Software
1. Controlling Inventory
Whether you have one warehouse or multiple international warehouses, accurately managing inventory is a challenge.
Keeping track of what’s in stock and where each piece of inventory is located can be exhaustingly difficult, and the more items you have in your inventory, the more confusing it can become. But, with a wholesale distribution ERP system, this inventory guessing game is a thing of the past.
You can track incoming and outgoing shipments. You can also use lot and serial number tracking. This will help improve demand forecasts.
You can automate workflows to reduce human error. You can monitor real-time data for better business agility. All of this is available in one connected system.
2. Commanding the Supply Chain
The supply chain woes of recent years continue to persist in the face of global unrest, rising costs, labor shortages and more. That’s why having accurate shipping and delivery data is important. It helps you take control of your supply chain.
Software for wholesale distribution shows order statuses, delivery dates, and inventory updates in real time. This helps you spot and respond to ongoing issues and challenges.
This real-time information can help you analyze market trends, past sales, and inventory levels. This analysis helps you forecast demand. Ultimately, it helps you manage and grow your supplier relationships in the supply chain.
3. Unifying Omnichannel Commerce Experiences
In the last few years, consumer expectations have undergone a huge transformation. When virtual distribution (e.g., selling a physical product through a virtual channel) first became possible, it was an innovative and helpful option—but not a critical one
Now, consumers are choosing the shopping options most convenient for them: online, in-store, or over the phone. This is known as omnichannel commerce. To accommodate the various options customers now expect, you need a wholesale distribution ERP system with powerful eCommerce functionalities. Customers shouldn’t be able to feel the seams between virtual and traditional distribution methods.
4. Taking Charge of Financial Accounting and Analytics
General ledger, accounts receivable, accounts payable, cash management, tax management, currency management, payroll management—all these financial needs can be headache inducing. A wholesale distribution ERP system can connect all parts of your accounting needs into one easy-to-use system. It also offers customizable reports, dashboards, and data analysis features.
With a clear view of your accounting information, you can feel confident that your business has a strong financial base.
Finding the Right Wholesale Distribution Software with a Real-World Example
Cloud-based wholesale distribution ERP systems have definitive benefits, but finding the right system for your unique needs can be a huge task. You’ll need to research, which can include scheduling multiple demonstrations, getting peer recommendations, and reading analyst reviews. It can also include utilizing evaluation checklists that asks the right questions.
For example, does the system:
- Handle order processing and fulfillment?
- Assist in demand forecasting?
- Help manage relationships with suppliers?
- Provide pricing structure, discount, and promotion capabilities?
- Handle batch and lot tracking for products?
The answer should be “yes” to every question—as it was for Eagle Fence Distributing LLC.
Download Distribution System Evaluation Checklist
For years, Eagle Fence—which sells high-quality, wholesale fence products—relied on multiple instances of Sage 50 housed on separate servers at each of the company’s branches. It was “very cumbersome” for the Eagle Fence teams, so they decided to replace Sage with a cloud-based wholesale distribution ERP system.
Their search led them to Acumatica with its twice-yearly updates, unlimited user licensing, mobile app, robust CRM program, and industry-specific distribution software. After implementing Acumatica’s modern cloud ERP system for wholesale distributors with the help of technology partner i-Tech Support, Eagle Fence had access to a “single source of truth,” eliminating the frustrating data silos that once plagued the company.
“We’re seeing a lot more interaction amongst executives, and everyone can now view inventory, sales dollars, and sales performance at each location,” says Keith Ford, president of Eagle Fence. “That visibility allows them to call each other for help and locate inventory, which didn’t happen before.”
Eagle Fence enjoys:
- An integrated, cloud-based solution.
- Remote access to ERP data for all employees.
- Optimized, synchronized inventory data across multiple locations.
- The ability to measure vendor and customer creditworthiness.
- On-demand access to critical data for strategic decision-making.
- Resources for rapid expansion, made possible by Acumatica’s flexibility, intuitive interface, and consumption-based pricing model.
And when supply chain challenges came their way, Ford and his team appreciated Acumatica’s unparalleled supply chain features and support. Says Ford: “When global supply chain problems caused prices on every widget that we sell to flux, we had to be nimble and quickly get replacement costs in the system overnight.”
With Acumatica, he and his team were able to accomplish this easily and effectively, and the wholesale distributor has been able to grow without restraint. “We feel we can add a warehouse or branch in a 30-day window or shorter, because we have the financial backbone all set up and ready to go. [T]he software is not a worry point for us; it’s the least of our challenges, which is invaluable.”
Moving Forward with Acumatica’s Wholesale Distribution Software
Acumatica’s distribution software helps companies like yours improve sales orders and purchasing. It also tracks inventory and reveals true costs.
You can provide great customer support and automate business tasks using strong artificial intelligence and machine learning. Instead of using separate and ineffective systems, you will manage all supply chain and logistics activities with Acumatica. This gives you complete visibility into every part of your distribution business. You can also personalize Acumatica to meet your company’s unique needs, evolving compliance regulations, and changing customer expectations.
Download Distribution Edition Data Sheet
FAQs
What security measures are in place to protect sensitive data within Acumatica’s wholesale distribution software?
As an Acumatica user, you can rest easy with our exceptional security measures. Your data is kept in a separate database from other users’ data.
It is not stored on your computer. Instead, it is stored on Acumatica servers. Data transfers are secure and encrypted with SSL technology.
You will also benefit from Acumatica’s:
- Intrusion detection system (IDS) that detects any attempt to compromise the confidentiality, integrity, or availability of your data, or to circumvent security controls.
- Enterprise-class anti-virus software helps prevent, detect, and remove harmful viruses and other malware. This includes Trojan horses, worms, fraud tools, spyware, browser hijackers, keyloggers, and more.
- Unique security credentials that can be role-based or highly specific to individual users.
- Protection against physical and environmental threats via our decision to host Acumatica SaaS on Amazon Web Services (AWS), which follows strict guidelines and uses state of the art architectural and engineering approaches.
How does Acumatica’s software support compliance with industry regulations and standards in wholesale distribution?
Acumatica SaaS is hosted on Amazon Web Services (AWS). AWS infrastructure and solutions are in compliance with regulations, standards, and best practices, which helps users stay compliant with their industry-specific requirements (e.g., PCI-DSS, HIPAA/HITECH, GDPR, etc.).
What reporting and analytics capabilities does Acumatica’s wholesale distribution software offer?
As with every core Acumatica application, our wholesale distribution software provides ERP Business Intelligence and Analytics. We leverage business intelligence tools, like Microsoft Power BI, to help you gather, analyze, and present your internal and external data to spot trends, identify inefficiencies, and make informed decisions.
How scalable is Acumatica’s wholesale distribution software for businesses of different sizes?
Acumatica’s wholesale distribution software ERP is a flexible, intuitive, and growth-friendly solution for small and mid-sized businesses that can easily support larger companies with more complex requirements. Our technology is built to adapt to new opportunities and to scale with businesses, helping them grow on their own terms.
