How to Crush Today's Top 5 Distribution Challenges

How to Crush Today's Top 5 Distribution Challenges | Vision33

3:31

Globalization, outsourced manufacturing, supply chain issues, and tighter product margins—whatever the challenge, managing your distribution business has become more complex than ever.

Wholesale distributors must rethink their processes and use of business data to remain relevant, become more resilient, and gain a competitive edge. Leading wholesale distributors are leveraging digital technology to create, deliver, and sustain new and meaningful customer relationships.

Here are today’s top five distribution challenges and how to overcome them.

Challenge #1: Rapid and Complete Order Fulfillment

Distribution businesses are struggling to keep pace with increased customer demands. As distributors face a broader range of order sizes and unpredictable fulfillment needs, many lag behind their modernized competitors. An overdependence on manual processes and a lack of integration between systems make it impossible to keep up with demand.

Challenge #2: Accurate and Fast Pick, Pack, and Ship

Many small to midsized distribution businesses use entry-level software like QuickBooks and supplement it with spreadsheets or a standalone inventory management application. With this setup, integration between business systems and warehouse operations is weak or nonexistent. Data resides in multiple locations, paper forms are normal, and employees must enter identical data into multiple systems for reconciliation, leading to wasted time and expensive mistakes.

Challenge #3: Accessing the Right Reports

For many distribution businesses, data is spread across multiple systems, making it impossible to report on a standardized set of information. Data must be dumped into Excel and manipulated, leading to mistakes and outdated information. Without a single source of the truth and real-time data, distributors can’t get a clear picture of how the business is performing.

Challenge #4: Normalizing eCommerce

Many distribution businesses haven’t integrated their eCommerce platforms with core systems like ERP. Without that vital connection, employees must enter data into every system individually. Again, this tedious process invites wasted time and expensive mistakes.

Challenge #5: Trouble With Inventory Demand, Forecasting, and Replenishment

Although manually managing inventory is common for small to midsized distribution businesses, it’s a significant risk in today’s fast-changing landscape of volatile customer demand and fluctuating warehouse personnel capabilities. There are too many moving parts to accurately gauge inventory demand and forecast inventory needs without the right technology.

How Do You Crush Distribution Challenges?

You can overcome every challenge by integrating your business processes with a comprehensive cloud ERP solution.

Cloud ERP gives you the information you need to keep your customers happy, grow your business, and outpace the competition.

At Vision33, we’ve helped hundreds of businesses worldwide breathe easier by aligning their warehouse management with their technology. We've helped company owners and CFOs by giving them immediate access to the real-time data they need for empowered decision-making.