Inventory, order management and credit control for wholesalers and distributors
In wholesale and distribution, profit depends on shipping high-volume orders accurately and collecting credit balances on time. When customer orders arrive scattered across chat messages, when main warehouse stock does not match what is loaded on delivery vans, or when outstanding balances are tracked from memory, cash flow quickly stalls. This guide explains how a wholesale business sets up its entire workflow from quote and order to delivery and collection in GiroPS.
Set up products by the case, pack or pallet and share an online catalog link so trade customers can place orders directly. Print an unpriced delivery note while picking the order in the warehouse, then convert it into a PDF sales invoice with one tap upon delivery. Track main warehouse and delivery van stock in separate warehouses, hide purchase costs from field sales reps, and manage credit terms with partial payments and aging reports.
Where wholesale operations lose time and margin
Unlike retail shops, wholesalers and distributors sell large quantities to repeat business customers, mostly on credit terms. When dozens of line items arrive every day by phone call, voice note or handwritten list, retyping them into a system often leads to wrong items, missing cases or outdated prices. Billing a regular trade buyer at the wrong price not only hurts trust but also triggers costly returns and credit adjustments.
The second bottleneck happens between the warehouse floor and customer accounts. Once goods are loaded onto delivery vans without a proper transfer record, nobody knows whether a product is truly available in the main warehouse or sitting in a vehicle. Meanwhile, trade buyers rarely pay every invoice in a single lump sum; new deliveries stack onto existing balances, and without structured partial payment tracking, month-end reconciliation turns into a dispute.
Online catalog ordering and quote-to-invoice workflow
Once your products are created in GiroPS with a stock code, barcode, photos and wholesale unit such as case, box or carton, you can share your online product catalog via a simple link. Retailers, restaurants and trade buyers open the link in their browser, browse current items and submit orders directly. Instead of copying late-night messages into spreadsheets, your team starts the morning with structured orders ready to pick.
For larger B2B deals that begin with negotiation, you prepare a PDF quote with line-item or document-level discounts. As soon as the buyer approves, you convert the quote into an order without re-entering a single line. Warehouse staff print an unpriced delivery note from the order to check quantities during picking and loading. Once delivered, the order converts into a sales invoice in one tap, deducting stock and posting the receivable to the customer's contact balance. All generated PDFs serve commercial record-keeping and do not replace government e-invoicing mandates.
- Online catalog link lets trade customers submit orders without installing an app
- One-tap conversion moves quotes to orders and sales invoices without retyping
- Unpriced delivery note prints from the order for accurate warehouse picking
- Line and document discounts calculate net subtotals and tax transparently
Main warehouse, delivery vans and field sales permissions
In a distribution business, inventory is split between the central depot, regional storage and route delivery vans. GiroPS lets you create a separate warehouse for each location and vehicle. When drivers load their vans in the morning, recording an inter-warehouse transfer moves cases from the main depot to the van warehouse, giving everyone real-time visibility into what is left on the rack versus what is on the road.
You can invite field sales reps, van drivers and warehouse pickers to your workspace using a 24-hour invitation link. By assigning a role with hidden purchase prices, your sales reps can check available stock, create quotes and orders, and log customer collections on the spot, while purchase costs, supplier invoices and profit margins remain completely locked. When reps visit basement storerooms or rural routes without mobile signal, the Android app continues working offline and syncs automatically once connectivity returns.
Trade credit accounts, partial payments and aging reports
Protecting cash flow in wholesale requires clear visibility over every buyer's credit balance and invoice due dates. Setting a due date on each sales invoice highlights upcoming and overdue receivables automatically. Before approving a new shipment for a slow-paying account, you can check the receivables aging report, which groups unpaid balances into 30, 60 and 90+ day overdue buckets.
When a customer pays part of an open invoice by cash, check or bank transfer during a route visit, you record a partial collection into the relevant cash or bank account. GiroPS immediately reduces the remaining balance on that invoice. Whenever a buyer asks for a balance breakdown, you can generate a PDF statement of account for any date range and share it over WhatsApp or email in seconds.
- Receivables aging report flags balances overdue by 30, 60 and 90+ days
- Partial collections track exactly how much remains unpaid on each invoice
- PDF account statements share full transaction history via WhatsApp or email
- Weighted average cost updates inventory valuation automatically as purchase prices change
Practical scenario
Example: Regional food and beverage distributor with 120 trade accounts
Atlas Wholesale supplies 450 case-packed grocery and cleaning items from a central depot to 120 neighborhood stores and cafes using two delivery vans. Previously, reps phoned in orders each evening, van stock was tracked on clipboards, and partial cash collections were often recorded days late. After importing products and customer balances from Excel into GiroPS, Atlas set up separate warehouses for the main depot and both vans, gave field reps roles with hidden purchase prices, and sent the online catalog link to regular buyers. Within the first month, picking errors dropped sharply and the aging report helped recover eight accounts that were more than 60 days overdue.
Step-by-Step Implementation
1. Import products with wholesale units and stock codes
Upload your catalog from Excel or add items with a clear stock code, barcode, wholesale unit (case, pack, pallet) and low-stock alert threshold.
2. Create warehouses for your depot and delivery vans
Set up your central warehouse along with a dedicated warehouse for each route van or branch, then enter opening stock counts per location.
3. Add trade customer contacts and share your online catalog
Create a contact for every wholesale buyer with their current opening balance, and share your online catalog link so regulars can place orders directly.
4. Invite field staff with hidden costs and track due dates
Add sales reps and warehouse staff via invitation link with purchase prices hidden, set due dates on invoices, and log partial collections daily.
Common Pitfalls & How to Avoid Them
Frequently Asked Questions
Do my wholesale customers need to install an app to order from the online catalog?
No. The online catalog link opens directly in any mobile or desktop web browser. Customers select products and quantities, submit their order, and it appears immediately in your GiroPS orders list.
Can I prevent field sales reps from seeing our purchase prices and profit margins?
Yes. When you assign a team member a role with purchase prices hidden, cost fields, supplier purchase invoices and profit reports are completely masked while they continue creating quotes, orders and sales.
Can I print an unpriced delivery note for warehouse picking and shipping?
Yes. You can generate and print an unpriced delivery note PDF directly from an order so warehouse pickers and drivers can verify quantities without seeing or showing prices. It is a commercial packing document, not a government e-waybill.
Does the app work when drivers or reps have no internet on their route?
Yes. The Android app works offline so reps can create orders, issue invoices and record collections without a connection. All changes sync automatically as soon as the device is back online.
How much does GiroPS cost to get started?
You can start for free. When your transaction volume, warehouse count or team size grows beyond the free limits, you can upgrade to one of the options on the Plans page.