The industry shift to digital automation is accelerating and Supermarket News has great coverage of what’s happening, why it's so important and explains how Upstock is leading the way.
Full story below.
--
Despite living in the digital age, most B2B wholesale ordering is still done manually, which is messy and time-consuming, causing endless waste and expensive mistakes.
With a background in technology and food service and a belief that B2B wholesale will soon go digital, Upstock was founded to eliminate friction and waste across the food service industry. Formed by the same team who created Xero, they’re experienced at making software that improves business workflows.
Upstock lets buyers order directly from their supplier’s digital catalogue instantly. The buyer and supplier see precisely what was ordered, down to the exact product code and customer pricing, reducing mistakes and saving time and money.
It also allows direct connection to supermarkets, eliminating all the data and administrative work suppliers had to do in the past since Upstock receives all the orders, collects the payments, and then processes the invoices automatically.
This new distribution channel fuels growth and expansion as suppliers get their brand and products in front of thousands of food service buyers on Upstock in every region, delivering new stockists to their digital storefronts.
Top of mind for most FMCG suppliers is expansion into supermarkets as they are looking to sell more at a lower cost and with less effort. Automating hospitality and food service orders is another vital way to scale up. Upstock allows you to schedule repeat orders automatically, putting sales on autopilot.
Brands like Mojo, Best Ugly Bagels, Grater Goods, Aquafresh, Rutherford & Meyer and OCHO Chocolate have all experienced expansion success using Upstock, which has been beneficial in customer onboarding, automating sales and invoicing processes and revamping management systems.
As e-commerce continues to transform the industry, and with the pandemic, inflation, supply chain and other issues in the past few years, operating at optimum efficiency, reducing costs and eliminating waste has never been more essential.
Upstock suits everything from sole traders to brands who trade internationally with entire operations teams dedicated to supply chain management. For large customers, they integrate with a variety of finance and inventory systems to support logistics across multiple warehouses.
“For years only major FMCG brands could implement software to optimise their logistics, giving them a major competitive advantage. We levelled the playing field so any brand can easily automate their logistics,” said Philip Fierlinger, Co-CEO of Upstock.
“The competitive advantages of digital aren’t just about reducing costs. Being in the digital marketplace is a powerful new tool for growing market share.”
Upstock is a new marketing channel that exclusively targets food service buyers. The sample store on Upstock is a potent tool for winning new customers, and the free option to range products is speedy and easy to get going. Plus, there are no setup or commission fees.
“You don’t need any special training; it’s basically like email; you have an inbox of orders, approve the order, print the packing slip, and that is it. All the payments and invoicing are done automatically by the software. Anyone can do it.”
