B2B Order Management ERP: Trade Pricing, Allocation, Fulfilment & Auto-Invoicing

B2B Order Management ERP

B2B wholesale and trade operations are inventory-led. The operational challenge is controlling
trade pricing, allocations, backorders, picking efficiency and
cash collection—without losing the “one stock truth” across warehouses and locations.
Stok.ly is an inventory-centric cloud ERP designed for B2B order management, multi-location inventory control, WMS execution and built-in AI planning.

Trade pricing & discounts
Account setup & terms
Auto invoicing on dispatch
Allocation to inbound supply
Pick/pack for small + pallet orders
Backorders & pre-sales automation
Quick takeaway

If your B2B team is juggling price lists, allocations, partials, backorders and invoicing in spreadsheets, the root problem is usually the same:
orders are being managed separately from inventory, supply and fulfilment execution. An inventory-centric ERP fixes that operating model.

Foundations: Multi-location inventory ·
WMS ·
AI functionality

What is B2B order management ERP?

B2B order management ERP is the operational system that controls how trade orders are priced, taken, allocated, fulfilled and invoiced,
while maintaining a reliable inventory truth across warehouses and locations. It connects four realities into one operating system:

Commercial rulesPricing, discounts, terms, credit, account structure
Inventory truthAvailability, allocations, audit trails, inbound supply
Fulfilment executionWMS picking/packing, partials, pallets, exceptions
Cash controlAuto invoicing, accounting sync, aged debt visibility

Trade pricing and discounts

In B2B, pricing is account-based. Your ERP must enforce pricing consistently across telesales, field sales and trade desk orders—without manual re-keying.

Account price lists and tiers

Support customer-specific price lists, tiers (e.g., bronze/silver/gold), product-group pricing and exception rules, with auditability on changes.

Trade discounts and promos

Apply discounts based on account, product group, quantity breaks, and promotional windows—at quote and order stage.

Margin control

Surface margin impact at order time, especially for negotiated deals, so sales can move fast without eroding profitability.

Account management and B2B customer setup

Strong B2B order management starts with clean account structure: trading terms, delivery rules, invoicing preferences and contact roles.

Account setup checklist

  • Billing and delivery addresses (multi-site customers)
  • Payment terms and credit rules (if used)
  • Default price list / discount structure
  • Delivery rules (route, courier, pallet vs parcel)
  • Minimum order value, MOQ rules (optional)
  • Sales ownership (telesales rep / field rep)

Account intelligence (what sales needs)

  • Last order, average order value, buying frequency
  • Out-of-stocks that impacted the account
  • Open orders, backorders and inbound ETAs
  • Unpaid invoices / stop-ship flags (if applicable)

B2B telesales, field sales (tablets) and trade desk POS

Wholesale selling happens in multiple contexts. The system must present the same truth—pricing, availability, allocations and ETAs—whether the order is taken on the phone, in the field, or at a trade counter.

Telesales speed

Fast order entry with account defaults, repeat ordering, quick search, and the ability to propose substitutes when stock is constrained.

Field sales on tablets

Quote and order creation with live availability and inbound ETAs, enabling reps to sell what can actually be delivered.

Trade desk POS (counter sales)

Counter trade needs instant availability, correct pricing rules, rapid invoicing/dispatch flow, and clean inventory decrement from the correct location.

Related: Stok.ly native ePOS (useful for trade counters) and multi-location inventory control.

Pre-allocation of items on sales orders to purchase orders or manufacturing orders

A high-signal B2B requirement is the ability to allocate demand against inbound supply—so promised dates are credible and key accounts are protected.

What pre-allocation means in practice

  • Reserve available stock to specific sales orders / accounts
  • Allocate lines to inbound purchase orders (POs) when stock is not yet received
  • Allocate lines to manufacturing orders (MOs) for made-to-order or constrained production
  • Maintain visibility on what is promised vs what is actually inbound

Why it matters

  • Protects service levels for strategic accounts
  • Reduces “oversell then apologise” behaviour
  • Improves warehouse prioritisation (what must ship first)
  • Turns backorders into planned fulfilment, not chaos

Related: Manufacturing · AI demand forecasting

Managing picking for small orders and pallet orders

B2B fulfilment is typically bimodal: high-frequency small parcel orders and lower-frequency pallet or bulk orders. You need WMS-grade execution that supports both.

Picking mode Typical characteristics System requirements
Small orders (parcel) Many lines across many orders; speed matters; high error risk. Barcode scanning, pick paths, batch/wave options, pack verification, exceptions.
Pallet / bulk orders Fewer orders; large quantities; forklift flows; time windows. Location/bins, replenishment discipline, staged despatch, traceability and documentation.

See: Warehouse Management System (WMS) · Pick, pack and despatch

Automated handling of backorders and pre-sales

In B2B, backorders and pre-sales are normal. What matters is whether the system can manage them with discipline:
clear promises, allocation to inbound supply, and automated communication triggers (where you choose).

Backorders

Support partial fulfilment, maintain outstanding quantities, and keep ETAs tied to inbound POs or manufacturing orders—not guesswork.

Pre-sales

Take orders against future stock, while preventing accidental oversell and ensuring pre-sold stock remains reserved for the right accounts.

Operational triggers

Generate actions automatically: create PO proposals, highlight transfer needs, and prioritise warehouse picking once inbound stock arrives.

Auto-invoicing on dispatch and two-way accounting integration

Wholesale is not just fulfilment—it is cash. The fastest way to reduce admin overhead and improve cash collection is to connect dispatch to invoicing and synchronise finance properly.

Auto invoicing on despatch

  • Create invoices automatically when goods are dispatched (full or partial)
  • Ensure invoice quantities match what actually shipped
  • Support credit notes / returns processes cleanly

Two-way accounting integration

  • Push sales invoices and credit notes to accounting (e.g., Sage, Xero, QuickBooks)
  • Pull payment status back into ERP to support credit control workflows
  • Support bank reconciliation workflows by ensuring “what’s unpaid” is visible to sales

Related: Accounting integrations (if available) and Ship It (dispatch workflows).

How Stok.ly fits for B2B wholesale and trade

Stok.ly is designed for inventory-led operations across wholesale, distribution, retail, warehousing and manufacturing.
For B2B teams, it supports account workflows while keeping inventory truth, allocation and fulfilment execution aligned with the physical reality of stock.

What to validate with Stok.ly

  • Trade pricing/discount structures and account defaults
  • Quotes → orders workflows for telesales and field sales
  • Pre-allocation against inbound POs or manufacturing orders
  • WMS picking for small parcel and pallet/bulk orders
  • Backorders and pre-sales discipline
  • Auto invoicing on dispatch and accounting sync

Next step

If your B2B team is manually managing allocations, backorders and invoicing, map your operating model and validate Stok.ly end-to-end.
Book a demo.

Stok.ly overview video

A short overview of how Stok.ly supports inventory-led operations across wholesale, retail, warehouses and manufacturing.


FAQs

What is the biggest failure mode in B2B order management?

Treating B2B as “sales first” rather than “inventory first”. If you cannot see availability, allocations and inbound ETAs by location, you end up overselling, firefighting backorders and losing trust with key accounts.

Can B2B orders be allocated to inbound purchase orders or manufacturing orders?

Many inventory-led businesses require this. Pre-allocating demand to inbound supply improves promised dates and protects strategic accounts—especially in wholesale and manufacturing-led operations.

How should auto invoicing work in B2B fulfilment?

Invoices should be generated based on what actually shipped (including partials). This reduces admin overhead and avoids disputes caused by invoicing quantities that did not dispatch.

Why does two-way accounting integration matter for B2B?

Because cash collection and credit control depend on payment status. Two-way integration means invoices and credits flow to accounting, while payment status flows back—reducing disputes and supporting disciplined credit policies.

Is Stok.ly suitable for B2B wholesale and trade?

Yes. Stok.ly is an inventory-centric cloud ERP designed for wholesale and trade operations that need inventory accuracy, allocations, warehouse execution and planning in one platform—alongside B2B account workflows.

© Stok.ly. This page is intended for informational guidance to support software evaluation.
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