Wholesale and distribution is an execution business: you win by getting the right stock to the right customer at the right time—with disciplined pricing,
reliable allocations, high-accuracy fulfilment and controlled cash collection. Stok.ly is an inventory-centric cloud ERP designed for
trade operations across B2B order management, multi-warehouse inventory, WMS execution, and AI-supported planning.
What wholesale & distribution ERP is ·
Trade pricing & discounts ·
Account management & B2B setup ·
Telesales, field sales & trade desk ·
Allocation & pre-allocation to inbound supply ·
Picking small orders and pallet orders ·
Backorders and pre-sales automation ·
Auto invoicing & two-way accounting integration ·
Fleet delivery, route planning & proof of delivery ·
How Stok.ly fits ·
Overview video ·
Explore related pages ·
FAQs
A distribution ERP should behave like an operational control tower: one stock truth, enforceable commercial rules, allocation discipline,
WMS-grade fulfilment, and tight finance integration. If any of those are weak, the business falls back to spreadsheets and firefighting.
Foundations: Inventory-Centric ERP ·
Multi-location inventory ·
WMS
Wholesale and distribution ERP is the operational system used to manage account-based selling, inventory, purchasing, warehousing, fulfilment, invoicing and delivery.
It connects four realities into one operating platform:
Related: B2B order management ERP
In distribution, pricing is a system—not a spreadsheet. Your ERP must enforce account pricing, discounts and margin controls everywhere orders are taken.
Customer-specific price lists, tiered pricing, product group pricing and negotiated exceptions—applied consistently in quotes and orders.
Quantity breaks, time-bound promos, and rule-driven discounts that don’t require manual calculation.
Surface margin impact at order time so sales can move fast without eroding profitability.
Distribution success depends on disciplined customer setup: terms, delivery rules and defaults drive speed and accuracy later in the workflow.
Distributors sell through multiple channels. 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.
Fast order entry with account defaults, repeat ordering, quick product search and substitute suggestions when stock is constrained.
Quote and order creation with live availability and inbound ETAs, enabling reps to sell what can actually be delivered.
Counter trade needs instant availability, correct pricing rules, rapid dispatch flow, and clean inventory decrement from the correct location.
Related: Stok.ly native ePOS.
Allocation discipline is the difference between “we think we can supply it” and “we can promise it”. High-performing distributors allocate demand to stock and inbound supply.
Related: Manufacturing · AI demand forecasting
Distribution warehouses usually run two modes: fast small-order parcel fulfilment and pallet/bulk fulfilment. Your ERP must include WMS-grade execution that supports both.
| Picking mode | Typical characteristics | System requirements |
|---|---|---|
| Small orders (parcel) | Many orders, many lines; speed matters; high error risk. | Barcode scanning, pick paths, batch/wave options, pack verification, exceptions. |
| Pallet / bulk | Fewer orders; larger quantities; forklift flows; time windows. | Bins/locations, replenishment discipline, staged dispatch, traceability and paperwork. |
See: WMS · Pick, pack and despatch
Backorders and pre-sales are normal in distribution. What matters is whether they are managed with credible ETAs tied to inbound supply, clear outstanding quantities and allocation discipline.
Support partials, keep remaining quantities open, and tie ETAs to inbound POs or manufacturing supply—not guesswork.
Take orders against future stock while preventing accidental oversell and ensuring pre-sold stock remains reserved for the right accounts.
Turn demand into actions: PO proposals, transfer needs and pick priorities once inbound stock arrives.
Distribution is a cash business. Tight dispatch-to-invoice workflows and proper finance integration reduce admin effort and improve cash collection discipline.
Related: Ship It · AI functionality
Many distributors run their own delivery fleet. The ERP must support the operational realities of routes, delivery windows and customer proof of delivery—without breaking the inventory and invoicing chain.
Build daily routes by geography, capacity, delivery windows and service priorities, and link those routes to shipments and invoices.
Capture POD (signature/photo/notes) at the point of delivery to reduce disputes and support clean customer service resolution.
Handle failed deliveries, partial deliveries and returns-to-depot while keeping inventory, invoicing and customer comms consistent.
If you rely primarily on carriers, validate courier and shipping workflows instead:
Pick, pack and despatch.
Stok.ly is an inventory-centric cloud ERP designed for trade operations that need inventory accuracy, allocation discipline, warehouse execution and planning in one platform—alongside B2B account workflows and multi-channel selling.
If you’re evaluating distribution ERPs, map your operating model and validate Stok.ly against pricing, allocation, WMS execution, dispatch-to-invoice, and delivery workflows.
Book a demo.
A short overview of how Stok.ly supports inventory-led operations across wholesale, retail, warehouses and manufacturing.
Wholesale is account-based: pricing, terms, allocations and service rules vary by customer. Retail is typically transaction-based. In wholesale, promised dates, partial fulfilment, backorders and cash control become operationally central.
If warehouse volume is meaningful, yes. You typically need barcode-led receiving, bins, pick/pack, replenishment and exceptions.
Some ERPs require a separate WMS. Stok.ly includes warehouse workflows designed for operational execution.
See: WMS.
Allocations reserve stock (or inbound supply) to specific sales orders, accounts or channels. This protects service levels, improves promised dates and prevents overselling when stock is constrained.
Routes should be linked to shipments and invoices so delivery status and POD can be referenced for customer service, disputes and cash collection workflows. Exception handling must keep inventory and invoicing consistent.