Mobile technology can increase the productivity of your wholesale business as well as enhancing the experience of your customers.

Doesn’t everyone have a mobile phone? (Some of us more than one.) So how can mobile technology grow and enhance your wholesale business and why you should introduce it now?

1. Increase staff productivity

The wholesale business has evolved from the depot being the first and last port of call. While the depot is still the heart of the operation, you want your team working at its best at all times no matter where they are.

With a growing percentage of orders being taken while sales representatives are out on the road, introducing mobile solutions in your business can help them reach their potential while they’re out and about. The reality is that there are only so many hours in the day. If a member of your team can save some time by being able to access customer data or process orders remotely, that’s time they can spend growing the business.

2. Improve access to information

To today’s wholesale business, information is crucial. And of course, time is money. So it’s important that you and your team can get your hands on customer or product information easily.

Which is quicker – calling back to a depot to find out about stock levels or price of a product, or simply checking via your mobile phone or tablet and being able to give a customer all the information they might need to make a purchase? This is an easy one to answer. If you can’t service your customers quickly & efficiently, they may well go elsewhere to someone who can. On the other hand, mobile technology can help your wholesale business seize every sales opportunity and maximise revenue for you.

3. Generate extra revenue

Mobile technology doesn’t have to be limited to members of staff – your customers can get involved too. With mobile devices constantly available, this gives you the potential to upsell to them, inform them of promotions quicker than any flyer could and allow customers to order whenever they happen to have their mobile device to hand, taking advantage of impulse sales and saving them from having to wait until you’re open.

Who doesn’t want 24/7 sales in their wholesale business? Because that’s what introducing mobile technology can provide. The opportunity to grow sales at your wholesale business with this technology is immense.

4. Improve customer care

By introducing mobile solutions in your wholesale business, you can reach your customers at any time of the day, no matter where they might be, and just as importantly, vice versa.

Integrating mobile solutions in your wholesale business can help your customers monitor their accounts and keep track of their purchases, orders and deliveries, giving them peace of mind and more information about their money in real time. They know exactly what they’ve ordered, how much they’ve spent and when it will arrive, all without having to contact you directly. This results in contented customers who are more likely to spend more money with your wholesale business rather than one of your competitors.

Of course, if something does go wrong for a customer, or they have a problem, your sales representatives can log it through mobile technology, meaning that you get notified straight away rather than via a long, drawn-out process. This way, you can become aware of the issue sooner and move to remedy it quicker to ensure they remain your customers and don’t move on to a competitor.

To do list:

• Take a few minutes to write a list what you would ideally want mobile technology to bring to your business.
• Find out if your competitors are using mobile apps to provide flexibility for their workforce and customers, and if so, which ones – then take a look.
• Research suppliers and draw up a shortlist of three or four to contact for an initial discussion of how their mobile technology might align to your business needs, and an idea of cost and ROI.

To find out more about how the latest online ordering system can be mutually beneficial for both you and your customers, download our free eGuide: Wholesalers: 5 reasons to offer your customers online ordering