What wholesale distribution software covers
Aranv builds wholesale distribution software for US distributors and wholesalers: B2B ordering portals with customer-specific pricing, Odoo ERP and warehouse apps, EDI and supplier connections, and AI that turns emailed purchase orders into draft sales orders, so reps, the warehouse and accounting work from one set of stock and prices.
Most distribution projects start in the ERP. We often suggest an Odoo implementation because purchasing, inventory, sales and accounting share one database, and Odoo customization covers rules the standard apps lack, such as supplier rebate programs or catch-weight items sold by the pound.
A B2B eCommerce platform gives each buyer their own catalog, prices and order history. It should read prices and stock straight from the ERP, so the portal never promises what the warehouse cannot ship. Project 03 in our case studies is an example from our wider team: a B2B ordering platform on Odoo 17 for a US medical and rehabilitation supply distributor, where buyers share lists that colleagues approve, attach their PO number and see live carrier rates at checkout.
How an order flows through a connected distributor
Order to delivery on one record
- 01 Order arrives any way Portal, EDI, email or a rep’s app all create the same sales order.
- 02 Price and credit checked Customer price lists, quantity breaks and credit limits apply before confirmation.
- 03 Pick, pack and ship Scanners confirm items and lots, and carriers return rates and tracking.
- 04 Invoice and reorder Invoices post to accounting and reorder suggestions reach the buyers.
If your current ERP still fits, we connect to it instead of replacing it.
Distributor software we build
Wholesalers often take orders by phone, fax, email, EDI and portal while prices sit in several spreadsheets. These builds put them on one set of records.
B2B ordering portal
Customers reorder from their own price list, see stock and credit, add a PO number and follow deliveries without calling a rep.
ERP for distributors
Purchasing, multi-warehouse stock, pricing rules, rebates and accounting in Odoo, configured around how your branches buy and sell.
Warehouse and delivery apps
Barcode receiving, pick and pack, lot and expiry checks, and proof of delivery captured on the driver’s phone.
AI order entry
Purchase orders sent as PDFs, emails or photos read by AI, matched to your items and prices, and queued for a rep to confirm.
Customer pricing, credit and rebates
A small pricing error repeats on every order. We model contract prices, quantity breaks, promotions and customer groups in the ERP, add credit holds that stop risky orders, and track supplier rebates so the money owed to you is claimed.
What we do
- Price lists per customer group
- Quantity breaks and promotions
- Credit limits and order holds
- Supplier rebate tracking
- Margin reports by rep and branch
EDI and supplier connections
Big customers send orders by EDI, suppliers send price files and carriers send tracking. We map each feed into the ERP, route drop-ship orders to the right supplier and raise an alert when a file fails, rather than letting orders sit unseen.
What we do
- X12 850, 855, 856 and 810 maps
- Drop-ship order routing
- Supplier price file imports
- Carrier rates and tracking
- Alerts on failed files
How we approach a project
AI earns its place on the order desk and the buying desk. AI order processing reads emailed purchase orders and maps customer part numbers to yours, demand forecasting suggests what each branch should reorder, and an assistant answers reps’ stock and price questions. Our page on AI for wholesale distributors goes further, and a rep still confirms any line the model is unsure about.
Large retail and industrial customers may require EDI, and carriers, payment processors and suppliers each have their own APIs; our API integration team links them to the ERP. Distributors anywhere in the US can start with a 30-minute conversation; the form to book one is on our contact page.
How we work
- Prices come from one source
- Reps confirm what AI reads
- Pilot with one branch first
Our Process
-
Trace an order end to end
We follow one customer order from phone, email or EDI through picking, delivery and payment.
-
Clean items and prices
Item masters, units of measure, customer price lists and supplier costs are deduplicated before import.
-
Pilot with one branch
A single warehouse or a group of regular customers uses the new flow first, with the old one as a fallback.
-
Roll out and check margins
Other branches follow after a stock count, and we compare margins and order corrections with earlier months.
Why distributors work with Aranv
Pricing logic tested carefully
Contract prices, breaks and rebates are checked against real past invoices before go-live, so customers see the numbers they agreed to.
Warehouse staff try it first
Pickers and drivers use the scanning screens during the pilot, and their feedback changes the flow before other branches move.
AI that asks when unsure
Order-reading models flag low-confidence lines for a rep to check instead of guessing part numbers, units or quantities.
One stock figure everywhere
Portal, reps’ app and ERP read the same stock and price data, so nobody sells from an outdated spreadsheet.
Planning Wholesale Distribution Software?
Book a 30-minute conversation with the team that would build it.
Distributor software FAQs
-
What software does a small wholesale distributor need?
Usually an ERP for purchasing, stock and accounting, B2B ordering software for customers, barcode apps for the warehouse and an EDI link if large customers require it. Many distributors also add a CRM for reps. We start with whichever gap costs the most staff time.
-
Can a B2B portal show each customer its own prices?
Yes. Prices can come from customer-specific lists, contract terms, quantity breaks or customer groups, all read from the ERP. Buyers see only their catalog and prices after signing in, and reps can place orders on a customer’s behalf.
-
Can AI handle orders that customers email as PDFs?
Yes, for most layouts. The model reads the PDF or email, matches part numbers and prices to your catalog and creates a draft order. Lines it is unsure about, such as an unknown part number, go to a rep before anything is confirmed.
-
Should we replace our ERP or build around it?
Keep it if it handles your pricing and stock well and offers an API or reliable exports; we then build the portal and apps around it. Replace it when it is unsupported, cannot model your pricing or forces daily re-keying between systems.
-
How long does it take to move a distributor onto Odoo?
It depends on the number of items, branches and integrations, and on how clean your item and price data is. A single-warehouse rollout usually takes a few months. Cleaning item masters early is the step that most often sets the pace.
Let’s talk about your next step
Contact Aranv to discuss your workflow, current tools, and goals. Meet with our team or send an inquiry.
Book a meeting with our team
Choose an available date and time for a 30-minute conversation about your project.
Tell us about your project
Share a few details so we can discuss a useful next step.
Prefer email? sales@aranv.com