Today consumer products businesses are increasingly going to market through multiple sales channels. Selling thru big box retailers, specialty retailers, online marketplaces, B2B and B2C eCommerce, and more. Each sales channel has unique order and fulfillment processes, inventory allocation needs and integration challenges that need to be accommodated.
You are also managing product purchasing from multiple manufacturers in different countries which has complicated inventory planning and vendor management.
To be competitive it is mandatory to streamline and automate the different processes, cost-effectively integrate with your trading partners and have real-time 360° visibility into your business.
SAP Business One is an ERP solution that provides the flexibility needed to manage all of your business requirements in a single system.
SAP Business One will help you to:
- Effectively manage different order-to-cash processes
- Streamline the order capture process by integrating with each channel
- Access real-time product availability
- Manage inventory allocations by channel
- Plan and optimize inventory levels
- Manage all of your EDI requirements
- Effectively manage purchase-to-pay requirements
- Take control of your customer chargebacks
- Optimize your fulfillment processes
- Utilize a single data source for analytics, budgeting and reporting by channel
- And much more
SAP Business One will let you cost-effectively manage the requirements of existing and new sales channel and purchasing relationships. Managing your different purchasing, selling, and fulfillment processes in a single integrated system bring efficiency and accuracy required in today’s business environment.
Effectively Manage Different Order-to-Cash Processes
You will be able to effectively manage each channel’s order-to-cash process with greater efficiency and profitability by gaining the ability to:
- Automate workflow and integration for each order source
- Scale your business by integrating EDI transactions with your trading partners
- Quickly process orders from any channel, such as big-box retailers, eCommerce, online marketplaces, and consumers
- Manage different picking and shipping requirements, including bulk shipments, individual packages, and drop ships
- Improve communication with your business partners across all channels
SAP Business One will capture orders by integrating:
- EDI processes
- Your B2B and B2C eCommerce storefronts
- Online Marketplaces
- Electronic or manual entry into your system by outside sales reps
- Customer Order application available for iOS and/or Android
Access Real-Time Product Availability
By tracking inventory in real-time with SAP Business One, you will gain visibility into inventory requirements across all channels. You will also be able to:
- Provide real-time or automated scheduled feeds of inventory levels to your customers, sales representatives and sales agents
- Offer real-time visibility into inventory levels and what you have “available to promise”
- View quantity details that are adjusted by what is already committed to customers, incoming purchases, and production orders
- Achieve real-time synchronization of goods receipts and inventory warehouse levels
- Automate availability reporting to key accounts and marketplaces
- Ensure that your eCommerce site has accurate inventory availability
Manage Inventory Allocations by Channel
SAP Business One inventory allocation will ensure that your customers receive the on-time delivery of the products committed to them. In order to balance 
inventory availability with customer requirements, set priorities by channel or customer, optimize revenue and achieve timely delivery, you will have the ability to allocate:
- Customer orders against stock, supplier purchase orders, and future purchase orders
- Customer commitments against stock, supplier purchase orders, and future purchase orders
- Future supplier purchase orders
Plan and Optimize Inventory Levels
SAP Business One will evaluate your sales history, commitments, orders, vendor lead times to help you optimize the inventory levels needed to meet desired service levels and future demand. This will enable you to optimize inventory levels, control new purchases and improve customer service.
You will be able to:
- Create a forecast, set optimal stocking levels and identify your ideal inventory investment
- Calculate the correct amount of stock needed to cover the expected demand for each item’s planning horizon
- Receive recommendations on purchase orders, transfer orders and production orders while also reducing shipping costs and meeting vendor requirements
- Receive automated alerts when inventory availability may not meet customer demand
Manage All of Your EDI requirements
A key component of meeting your multi-channel distribution requirements is managing Electronic Data Interchange (EDI) transactions. With our EDI 
solution, you will be able to automate the flow of business transactions and information between your SAP Business One system and your trading partners. This will increase efficiency, accuracy and reduce costs while meeting customer and vendor EDI requirements.
You will be able to:
- Eliminate data entry time and mistakes, while reducing chargebacks and processing time
- Meet customer requirements and improve relationships with business partners
- Transmit or receive orders, acknowledgments, invoices, shipments, inventory, and catalogs with customers, vendors, 3PL warehouses, and other trading partners
Effectively Manage Purchase-to-Pay Requirements
SAP Business One for the Consumer Products Industry improves vendor management and purchase-to-pay operations. It will enable you to more effectively and efficiently manage purchasing tasks, updates from vendors, and analysis of vendor performance.
You will be able to:
- Issue blanket purchase orders and releases
- Issue purchase orders with multiple shipment dates and ship-to locations
- Drop-ship to customers
- Manage contract pricing
- Monitor product shipment and estimated receipt dates
- Track and manage in-transit inventory
- Capture and allocate landed costs
- Match goods receipts against vendor invoices and purchase orders
Take Control of Your Customer Chargebacks
SAP Business One allows Consumer Products businesses to streamline the process of entering, analyzing and reducing customer chargebacks. It will provide you with the ability to track customer chargeback transactions, seamlessly manage the investigative process, and minimize deductions.
You will be able to:
- Automate, track and streamline your chargeback processing to reduce costs
- Manage all investigative activities associated with chargebacks
- Easily approve or decline each chargeback after researching the issues
- Analyze the data to uncover problematic situations and reduce chargebacks
Optimize Your Fulfillment Processes
Whether you manage your own warehouse or use a 3PL, you must meet customer demand. In order to boost productivity and expedite shipments to meet that demand, our solution will enable you to quickly determine which orders to release for picking.
In your warehouse, you will be able to:
- Choose the picking method most appropriate by order type and sales channel
- Provide the correct box labeling and packing list formats
- Seamlessly integrate with your shipping carriers
- Optimize product movement in your warehouse
- Improve efficiency and accuracy of warehouse management
- Utilize terminals or wireless devices
If using a 3PL, you will be able to automate the transmission of:
- Picking instructions
- Notifications when goods are shipped
- Notifications when goods are received
- Notifications for all inventory adjustments
Utilize a Single Data Source for Analytics, Budgeting and Reporting by Channel
It’s critical to have timely and accurate information to make the most informed decisions. Our solution will provide you with a single platform for budgeting and forecasting, financial reporting, dashboards and more. The result is a unified Financial Reporting, Business Intelligence, and Performance Management environment, enabling you to have transparency and clarity into your organization.
You will be able to:
- Develop budgets at any level/channel or product group/product
- Create financial reporting with drill-down capabilities
- Gain unparalleled insight into sales and purchasing, and inventory
- Design insightful Dashboards that highlight key performance indicators
- Manage all performance planning and control processes, from budgeting and forecasting to profitability analysis, score-carding and financial consolidation
Manage Your Business Better
To learn more about how your company can benefit from SAP Business One capabilities for consumer products business management, click here.