B2B order-taking software: the 12-criteria checklist for choosing the right one

First morning of the trade show. The hall network is overloaded, a buyer is waiting at the stand, and the sales rep has to key in a size grid for each colourway while the conversation carries on. This is the moment when two order-taking tools that looked alike on paper stop looking alike.

In the field, the gaps between solutions are considerable. The checklist below compares them on twelve criteria, chosen for a brand that sells at trade shows, in showrooms and through replenishment.

Before comparing: describe the way you sell

List your channels (trade shows, showrooms, agents, importers, online portal), your seasons, your currencies, the number of sales reps and SKUs. This profile serves as your requirements brief and keeps you from being steered by the vendor’s demo.

Then prepare three concrete scenarios: a collection order at a trade show, an in-season reorder, an export order. These are the scenarios you will ask each vendor to walk through, with your products and your customers.

The 12 criteria for comparing B2B order-taking software

1. Does the software handle your industry without repurposing fields?

Software built for fashion handles size grids and colourways. Eyewear needs frame sizes and serial numbers, cosmetics needs batch numbers and expiry dates, furniture needs dimensions and finishes. Check that your industry is supported natively, without repurposing fields meant for something else.

2. A typical order is keyed in fast, even mid-appointment

Stopwatch in hand, time how long it takes to enter a typical order: choosing the customer, size-by-colourway grid, prepacks, those size assortments sold as a pack, summary. A busy buyer should never have to wait for the tool.

3. On a tablet, the tool must work offline

Trade show networks are saturated. The tool must remain usable without a connection and sync orders afterwards, with no losses or duplicates. Test it by switching off the Wi-Fi during the demo.

4. Trading rules are displayed before signature

Minimum orders by value or by quantity, deposits, capped discounts, payment terms: the software must apply these rules automatically. The sales rep must also see them before the customer signs.

5. The price displayed is the price invoiced, in every currency

Price lists by country, customer or channel, multiple currencies, multipliers: the price the buyer sees must always be the price that will be invoiced. For international sales, see our guide to export wholesale.

6. The sales rep knows the customer before walking into the appointment

Purchase history, outstanding balance, delivery addresses, contacts: the sales rep must be able to prepare the appointment and suggest the right add-ons.

7. The buyer portal lets stockists reorder between appointments

Your stockists should be able to reorder between appointments, on their own terms, against the stock that is actually available. See also our comparison of a wholesale marketplace or a branded B2B ordering portal.

8. Dashboards stay up to date during the campaign

Sales by collection, sales rep, country and customer, live during the campaign: this tracking is what lets you adjust production in time.

9. Integrations eliminate re-keying

Exporting quantities to factories, connecting to the ERP, accounting or payments: every re-keying avoided is an error avoided.

10. Each member of the sales network sees their own customers, and only theirs

Agents, importers, showrooms, distributors: each must see their own customers and commissions.

11. Security and proof: the order must speak for itself

Data hosted in Europe, role-based permissions, change log, proof of the customer’s signature: in the event of a disagreement, the order must speak for itself.

12. Support and set-up are costed in time

Who imports your catalogue, customers and price lists? How long does it take? A solution that nobody configures remains a promise. If the data import is left to you, count that work in the set-up time.

The checklist to fill in during the demo

Four common mistakes when choosing an ordering tool

• Choosing from a feature list rather than from your real-life scenarios.
• Comparing only the licence price, without the set-up time or the re-keying saved.
• Forgetting field users: a tool the sales reps do not adopt produces no data.
• Underestimating export: currencies, languages and country rules need to be set up from the start.

Choosing: three vendors, three scenarios, one real order

Shortlist three solutions, no more. Send each of them your three scenarios and insist that they are run on your products, ideally by a sales rep from your team keying in a real typical order. Fill in the checklist during the demo, noting every warning sign. Finally, compare the offers on total cost: licences, set-up time and re-keying avoided. The tool you choose must be configured, with catalogue and price lists imported, before the first trade show.