Pet Store Distributor Partners Can Help Drive Costs Out of Supply Chain
According to Steve King, Pet Industry Distributors Association President, independent retailers can add dollars to their bottom line by partnering with distributors so that they may eliminate waste, drive out costs, and adopt efficient business practices.
King cites electronic ordering as one of the elemental keys to this success. “Distributors have invested heavily in software that allows for electronic order uploads. Taking advantage of this investment will save you time, avoid errors and make the time spent with your distributor sales person more valuable for both of you,” King wrote.
In terms of logistics, King shared that today’s sophisticated software enables distributors to load their trucks and plot their routes with less time and money wasted. Previously, pet products had to be delivered when and where retailers needed them as a service from distributors. King reported that working with distributors to understand how order should be delivery and most efficiently at that will eliminate unnecessary roadblocks.
His final point rests on SKU rationalization, with products that sit for long periods of time as prime targets for what he called “SKU rationalization.” He shared that “distributor inventory management systems and retailers’ POS systems help make SKU rationalization relatively easy and fact-based.”
The Pet Industry Distributors Association was formed in 1968 with the purpose to promote progress in the pet industry and conduct programs and activities on behalf of the wholesaler-distributor. They are also a co-sponsor of the annual Global Pet Expo that occurs in Florida every spring. Membership in PIDA includes pet product wholesaler-distributors, livestock wholesalers, and pet product manufacturers.
For more information visit www.pida.org.
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