A wholesale catalogue:codes, units, packaging.

Online wholesale rarely fails on technology. It fails on the catalogue, because only you know how two items with similar names differ and which one the customer means when they call. Below are four decisions worth making before anyone starts entering data.

One number that never changes

Every item needs a permanent number. Usually it is the code from the product file, because it survives every change of the trade name. Keep two outside numbers next to it from day one: the manufacturer's number, which customers coming from a competitor search for, and the barcode, which settles disputes better than any description.

Units and conversions

In wholesale the same item exists in several units at once: piece, pack, carton, pallet. Write down three answers: what unit you keep stock in, what unit the customer orders in and what unit the price refers to. They do not have to match, but the conversion must be stored with the item, not in a sales rep's memory.

Ask one question early: can a customer buy three pieces from a carton of twelve? If not, the catalogue has to enforce it. If yes, but with a surcharge or only for selected buyers, that is a trade rule and it has to be written down.

A tree for the buyer, not the warehouse

Product groups in a warehouse program follow the shelves. Customers search by use, size, material or by the number on their last invoice. Build the category tree and filters for them from scratch, and keep the warehouse structure where it is needed.

An order of work that holds up

• Fix the permanent item number and decide which outside numbers you keep next to it.
• Settle units, conversions and the rule for ordering part of a pack.
• Build a category tree for the buyer, separate from warehouse groups.
• Start with a short list of products for sale, not the entire product file.
• Run a few dozen items and one real order the full way before the rest goes in.

How it looks in Torveo

In Torveo an item can have several sales units with a conversion, and the customer picks the unit on the product page. A bulk pack discount is a separate rule, and the code and barcode come from the warehouse program. You can show the catalogue only to logged-in customers or with hidden prices.

A good wholesale catalogue means fewer calls asking "is this really the right one". The work pays back with every order.