Maintaining and operating multiple locations offers your customers products and materials in a shorter time, but it also increases the complexity and cost of maintaining and coordinating the stock. That is where BuroWare analytics can help.

When Should Stock Items be Replenished?
The goal of branch locations is to serve the local market better, but many distributors make the mistake of stocking the same products in each location. This strategy only makes sense if the needs of the local market are identical, which they seldom are. Using BuroWare, our customers can analyze the stock requirements for each product in each location. A minimum demand threshold should be set; if product demand falls below this threshold the product should be discontinued and not replenished.

How Should Stock be Replenished?
Should stock be replenished directly to the branch locations or through a central warehouse? As there is no easy answer to this question, BuroWare analytics should be used to determine the answer. In general purchasing through a Central Warehouse means that you meet the target total needed for certain volume price breaks. Invoicing and payment of supplies can be easily verified and coordinated is often simplified. On the other hand materials are received twice, once at the central warehouse and once again at the branch location. Stock needs to be coordinated and transferred between branches and often delivery costs are increased. BuroWare allows you to capture these costs to determine which products should be shipped from the Central Warehouse and which should be shipped directly. This seemingly simple exercise can save companies literally tens of thousands of dollars per year.

If you are interested in further information regarding BuroWare Analytics, please contact the SoftEngine Support Department at (818) 704-7000.

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E-commerce has emerged as one of the fastest growing sales channels for direct marketers in almost all industries. According to a recent Forrester Research report, e-commerce in the U.S. will grow at 10 to 20 percent compound annual growth rate over the next five years and reach $316bn by 2010—fully 110 percent of all retail sales; it predicts that by that time, 77 percent of U.S. households will have regular online access, with 40 percent buying online.

Online buyers want a personalized experience that is intuitive to their purchasing style. To drive revenue, e-commerce sites must provide a rich, pleasant experience that is optimized daily.

The GoToWeb solution is built into every BuroWare system. It is a fully integrated system that allows bi-directional transfer of information. The BuroWare database allows you to easily import or export transactions and product items to and from your dedicated Internet web store.

If you are interested in further information regarding BuroWare eCommerce capabilities, please contact the SoftEngine Support Department at (818) 704-7000.