B2B Ordering App for Retailers and Distributors
BeatRoute's B2B Customer App lets the shops, dealers and distributors who buy from your brand place repeat orders on their phone, without waiting for a rep's visit. Each partner sees their own prices, schemes and credit. The order goes to their distributor, and your field team sees it too.
B2B Customer App for complex B2B network
Available on Android, iOS, WhatsApp, and Viber
Tailored access by role: retailers, distributors, influencers
⊢Trusted by Category Leaders Worldwide⊣
The short answer
What a B2B ordering app does, and who it suits
A B2B ordering app is an app, or a WhatsApp chat, that a retailer, dealer or distributor uses to buy from a brand. They open the catalogue, see their own price and the schemes they qualify for, and place the order. The order goes to the shop's usual distributor, and the shop can follow it until it is delivered.
It suits consumer brands that sell through distributors to many small shops, where most orders are repeats and a rep can only call on each outlet now and then. Between visits, a shop that runs short either waits for the rep or fills the gap with another brand. The app lets that shop reorder your brand the same day, while your reps spend their visits on new lines, displays and collections. It is not the app your reps use to take orders on a visit. This one is for the customer, and both feed the same account record.
Shop owners looking for a wholesale marketplace that sells many brands want something else. BeatRoute's B2B Customer App belongs to one brand and carries only its range, prices and schemes. On a public marketplace, the platform decides what the retailer sees next and keeps the record of what they buy. With a brand's own app, the brand keeps both.
- Will each retailer see their own price, credit limit and schemes, or one list for everyone?
- Does the order reach the distributor who serves that shop without anyone retyping it?
- Can a shop that will never install an app still order, for example over WhatsApp?
- Will your reps see app orders before their next visit to that outlet?
If the answer to any of these is no, some orders will still come in by phone, and your team will still be retyping and chasing them.
Capabilities
What the B2B Customer App does for each side of the order
You set the app up once. Retailers and distributors then order and follow up on their own, and you see what the channel is doing.
Set the app up for your channel
Bring every kind of partner onto one app, give each one the terms they trade on, and launch it under your own brand.
Sign partners up through reps or on their own
Retailers, distributors, dealers and influencers join through a self-serve sign-up or with help from your field team
Give each partner their own price list
Catalogue, partner-specific prices, credit limits, trade schemes and loyalty rewards are set per account
Block orders that break your rules
Minimum quantities, dispatch windows and other order rules are checked when the order is placed
Launch the app under your own brand
A white-labeled native app ships on Android and iOS with your name and logo on it
Take orders from shops that will not install an app
A WhatsApp bot or a web app (PWA) lets partners order without installing anything
Fit the screens to how your channel buys
Layouts, widgets and steps can be set per business and per type of partner
What retailers and distributors do in the app
Partners reorder, track deliveries, claim rewards and raise problems on their own, at whatever hour they run their business.
Reorder in a few taps
The Order AI Agent suggests the basket from that partner's past orders and live schemes, so they check it and confirm
Track an order without a phone call
Partners see order status, invoices and their statement of account in the app
Raise a return in the app
Return requests are logged in the app and sync to your ERP or DMS, so both sides work from one record
Watch rewards build up
Earned points, period targets and progress to the next reward sit on the partner's home screen
Hear about a scheme while it still runs
Partners get scheme and promo alerts as notifications, so they do not have to wait for a rep's next visit
Report a problem and see it fixed
Surveys, feedback and issue tickets are raised in the app and tracked until they are closed
What the brand sees
See which partners use the app, what each scheme sold, and which accounts have gone quiet, on data that stays yours.
Track who has started using the app
Active partners, how often they order and how use grows over time, per account
Measure what each scheme sold
Scheme uptake and campaign return are measured against the partners who took part
Brief reps before the visit
Sales teams see what each partner in their territory has ordered, so they put their time into the right accounts
Compare app orders with rep orders
App orders and rep-taken orders compare by territory, partner and period, so you can see where self-serve works
Count what partners read and tap
Content views, banner clicks and widget use are counted for each partner
Spot partners who stop ordering
Partners who stop ordering are flagged, and a reminder goes out automatically
Your own BeatRoute app or a public marketplace: what changes
Reps, distributors and systems
How app orders reach your distributors and your field team
The app takes the routine reorder off the rep's list and hands every order to the distributor who fills it.
Orders go to the right distributor
Each order routes to the distributor who serves that outlet, at the prices and credit terms you set, so nobody retypes it.
Reps see app orders before the visit
Orders placed in the app sit in the same account history the rep opens in the field sales app, so the visit goes to launches, shelf displays and payments due.
Credit checked when the order is placed
The app reads the partner's credit limit and balance from your ERP or finance system before the order goes through.
Orders, invoices and returns stay in sync
Orders, invoices, returns and scheme claims sync with your ERP or distributor management system.
Resources
Relevant resources
How consumer brands use a B2B ordering app alongside their reps and distributors.
How Colgate Philippines is Building its eB2B Distribution Channel with BeatRoute
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Improving Order Fulfillment: Online-to-Offline Guide for Retail Brands
TL;DR This guide is for distribution heads and sales leaders at brands who need to improve their order fulfillment rate by serving [ ]
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Reimagining Digital Transformation For Enterprise FMCG Brands ft. Pallavi Nigam
Featuring: Pallavi Nigam, Digital Projects Head – Supply Chain at Mondelēz International Host: Nikhil Chaudhary, VP Marketing at BeatRoute The FMCG […
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Let your retailers and distributors reorder without waiting for a visit.
See BeatRoute's B2B Customer App set up for your channel in a demo built around your distributors, schemes and order rules.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is a B2B ordering app?
A B2B ordering app lets a business customer, such as a retailer, dealer or distributor, order from a brand on their phone instead of waiting for a rep or calling in. They see the catalogue at their own price, apply the schemes they qualify for, place the order and track it to delivery. BeatRoute's B2B Customer App does this as a white-labeled app on Android and iOS, a web app, or a WhatsApp bot. It is different from the field sales app your reps use to take orders on a visit, and both feed the same account record.
Who is BeatRoute's B2B Customer App for?
Sales and distribution teams at consumer brands that sell through distributors to many retailers, dealers or other trade partners, and want those partners to place repeat orders themselves. It is not a wholesale marketplace for shop owners: each app carries one brand's range. If your main goal is to keep retailers engaged with rewards and content between orders, see the Retailer App.
What can retailers do in the app?
Retailers browse the catalogue at their own prices and see the schemes they qualify for. They can reorder from a suggested basket, track orders and invoices, and check what they owe. They can also raise returns and complaints and collect loyalty rewards. Influencers such as mechanics or contractors can earn referral rewards too.
Does the app bypass our distributors?
No. Each order goes to the distributor who serves that outlet, at the prices and credit terms you set. The distributor still fills and bills the order, and gets it without having to retype it from a call or a chat.
Will the app replace our field reps?
No. It takes the routine reorder off the rep's list. Reps see app orders in the same account history they use on their visits, so the visit can go to new products, displays, collections and shops that have stopped ordering. You can compare app orders with rep orders by territory to see where self-serve is working.
How do we roll out a B2B ordering app?
Start with a pilot: a few distributors and the outlets they serve. Load each partner's prices, credit limits and live schemes first, because a wrong price on day one loses trust fast. Have reps sign shops up during a normal visit and place the first order with them in the app. After a few order cycles, compare app orders, reorder gaps and rep time for pilot outlets against the rest, then widen to more distributors.
How do we get small retailers to actually use it?
Meet them where they already are: a WhatsApp bot or web app needs no install, and the app works on a weak connection and syncs when signal returns. Set it up in their own language, and show them something they cannot get by phone, such as their own price, the schemes they qualify for, what they owe and where their last order is. Let the rep help with the first order, and send scheme alerts through the app so it is worth opening. Colgate-Palmolive Philippines, for example, lets retailers order through Messenger and Viber bots. It worked with BeatRoute's customer success team to drive adoption.
Can the app integrate with ERP or DMS systems?
Yes. BeatRoute connects with ERP and distributor management systems, so order booking, invoices, scheme claims, credit notes and account balances stay in sync for retailers and distributors.
How does a brand-owned B2B app compare with a public eB2B marketplace?
On a marketplace, the platform sets what the retailer sees, which brand is suggested next, and who keeps the buying record. With BeatRoute's B2B Customer App you control your pricing, schemes, customer data and promotions, and retailers order only from your brand.