Optimize Supply-Chain Relationships with Distribution Partners Like Never Before
The ability to shop from anywhere has heightened buyers’ expectations of when and how they receive their purchases. As a result, supply chains that lack inventory management visibility are falling behind. To deliver a competitive purchasing experience, supply chain partners need to work together in new ways. That means getting more prepared for what’s next with vendor managed inventory (VMI) and collaborative replenishment.
These “win-win” management tools enable trading partners to easily share inventory data, creating a demand-driven supply chain. This allows you to expedite order forecasting, optimize shipments and improve in-stock rates.
TrueCommerce’s VMI solution can support any replenishment model and scale to any number of locations. In-house implementation reduces setup time and costs for quicker ROI. At the same time, cloud-based vendor managed inventory software keeps ongoing costs predictable and affordable. Here’s why we’re trusted by more than 20,000 locations, managing over 25 million SKUs and $50 billion in sales.
Collaborative Replenishment Strengthens Partnerships
By sharing inventory levels, VMI helps increase visibility and trust among suppliers, retailers, distributors, wholesalers, and 3PLs. In a study of 156 distribution locations using VMI software, 71% of locations were able to increase their sales, by an average of 24%. Other benefits the average distributor realized included:
- 25% improvement in inventory turns
- 31% fewer stockouts
- 7% increase in product mix
“VMI is a strategic tool that gives meaning to the overused term, 'partner'. It gives us the actual product demand information we need to fully understand individual distributors' evolving sales and inventory picture. This visibility allows us to tailor our products and services for each customer, making transactions better, cleaner, simpler.”
Pete Guidi
President
Ward Manufacturing
Rapid VMI System Implementation
TrueCommerce VMI is a fully functioning inventory management system supported by an in-house implementation team. This makes it possible to ensure our customers can get up and running fast.
- Proven, documented approach enables fast, efficient onboarding
- Configurable application features let you tailor the VMI system to your business’s needs
- In-house implementation support reduces your IT burden
- Ongoing support makes it easy to bring new trading partners into your VMI program
Comprehensive VMI Features
Whether you use VMI software with one trading partner or hundreds, the TrueCommerce solution is built to grow with your business.
- Data capture, replenishment order creation and analysis tools to streamline the inventory management process
- Data filtering and reasonableness checks to save time and enable you to manage by exception
- Automated data feed monitoring to reduce delays from data transfer problems
- Direct integration with ERP systems like Microsoft Dynamics, NetSuite, SAP, and more
Support for Multiple Use Cases
Have unique or complex trading partner replenishment needs? TrueCommerce’s VMI system comes with enhanced features to manage multiple routes to market.
- Alternate Ship-From lets VMI planners fulfill orders from a secondary location based on order sizes or special conditions.
- Item Stratification supports retailers that need to treat various items differently. You can create different rules based on an item’s importance, profitability, or ordering requirements.
- Available to Promise/Allocation integrates a supplier’s known inventory shortages into replenishment recommendations.
- Phase-In/Phase-Out helps you manage items that replace other items temporarily or permanently.
Customer Success Stories
DanoneWave
DanoneWave Takes a Fresh Approach to VMI with TrueCommerce Datalliance
CaseStack
CaseStack Combines VMI with Retailer Consolidation to Streamline CPG Replenishment
VMI At Ocean Spray—A New Chapter
Ocean Spray VMI Analyst productivity increased 20%
Hubbell
Hubbell Reduces Cost and Effort While Improving VMI Program
Benefits of VMI for Participants
Thanks to cost savings from VMI, users can see up to a 3X increase in SKUs carried by their retail partners. TrueCommerce’s VMI program also enables participants to:
- Ensure program success with powerful features combined with expert VMI support and services
- Minimize costs with a cost-effective and predictable annual fee, based primarily on the number of locations
- Stay competitive with ongoing innovation driven by input from our diverse global customer community
VMI Solution Security and Support
Guarding your data—and your customers’ data—is crucial to maintaining strong trade relationships. TrueCommerce’s VMI platform includes security and support to give you peace of mind.
- SOC-2 compliant, Tier 3+ IBM data centers with full redundancy
- A service availability of over 99% uptime
- At-rest data encryption, plus data retention and disaster recovery
- Expert support and services from the TrueCommerce Customer Care team
