Why Distributors Want Suppliers to Integrate: Boost Efficiency, Sell More

Distributors, increasingly realizing the advantages of integration for more efficient relationships, are increasingly seeking supplier integration partners.

EmbroidMe, one of the top 15 distributors in the promotional products industry, embarked on the EmbroidMe Supplier Integration initiative to reduce Supply Chain Friction – the avoidable time, labor, and costs that get built into every order through inefficient communication.

"Integration will empower stores to sell more, thereby growing consumption, which is what everyone wants.”

Through the initiative, EmbroidMe encouraged its 145 preferred suppliers to integrate with EmbroidMe through the Essent OrderTrax® Network, which securely and accurately processes over 12 Million transactions representing over $3 Billion in commerce annually.

The first phase called for suppliers to integrate the information that EmbroidMe’s 500+ franchise locations need to see most often: Customer Pricelists and Real-Time Inventory Availability. EmbroidMe encouraged suppliers to integrate Product Catalogs, Product Configurations, Purchase Orders, Order Statuses, Advance Ship Notices, and Invoices in the next phase.

"EmbroidMe wants to provide its franchisees the most comprehensive tools to be efficient, streamline workflows, and improve sales processes. Integration through the Essent OrderTrax Network will empower EmbroidMe stores to sell more, thereby growing consumption, which is what everyone wants,” said EmbroidMe Retail Director Manager Christine Marion said.

MARCO Promotional Products, a distributor, integrates with Hub Pen Company, a supplier, for Automated Order Processing via the Essent OrderTrax® Network. Orders make it to the production floor sooner, costs are minimized, and MARCO can better serve end users.

"Our relationship with Hub Pen is surely one of the most seamless in the industry,” MARCO CFO Kimberly Scoville said.

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