ERP for Distributors in India
Run purchasing, stock across warehouses, orders, deliveries, invoices, collections and GST for your distribution business from one connected system.
What is TradeFlow ERP for distributors?
TradeFlow is a business ERP for Indian distributors that connects sales, purchasing, inventory, multi-warehouse management, CRM, GST compliance, finance and job-work workflows in one system. A goods receipt adds stock to a warehouse, a delivery challan takes it out, the invoice creates a receivable, and the same transactions feed the GST returns.
Who it is for
- Distributors and stockists of one or more brands
- Businesses with more than one warehouse or branch
- Distributors selling on credit to retailers and dealers
Common problems for distributors
- 01
Stock is spread across godowns
Stock sits in more than one warehouse, and transfers are recorded on paper or not at all, so nobody is sure what is available where.
- 02
Orders, deliveries and bills drift apart
Orders are taken by salespeople, delivered in parts and billed later, and the gaps between ordered, delivered and invoiced are found late.
- 03
Credit to retailers is hard to control
Many customers buy on credit, and overdue amounts only surface when someone checks ledgers by hand.
- 04
Discounts vary by customer and quantity
Schemes and discounts differ by customer, product and quantity, and are applied from memory or side sheets.
- 05
GST returns are rebuilt every month
Sales and purchase data is re-keyed into spreadsheets to prepare returns and match input tax credit.
- 06
Slow-moving stock ties up capital
Old stock and batches close to expiry are noticed only when they are already a loss.
How TradeFlow addresses them
01Stock is spread across godowns
Stock is kept per warehouse and storage location. Every transfer is recorded, and cycle counts reconcile physical stock with the books.
- Multiple warehouses
- Storage locations
- Stock transfers
- Cycle counts
02Orders, deliveries and bills drift apart
A sales order leads to a delivery challan and an invoice, each linked to the one before, with pick lists for the warehouse.
- Linked sales documents
- Pick lists
- Delivery challans
- GST invoices
03Credit to retailers is hard to control
Each customer carries a credit limit and credit days. Payments are recorded against invoices, and receivables show what is outstanding and overdue.
- Credit limit & credit days
- Receivables
- Customer payments
04Discounts vary by customer and quantity
Discount rules are defined by product, category or customer, with minimum quantities and priorities, and invoices can require approval.
- Discount rules
- Price lists
- Invoice approvals
05GST returns are rebuilt every month
GSTR-1 and GSTR-3B are prepared from the invoices and bills already in the system, and GSTR-2B data is available for input tax credit.
- GSTR-1
- GSTR-2B
- GSTR-3B
- HSN codes
06Slow-moving stock ties up capital
Inventory aging shows how long stock has been held, batch tracking covers expiry, and reorder alerts flag what needs replenishing.
- Inventory aging
- Batch tracking
- Reorder alerts
- Weighted-average cost valuation
The distributor workflow in TradeFlow
- 1
Purchase
Raise a purchase order to the brand or supplier.
- 2
Goods receipt
Receive against the purchase order into a chosen warehouse. Stock goes up.
- 3
Inventory
Stock is held per product and warehouse, by batch or serial number where you track them.
- 4
Warehouse
Put stock away to a location, or transfer it to another warehouse.
- 5
Sales order
Confirm the customer’s order, from a quotation if there was one.
- 6
Delivery
Pick and dispatch on a delivery challan. Stock goes down in that warehouse.
- 7
Invoice
Raise the GST invoice against the order and challan.
- 8
Payment & receivables
Record the customer’s payment against the invoice; anything unpaid stays in receivables.
Know what stock is where, in every warehouse
Run several warehouses, each with its own stock and storage locations. Transfers, putaway, picking and cycle counts are recorded against the warehouse they happen in, and inventory is valued at weighted-average cost.
- Multiple warehousesRun several warehouses, each with its own stock.
- Storage locationsDefine locations inside a warehouse.
- Stock transfersMove stock between warehouses with a record of each transfer.
- PutawayDirect received goods to their storage location.
- Cycle countsCount stock in parts and reconcile differences.
- Batch trackingTrack stock by batch, including expiry where relevant.
- Serial numbersTrack individual serialised units.
- Weighted-average cost valuationValue inventory at weighted-average cost in reports.
From order to delivery to invoice, linked
Quotations become sales orders, orders become delivery challans, and challans become GST invoices. Price lists, discount rules, invoice approvals and salesperson tracking sit alongside.
- QuotationsPrepare and track quotations before they become orders.
- Sales ordersConfirm customer orders and track them to delivery.
- Delivery challansRecord goods dispatched against an order.
- GST invoicesRaise tax invoices with HSN codes and GST applied.
- Credit notesHandle returns and price corrections against invoices.
- Discount rulesSet discounts by product, category or customer, with minimum quantities and priorities.
- Invoice approvalsRoute invoices to named approvers before they go out.
- Salesperson trackingAttribute orders and invoices to salespeople.
Buy from brands and suppliers with a full trail
Purchase orders, goods receipts into a warehouse, supplier bills with GST, and supplier payments against those bills.
- Purchase ordersRaise and track orders to suppliers.
- Goods receiptReceive stock against purchase orders into a warehouse.
- Purchase billsRecord supplier bills with GST for input tax credit.
- Supplier paymentsRecord payments to suppliers against their purchase bills.
- Supplier masterKeep supplier details and history in one place.
- Reorder alertsFlag products that have fallen below their reorder level.
GST returns from the transactions you already recorded
HSN codes apply GST on every invoice and bill. Returns are prepared from those same records.
- HSN codesMap products to HSN codes so GST rates apply correctly.
- GSTR-1Prepare GSTR-1 from sales data and export it as Excel or JSON.
- GSTR-2BWork with GSTR-2B data for input tax credit.
- GSTR-3BPrepare the GSTR-3B summary return.
- ITC-04ITC-04 reporting for goods sent to job workers.
- Reverse charge (RCM)Handle purchases where GST is payable under reverse charge.
- TDSTrack tax deducted at source.
- GST periods & exceptionsManage return periods and review exceptions before filing.
Every retailer and dealer in one record
Customer records hold groups, credit terms, opportunities, follow-ups and support tickets next to their orders and invoices.
- Customer recordsCustomer details, transactions and history in one record.
- Customer groupsGroup customers, for example dealers, retailers and contractors.
- OpportunitiesTrack potential deals through a pipeline.
- Tasks & follow-upsAssign follow-ups so no customer is forgotten.
- Support ticketsLog and resolve customer issues.
See who owes what, and how much credit is used
Receivables show outstanding and overdue invoices by customer. Payments are recorded against invoices, and the AI CEO Dashboard with rule-based business insights shows each customer’s credit-limit usage.
- ReceivablesOutstanding invoices by customer, including overdue amounts.
- Customer paymentsRecord customer payments against the invoices they settle.
- Credit limit & credit daysSet a credit limit and credit days for each customer; the AI CEO Dashboard shows how much of each limit is used.
- Payments & receiptsRecord money paid out and received.
- Bank reconciliationMatch bank entries against books.
Track material sent out for processing
If you send goods out for cutting, packing or other processing, job-work challans record what left, what is with each job worker, and what came back. The same records support ITC-04.
- Job-work challansSend material to job workers against a challan.
- Outsourced material trackingKnow what material is with which job worker.
- ITC-04ITC-04 reporting for goods sent to job workers.
Add branches and companies without changing systems
Run more than one company from one login, with branches and departments inside each.
- Multiple companiesRun more than one company from one login.
- Branches & departmentsSet up branches and departments within a company.
Sales, stores and accounts see only what they need
Role-based permissions control who can view or change each module, an approval matrix defines who approves what, and the audit log records every change.
- Role-based permissionsControl who can view or change each module.
- Approval matrixDefine who approves what.
- Invoice approvalsRoute invoices to named approvers before they go out.
- Audit logSee who changed what, and when.
Sales, stock and dues without building spreadsheets
Sales, purchase, inventory, profitability and vendor-performance reports, module dashboards, and the AI CEO Dashboard with rule-based business insights.
- Business reportsSales, purchase, inventory, profitability and vendor performance reports.
- DashboardsDashboards for sales, purchases, inventory, CRM and finance.
- AI CEO DashboardAI CEO Dashboard with rule-based business insights on overdue dues, aging stock and the sales pipeline.
- Inventory agingSee how long stock has been sitting, to spot slow movers.
Connect TradeFlow to your other software
A REST API documented with OpenAPI, and outbound webhooks when records change, for connecting a website, app or other tools.
- REST APIRead and write ERP data over a REST API with OpenAPI documentation.
- WebhooksSend events to other systems when records change.
Who TradeFlow is suitable for
- Distributors and stockists carrying one or more brands
- Businesses running two or more warehouses or godowns
- Distributors selling on credit to retailers, dealers or contractors
- Groups with several branches, or more than one company or GSTIN
- Teams where sales, stores and accounts need separate access
- Distributors that send material out for job work
Frequently asked questions
What is an ERP for distributors?
An ERP for distributors is one system that records purchasing, stock across warehouses, sales orders, deliveries, invoices, customer dues and GST, so each transaction updates stock, receivables and tax records together. TradeFlow is an ERP built for Indian distributors.
How can a distributor manage inventory across multiple warehouses?
Keep stock per warehouse and storage location, record every transfer between warehouses, and reconcile with cycle counts. In TradeFlow, goods receipts add stock to the receiving warehouse, delivery challans reduce it in the dispatching warehouse, and every movement is kept in the stock movement history.
Can TradeFlow manage sales and purchasing in one system?
Yes. Purchase orders, goods receipts and purchase bills are in the same system as quotations, sales orders, delivery challans and invoices, and both sides update the same stock.
Does TradeFlow support GST compliance?
Yes, for preparing returns. HSN codes apply GST on invoices and bills. From those transactions TradeFlow prepares GSTR-1 data, which you export as Excel or JSON, and the GSTR-3B summary, and it uses GSTR-2B data to review input tax credit. It also supports ITC-04, reverse charge (RCM), TDS and CMP-08. TradeFlow prepares the return data; the returns themselves are filed outside TradeFlow, by you or your CA.
Can TradeFlow manage customers and receivables?
Yes. Each customer record holds a customer group, credit limit and credit days, opportunities, follow-ups and support tickets. Receivables show outstanding and overdue invoices, payments are recorded against invoices, and the AI CEO Dashboard shows credit-limit usage by customer.
Can TradeFlow manage job-work or outsourced material?
Yes. Material sent to a job worker goes out on a job-work challan and is tracked until it comes back, so you can see what is with each job worker. The same records support ITC-04.
See how TradeFlow can run your distribution business
Book a demo and we will walk through purchase, warehouse, delivery, invoice and collection on sample data shaped like yours.