In food distribution, you already know that pricing a product isn’t as simple as slapping a sticker on a box. In this two-part blog series, learn how WinFDS handles the complexity of pricing with our Pricing Matrix.

On any given day, your sales team is juggling standard tier pricing, custom customer quotes, moving flyer deals, and negotiated contract prices. Attempting to manage all of this on spreadsheets is impossible and will lead to errors.

That’s where an ERP’s Pricing Matrix comes in. Using data structures from WinFDS as a blueprint, let’s discuss how a food specific ERP system automatically calculates customer prices.

The 5 Essential Price Files

An ERP doesn’t just look at one “price list.” It scans multiple programs throughout the database simultaneously to find the right number. In WinFDS, this matrix is broken down into several core files.

• Master Product Prices File: The foundational baseline. This is where you set your standard selling prices (9 tiers of pricing), costs, and target profit margins for every item in your warehouse.
• Quote Prices File: Customer-specific or customer group-specific pricing. It features a floating price vs. locked mechanism. If your cost for avocados suddenly skyrockets, a “floating” quote automatically passes that increase down to the customer, protecting your bottom line.
• Price Deals File: This handles your promotional flyers, weekly specials, or “buy 10, get 1” deals. It will only apply a deal price if it is lower than the customer’s regular price.
• Product Discount Rates File: This allows for complex, layered discounts based on customer discount codes or product categories over specified date ranges.
• Contract Prices File: If a restaurant chain contracts to buy exactly 500 cases of chicken breasts over six months, those quantity-specific terms live here.

In the next blog, we will dissect exactly how WinFDS applies a hierarchy to prices across price levels, quote prices, deal prices and product discounts.

Revolutionizing Food Industry Operations With ERP

Food ERP software is a transformative solution for the food industry, addressing the first customer touchpoint of order processing. By leveraging advanced features like real-time inventory, customer specific pricing, past order history and suggested products, businesses can optimize their sales and enhance customer satisfaction. Implementing a robust food ERP system is essential for thriving in the competitive and dynamic food sector.

Contact Food Decision Software when you’re ready to elevate your order processing. We recognize the unique challenges in the food industry and have developed WinFDS®, our state-of-the-art Food ERP system, to tackle these issues and streamline your operations. WinFDS® offers exceptional demand forecasting, stringent traceability, and robust compliance management, all integrated into a single, comprehensive solution. Schedule an appointment with us today to book a demo and see for yourself how WinFDS® can transform your business!

iDriver® is a registered trademark of Food Decision Software.