This spring, Dot Foods is unveiling a new portal on its Dot Expressway® website with an enhanced version of the Dot on Demand Virtual Warehouse program, allowing Dot distributors to virtually store Dot’s 30,000 stock items and deliver them on demand.
By linking the Dot on Demand® and Virtual Warehouse® programs together, Dot provides distributors with the ability to offer additional inventory without taking up valuable warehouse space.
Everything is housed within Dot’s Web site, making a virtual warehouse obtainable to any distributor with Internet access. Basically, the distributor sets up an account with Dot, specifying markups by temperature category or supplier. Once an order is placed, it can be delivered with a regular Dot order or directly to the operator customer via one of three FedEx options.
“Our customers have been asking for customized price views with ordering options for years, and Dot is delivering,” said Evans Hammond, corporate account manager for Dot Foods. “The program is free to use, and it eliminates the need to stock slow movers and specialty items. It’s just one more example of how Dot is making inventory more efficient for distributors, particularly in these difficult economic times.”
With the new system, distributor sales representatives can sit with a customer and search by specific brand, pack size, product description, or Dot, UPC or manufacturer item numbers, and their customized view will show the pricing available to the operator customer instead of Dot’s pricing.
Once the DSR pulls up the product, he/she can navigate through the Dot Expressway like any other online retail site, placing the order and selecting fulfillment options. All pricing for the shipping options is clearly labeled in the shopping cart when the order is placed.
“Ultimately our goal is to benefit our customers, and we expect they’ll see increased sales through the ability to offer more specialty items and a larger overall inventory,” said Hammond. “By making the program accessible through the Internet, it’s easier than ever to implement a virtual warehouse.”