The silver lining? Cloud system can heighten snack-retail relations
The sales and delivery systems specialist commenced marketing of its cloud-based sales platform EzSales to the US snacks sector earlier this month at Snaxpo 2014 in Dallas, Texas. The system has already gained traction in the bakery and beverage sectors, among others.
Mark A. Maraj, vice president of sales and marketing for MiT Systems, said snack makers stood to benefit hugely from integrating such a system into business.
“Retailers can safely and securely place efficient orders 24/7 with the browser. They don’t need any software to be installed or any particular hardware, all they need is access to the internet and via a secure link they will see their authorized products, pricing specific to them, as well as be able to communicate directly with the manufacturer or supplier,” he told BakeryandSnacks.com.
24/7 real-time relations
For snack makers, it meant orders could be seamlessly authorized in real-time, he said; as soon as the retailer needed a product, rather than when the next sales rep for the company came to the store.
“Retailers like it because of the convenience factor. They can create their own order from home, 24/7 if they really want. Or a member of staff can use a tablet and walk around the store to see which product is left on shelf and place the order dynamically in real-time.”
Although, he added the system was not there to replace sales reps but supplement them.
It also enabled global messages to be sent to a mass of retailers, for example, promotion of new products, detailed nutritional information or even recall announcements, he said.
Size doesn’t matter, neither does technology type
Maraj said the cloud system suited snack companies of all sizes. “The model of this software is that it’s a scalable solution based on the number of customers you have. So, if you have 10 customers or 10,000 customers, you can use this solution.”
It could also be used on a variety of hardware, he added, from a mobile phone or tablet through to a desktop computer or laptop which meant there was a cost-point appeal too.
“We see a large interest in this for the simple cost savings associated, as well as the improved customer service that you provide with this type of solution,” he said.
