How to distribute

Three methods to allocate stock to customers

Introduction: What is distributing?

Distributing means assigning products from your stock to customers. You indicate which customer gets which products and how many. This is an essential step before products are packed and shipped.

Why distribute products?

You need to distribute products because:

  • The system needs to know which customer gets which products
  • This way you can prepare orders for shipping
  • Labels and packing slips are generated automatically
  • Your stock is automatically updated (distributed products are reserved)
  • You can later create invoices based on the distributions
  • It prevents the same products from being assigned to multiple customers

Simply put: Distributing means linking products from your stock to specific customers.

Three ways to distribute

There are three different ways to distribute products. Choose the method that best suits your situation:

  1. Distribute per debtor: Useful when you want to sell articles to one customer
  2. Distribute per purchase: Useful when you want to distribute one product to multiple customers
  3. Location distribution: Useful for moving products to another location

We explain all three methods.

Method 1: Distribute per debtor

Use this method when you're preparing orders for one specific customer.

When to use?

  • You're completing the order of one customer
  • The customer has ordered multiple different products
  • You want to keep an overview per customer

Step 1: To the customer

Open Distribution

  1. Go to "Distribution"
  2. Check that the date and location are correct (this is very important!)
  3. Choose "(Distribution) Per debtor"
  4. You now see a list of customers

Select customer

  1. Find the customer for whom you want to distribute products
  2. Click on the name of this customer
  3. You now see an overview of what you have already distributed to this customer today (if you've already distributed something earlier)

Step 2: View stock and choose product

Open stock

  1. Click on "+Purchases"
  2. A list of all products in your stock now appears
  3. These are all products you can distribute

Select product

  1. Find the product the customer wants
  2. You can search with filters or by scrolling
  3. Click on the product to select it
  4. The product now appears in the distribution screen

Step 3: Enter quantity and price

Enter quantity

  1. Enter the quantity you want to distribute to this customer
  2. Handy quick-typing tip:
    • Type "2f" for 2 containers (2 crates/boxes)
    • Type "2b" for 2 bunches
    • Just type a number for pieces (for example "50" for 50 pieces)
  3. The system automatically calculates how many pieces this is

Adjust price (optional)

  1. The standard sales price is already filled in (with any markups)
  2. Want to give a special price? Adjust the price
  3. For example: give a discount or another arrangement with the customer

Save distribution

  1. Check whether everything is correct (product, quantity, price)
  2. Click on "Apply"
  3. The product is now distributed to this customer

Step 4: Add more products or adjust

Adding more products:

  1. Click on "+Purchases" again
  2. Select the next product
  3. Enter quantity and possibly price
  4. Click on "Apply"
  5. Repeat this for all products this customer is getting

Adjusting a distribution:

  1. Click on the distribution you just made
  2. Adjust the quantity or price
  3. Click on "Save" or "Apply"
  4. The distribution is now changed

Done! This customer has now been assigned all products.

Method 2: Distribute per purchase

Use this method when you want to distribute one product to multiple customers.

When to use?

  • You have 100 roses and want to distribute them to 5 different customers
  • You're systematically working through your stock
  • You want to efficiently divide one product

Step 1: To the per purchase overview

Open Distribution

  1. Go to "Distribution"
  2. Check that the date and location are correct
  3. Choose "(Distribution) Per purchase"
  4. You now see a list of all products in your stock

Step 2: Choose product

Select product

  1. Find the product you want to distribute
  2. For example: you have 100 roses you want to divide
  3. Click on this product
  4. The product opens

Step 3: Distribute to first customer

Choose customer

  1. You now see a list of customers (or a search function)
  2. Click on the first customer who should get this product
  3. For example: Customer Jansen gets 20 roses

Enter quantity

  1. Enter the quantity this customer is getting (for example "20")
  2. The price is already filled in (unless you want to adjust it)
  3. Click on "Apply"
  4. This customer now has 20 roses assigned

Step 4: Distribute to next customers

Next customer

  1. Click on the next customer who should get this product
  2. For example: Customer Pietersen also gets roses
  3. Enter the quantity (for example "30")
  4. Click on "Apply"

Repeat this for all customers who should get this product.

Example distribution of 100 roses:

  • Customer Jansen: 20 roses
  • Customer Pietersen: 30 roses
  • Customer De Boer: 25 roses
  • Customer Vermeer: 25 roses
  • Total: 100 roses distributed

Step 5: To the next product

Done with this product?

  1. Click on the next purchase in the list
  2. This is the next product you want to distribute
  3. Repeat steps 3 and 4 for this product
  4. Continue until all products are distributed

Done! Your stock is now systematically distributed to your customers.

Method 3: Location distribution

Use this method when you want to move products to another location.

When to use?

  • You have multiple locations (head office, branch, warehouse)
  • You want to move stock between locations
  • You're preparing products to go elsewhere

Step 1: To location distribution

Open location distribution

  1. Go to "Distribution"
  2. Check that the date and location are correct
  3. Choose "(General) Location distribution"

Step 2: Choose product and location

Select purchase

  1. Choose the product you want to move
  2. Click on the purchase

Choose location

  1. Click on the destination location where the product should go
  2. For example: from "Main Location" to "Branch North"
  3. The product is now booked to this location

Done! The product is now at the new location.

Practical examples

Example 1: Per debtor - Complete order

  • Situation: Customer Jansen ordered 20 roses, 10 tulips and 5 lilies
  • Action:
    1. Go to Per debtor → Jansen
    2. Click +Purchases and select roses → 20 pieces → Apply
    3. Click +Purchases and select tulips → 10 pieces → Apply
    4. Click +Purchases and select lilies → 5 pieces → Apply
  • Result: Jansen has all products assigned, ready for shipping

Example 2: Per purchase - Distribute 100 roses

  • Situation: You have 100 roses and 4 customers who want roses
  • Action:
    1. Go to Per purchase → select roses
    2. Click Jansen → 25 → Apply
    3. Click Pietersen → 30 → Apply
    4. Click De Boer → 20 → Apply
    5. Click Vermeer → 25 → Apply
  • Result: 100 roses neatly distributed to 4 customers

Example 3: Location distribution - Move stock

  • Situation: You need to move 50 plants from main location to branch
  • Action:
    1. Go to Location distribution
    2. Select plants
    3. Click on "Branch North"
  • Result: Plants are now at the new location

Example 4: Combination - Big day

  • Situation: You have 10 customers and a lot to distribute
  • Action:
    1. Start with Per debtor for customers with small, varied orders
    2. Switch to Per purchase for large batches (for example 200 roses) that need to go to many customers
    3. Work systematically until everything is distributed
  • Result: Efficient mix of both methods

Important tips

Tip 1: Always check date and location

  • This is the most common mistake!
  • If date or location are wrong, you'll see the wrong products
  • Check this every time you start distributing

Tip 2: Choose the right method

  • Many products, one customer? → Per debtor
  • One product, many customers? → Per purchase
  • Moving between locations? → Location distribution
  • The right method saves time!

Tip 3: Use shortcuts

  • "2f" = 2 containers (super handy!)
  • "2b" = 2 bunches
  • This saves typing and calculating

Tip 4: Check your work

  • Look after distributing whether everything is correct
  • Does each customer have the right products and quantities?
  • Are there any products left to distribute?

Tip 5: You can always correct

  • Made a mistake? Click on the distribution and adjust
  • Or remove the distribution and start over
  • Better to correct now than to discover at the customer

Tip 6: Work systematically

  • Make a fixed routine (for example always do rush orders first)
  • Process customers in order (alphabetically, by route, by urgency)
  • This prevents you from forgetting something

Frequently asked questions

Question: Which method should I use?

  • Depends on the situation:
    • Working per customer? → Per debtor
    • Working per product? → Per purchase
    • Moving? → Location distribution
  • Try both and choose what works best for you

Question: Can I undo a distribution?

  • Yes, click on the distribution
  • Adjust the quantity to 0
  • Or remove the distribution entirely
  • The product then returns to stock

Question: What if I don't have enough stock?

  • The system warns you if you want to distribute more than you have
  • You can't distribute more than is available
  • Check your stock or order more

Question: Can I distribute to multiple customers at once?

  • Not in one action
  • But with "Per purchase" you can quickly serve multiple customers in succession
  • This is often faster than it seems

Question: Where can I see what I've distributed?

  • With "Per debtor" you see the overview per customer
  • With "Per purchase" you see how much is left of each product
  • You can also create reports of distributions

What to do with problems?

Problem: I don't see any products

  • Check whether the date is correct
  • Check whether the location is correct
  • Maybe everything is already distributed?
  • Or there were no purchases made today?

Problem: Wrong customer chosen

  • Remove the distribution at the wrong customer
  • Make a new distribution at the right customer
  • Pay better attention from now on to who you select

Problem: Wrong quantity distributed

  • Click on the distribution
  • Adjust the quantity
  • Or remove and start over
  • No problem, easy to correct

Problem: Error message when applying

  • Read the error message carefully
  • Often it means you're distributing more than is available
  • Or required fields aren't filled in
  • Solve the problem and try again

Summary

You distribute products to customers in three ways, depending on your situation:

  • Method 1 - Per debtor: Go to Distribution → Per debtor → choose customer → +Purchases → select products → enter quantity (tip: "2f" for 2 containers, "2b" for 2 bunches) → adjust price if needed → Apply (repeat for all products of this customer)
  • Method 2 - Per purchase: Go to Distribution → Per purchase → choose product → click on customer → enter quantity → Apply (repeat for all customers getting this product, then to next product)
  • Method 3 - Location distribution: Go to Distribution → Location distribution → choose product → click on destination location (for moving between locations)
  • Important: Always first check that date and location are correct before starting to distribute
  • Why distribute: The system then knows which customer gets which products, stock is reserved, and you can create labels, packing slips and invoices

Do you have questions or need help? Feel free to contact us by phone at +31 (0)71 30 20 310 or send an email to support@easyflor.nl.