From the Store Shelf to the Ordering System: How We Are Automating DSD Orders
A field representative walks into a store, checks the products being serviced, sees what is selling and determines that additional inventory is required. It sounds like a straightforward retail interaction, but what happens after that observation can involve a surprisingly complicated chain of events. Someone needs to determine what should be ordered, the information needs to reach the appropriate system, the manufacturer or distributor needs to know what to send, and the product eventually needs to make its way back to the store so it can be stocked and made available to customers.
For brands operating a Direct Store Delivery model, commonly referred to as DSD, the connection between what happens inside the store and what happens within the ordering process is particularly important. The field representative may have immediate visibility into what a specific location requires, but that information only becomes valuable when it can be translated efficiently into action.
Marketsupport has expanded its technology capabilities to support automated store orders for DSD programs. Field representatives can capture orders through the system, allowing that information to move into the appropriate ordering process instead of relying on a series of disconnected manual steps.
For manufacturers already using DSD, this creates an opportunity to rethink how field execution, ordering, delivery and replenishment work together.
What is Direct Store Delivery?
Direct Store Delivery is a distribution model in which products are delivered directly to individual retail locations rather than relying exclusively on a retailer’s centralized warehouse and distribution network. Depending on the manufacturer and product category, a brand or distributor may operate trucks that deliver directly to stores while field sales representatives regularly visit those locations to assess inventory, understand store-level requirements and generate orders.
DSD can be particularly valuable for products where inventory moves quickly, local demand varies or frequent replenishment is required. Instead of viewing an entire retail network as a single inventory environment, the model allows manufacturers and distributors to respond to what is happening at individual locations.
A high-volume store, for example, may require significantly more inventory than another location only a few kilometres away. Demand can also fluctuate based on promotions, seasonality, local events, geography and consumer behaviour. Having people in the field creates visibility into those differences and allows the program to respond to conditions at store level.
The operational challenge is making sure the information collected during those visits moves efficiently into the systems responsible for getting more product to the store. When that connection is slow or fragmented, the advantages of having field-level visibility can be diminished.
This is where automated store ordering becomes valuable.
Closing the gap between identifying demand and fulfilling it
Consider a field representative servicing a series of stores during the day. At one location, inventory levels may be healthy and require little attention. At another, a product may be moving faster than anticipated and additional inventory is required. A third location may need replenishment across several SKUs.
The representative is seeing information that is highly relevant to the manufacturer as it is happening. The effectiveness of the program then depends on how efficiently that information moves from observation to action.
In a disconnected environment, identifying the need for additional inventory and initiating the appropriate order can become separate activities. Information may need to be communicated to another person, transferred between systems or entered more than once before it reaches the team responsible for fulfillment. Those additional steps create administrative work and can introduce delays or errors into a process where timing matters.
Marketsupport’s automated store ordering capability is designed to create a more direct connection. A field representative can take an order as part of the store-level process, and that order can move through our system into the appropriate ordering workflow. Rather than treating field execution and ordering as unrelated functions, they can operate as connected parts of the same DSD program.
Why automated store ordering matters
Automation is often discussed primarily in terms of speed, but the operational benefits can extend well beyond completing a task more quickly. One of the most important advantages is reducing the amount of duplicate work required to move information between the field and the ordering process.
When information can be captured through a structured process and then moved into the appropriate workflow, there is less dependence on people repeatedly transferring the same details. Field representatives can spend more time focused on store-level responsibilities, while operational teams have a clearer process for managing the information coming back from the field.
Consistency also becomes increasingly important as programs grow. A DSD operation involving a relatively small number of locations may be manageable with a highly manual process, but the complexity changes when a manufacturer is dealing with hundreds or thousands of stores. Each location can have different inventory requirements, order quantities and replenishment needs, creating a significant volume of information that needs to be managed accurately.
A connected ordering process provides a more structured way to handle that activity. It can also improve operational visibility because store-level orders become part of a larger picture of what is occurring across the retail network rather than existing as isolated transactions.
DSD begins before the delivery truck arrives
The words Direct Store Delivery naturally bring delivery trucks to mind, and transportation is obviously an essential part of the model. However, an efficient delivery operation still depends on accurate information about what each location requires.
This makes ordering one of the most important components of a successful DSD program. A manufacturer can have an efficient fleet and a strong distribution operation, but if the information feeding that system does not reflect what is happening at store level, product availability can still suffer.
Field representatives play an important role because they are physically close to the point of sale. They can see the environment, understand what inventory is present and identify where additional product may be required. When ordering technology is connected to that field activity, the manufacturer has an opportunity to create a more cohesive process between identifying store-level demand and getting product back into the location.
This is one of the reasons Marketsupport’s investment in technology matters. We are not simply adding another administrative system behind our merchandising operations. We are developing infrastructure that allows the work performed by people in the field to connect more effectively with the processes that determine what happens afterward.
Better ordering can support better replenishment
For an in-store merchandising organization, replenishment is closely connected to the work taking place at the shelf. A merchandiser can execute the physical requirements of a store visit extremely well, but the ability to stock the shelf ultimately depends on having sufficient product available.
That creates a direct relationship between field merchandising, inventory and ordering. When a representative identifies that more product is needed, the order can enter the appropriate process so inventory can be delivered to the store and made available for replenishment. The merchandiser can then stock the shelf, helping ensure the product is available when consumers are ready to purchase it.
Connecting these activities does not eliminate all the variables involved in retail. Store inventory, distribution constraints, changes in demand and retailer operations can all affect product availability. What an integrated process can do is reduce unnecessary friction between identifying a need at store level and taking action to address it. For brands competing for sales at the shelf, creating a smoother connection between field execution, ordering and replenishment can have a meaningful impact on overall retail performance.
Scaling DSD across a large retail network
Processes that function reasonably well across a limited number of locations can become significantly more difficult to manage as a program expands. This is one of the fundamental challenges of field execution because every additional store introduces another location, inventory environment, order requirement and set of activities that need to be coordinated.
As a retail program grows, the volume of interactions grows with it. More stores mean more visits, more inventory situations, more orders, more exceptions and considerably more information moving between the field and the organization. Simply adding additional field personnel without strengthening the infrastructure supporting them can create operational complexity instead of solving it.
A scalable DSD program therefore needs both field resources and systems capable of supporting those resources. Representatives need to be able to service stores and understand what is happening locally, while the technology behind the program needs to organize those activities and move information efficiently.
Marketsupport’s model brings those components together. We already provide the field infrastructure required to execute in-store programs, and our expanded technology capabilities allow us to connect that workforce with processes such as automated DSD ordering. For brands, this creates an opportunity to outsource a more complete portion of their retail execution requirements rather than managing multiple disconnected resources internally.
The field team should be part of the operation
Choosing a field partner for a DSD program should involve more than determining whether an organization can put representatives into stores. Physical coverage is essential, but manufacturers should also consider how those store visits connect to the rest of the operation.
The questions become increasingly important as the program grows. Brands need to understand how store-level information is captured, whether the field partner can support ordering requirements, how activity is managed across multiple locations and whether the infrastructure can scale as the retail footprint changes.
A field team that operates separately from the rest of the organization can create another layer that the manufacturer needs to manage. A more integrated field team can function as an extension of the broader retail operation, providing physical execution in stores while also helping move useful information into the processes responsible for inventory and fulfillment.
That is the direction Marketsupport is taking with our DSD capabilities. Our representatives can be present in stores while the technology supporting them helps connect field activity with ordering and broader program operations.
Creating a more connected DSD program
The value of retail technology should ultimately be measured by the operational problems it helps solve. In a DSD environment, one of those challenges is moving efficiently from recognizing that a store needs additional product to creating an order that can be acted upon.
Automated store ordering creates a more direct connection between those two points. It gives field representatives a structured way to capture store requirements, reduces dependence on disconnected information and provides manufacturers with an opportunity to make their DSD programs more efficient as they scale.
The technology may operate largely behind the scenes, but the objective is very tangible. Products need to move through the supply chain, arrive at the appropriate locations and become available for replenishment so customers can find them when they are ready to buy.
Marketsupport’s ability to connect field execution with automated store ordering strengthens our role within that process. We can provide the people who understand what is happening inside the store while also providing the operational infrastructure that helps turn that information into action.
For brands and manufacturers managing DSD programs across large retail networks, that connection offers a different way to think about outsourced field execution. Instead of hiring a merchandising partner solely to complete individual store tasks, they can work with a field organization capable of supporting a broader portion of the process required to keep products moving.
Ultimately, the strength of a DSD program is not determined by any single store visit, order or delivery. It comes from how well those activities work together across the entire retail network. Marketsupport’s investment in automated ordering is helping us build that connection between the people servicing stores and the systems responsible for keeping those stores supplied. For more information visit www.marketsupport.ca.
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