# Inventory and ordering systems for distributors > When orders arrive by WhatsApp, email and phone and stock lives in a spreadsheet, we help you choose an inventory system, then build the ordering, reorder and portal pieces around it. Source: https://www.fyadvisers.com/industries/wholesale-distribution/ Author: FYAdvisers Last updated: 2026-10-13 An inventory system for a distributor in Singapore should do four things well: show how much stock you have at each location, turn customer orders into picks, deliveries and invoices without retyping, tell you when to reorder from suppliers, and pass the numbers to your accounting software. For many wholesalers a well-chosen off-the-shelf product covers most of that. FYAdvisers helps you pick the product that fits, then builds the focused tools around it, such as a B2B ordering portal, reorder alerts or a link to Xero or QuickBooks, so the system matches how your trade customers actually buy. This is part of our [IT consultancy](/services/it-consultancy/) work. ## What slows distributors down Most wholesale and distribution businesses we speak to in Singapore have a working system. It is just spread across too many places. - **Orders arrive everywhere.** Trade customers send orders by WhatsApp, email, phone and photos of handwritten lists. Someone retypes each one into a spreadsheet or the accounting tool, and the mistakes show up at delivery. - **Stock figures do not agree.** The spreadsheet says twenty cartons, the warehouse finds twelve, and nobody is sure whether the difference is a missed delivery, a return or a typing error. - **Reorders depend on memory.** A buyer knows roughly when each supplier needs a purchase order, until they go on leave. - **Customer-specific prices.** Different customers have different price lists, volume breaks and credit terms, and the sales team quotes from whatever copy they have. - **Batches and expiry.** Food, chemical and healthcare distributors need to know which batch went to which customer, and to sell older stock first. - **Double entry into accounting.** Delivery orders, invoices and supplier bills are typed again into Xero, QuickBooks or another accounting package. ## What we build for wholesale and distribution We build focused tools and connect them to the system you choose. Typical pieces are: ### B2B ordering portal A login for each trade customer showing their own price list, order history and outstanding deliveries. Customers can reorder a previous order, adjust quantities and submit, and the order lands in your inventory or order system rather than a chat thread. See [client portal development](/services/client-portal-development/) for how we approach portals. ### Order intake and order management A single queue for orders from the portal, email and your sales team, with status from received to picked, delivered and invoiced. Where orders still come in by WhatsApp or email, we can help structure them so a person reviews and confirms each one before it goes to the warehouse. ### Stock by location and reorders Stock levels by warehouse or van, with reorder points per item and supplier. When stock falls below the point you set, the right buyer gets a suggested purchase order to check and send. We usually set this up inside the inventory product you choose and add custom logic only where the product cannot express your rules. ### Price lists and quotations Customer-specific price lists, volume breaks and quotations that become sales orders once accepted. Our [quotation software](/services/quotation-software/) work covers quoting in more depth. ### Accounting and system links Orders, invoices, supplier bills and stock values passed to Xero, QuickBooks Online or your existing accounting package, and customer records shared with your CRM. Where no ready-made connector exists, our [system integration](/services/system-integration/) work fills the gap, and [workflow automation](/services/workflow-automation/) handles the routine steps around it, such as sending delivery confirmations. ## Off-the-shelf options, and when to just buy one Several well-known products already do inventory well. Check each vendor's current plans before you decide, since features and limits change. - **Accounting tools.** Xero's Singapore site describes its inventory feature as managing up to 4,000 finished items, with items reused on quotes, invoices and purchase orders. QuickBooks Online Singapore lists automatic stock quantity updates and low-stock reorder alerts. If you have one location, no batch tracking and modest order volume, start here. - **Inventory add-ons.** The Xero App Store lists inventory apps such as Unleashed Software, Cin7 Core, inFlow Inventory and Katana Cloud Inventory that connect to Xero for warehouse and stock work beyond what the accounting tool covers. - **Zoho Inventory.** Its site lists multi-warehouse management, serial and batch tracking, reorder point alerts, sales and purchase orders, a customer and vendor portal, and integrations with Xero, QuickBooks Online and Zoho Books. It also lists a free plan with limits on orders, users and locations. - **Odoo Inventory.** Its site lists multi-warehouse stock, lots and serial numbers, min-max replenishment rules that can create purchase orders, and barcode scanning, as part of a wider suite of apps. - **ERP suites.** Larger distributors with several companies, many warehouses or manufacturing alongside distribution may need a full ERP. That is a bigger decision than inventory alone, with more setup and change management. We recommend buying a product and stopping there when your order flow is simple, your customers are happy to order the way they do today, and the product's own connector to your accounting software carries what you need. We suggest custom pieces around the product when trade customers need their own ordering portal with their prices and history, when your reorder rules depend on things the product cannot see, or when two systems need to share data that no ready-made connector handles. Our guide on [how to choose an inventory management system in Singapore](/blog/inventory-management-system-singapore/) walks through the decision step by step. Singapore runs grant support for SMEs adopting digital solutions. Check GoBusiness for the current list of pre-approved solutions, and confirm with the vendor that the exact package you are buying is covered. ## How a project runs 1. **Map how orders and stock move today.** We follow a few real orders from the customer's message to delivery and invoice, and look at how stock is counted and reordered. 2. **Choose the core system.** If your current tools can do the job, we say so. If not, we help you shortlist and trial a product with your real items and orders. 3. **Build the smallest useful piece.** Often one thing, such as a portal for your top customers or a reorder alert for your fastest-moving lines, tested with real data. 4. **Review together.** Your team and a few customers use it, we adjust, and only then do we add more customers, locations or integrations. 5. **Connect and hand over.** We link it to your accounting software and CRM where they support it, document how it works and give you access. We can look after it through [website and app maintenance](/services/website-maintenance/), or hand it to your own developer. ## Where people stay in control - **Orders are confirmed by a person.** Orders that arrive by message or email are checked before they reach the warehouse. - **Purchase orders are suggested, not sent.** A buyer reviews each suggested reorder before it goes to a supplier. - **Stock adjustments are recorded.** Write-offs and count corrections carry a reason and a name. - **Customer data is handled with care.** Portals and order records hold names and contact details, so access is limited to the people who need it, in line with Singapore's [PDPA obligations](https://www.pdpc.gov.sg/overview-of-pdpa/the-legislation/personal-data-protection-act/data-protection-obligations). ## A note on e-invoicing IRAS is extending the [GST InvoiceNow requirement](https://www.iras.gov.sg/taxes/goods-services-tax-(gst)/gst-invoicenow-requirement) to all GST-registered businesses in phases from April 2028 to April 2031. If you invoice from an inventory or order system, check whether that system, or the accounting software it feeds, is InvoiceNow-Ready before you commit. ## What to prepare before we talk - A few recent customer orders as they arrived, with customer details removed. - Your item list or a sample of it, including units, batches or expiry if you track them. - How you reorder today, and from how many suppliers. - The accounting software, CRM and any inventory tool you already use. [Get in touch](/#contact) and we will tell you whether to buy, connect or build. ## Frequently asked questions ### What is the best inventory system for a distributor in Singapore? There is no single best one. A small distributor with one warehouse and simple stock may be well served by the inventory features in Xero or QuickBooks Online. A business with several locations, batch or expiry tracking, or many daily orders usually needs a dedicated inventory product. Start from how you take orders and hold stock, then shortlist. ### Do we need an ERP, or is an inventory system enough? Many distributors only need inventory, order management and an accounting link. A full ERP adds modules such as manufacturing, HR and project accounting, along with more setup and change. Choose an ERP when you genuinely need those modules in one system, not because inventory is the starting problem. ### Can customers place repeat orders themselves through a portal? Yes. A B2B ordering portal lets trade customers log in, see their own price list and order history, and reorder without messaging your sales team. Some inventory products include a customer portal; where yours does not fit, we can build one that sends orders into the system you use. ### Can you connect our inventory system to Xero or QuickBooks? Usually. Many inventory products already have a connector for Xero and QuickBooks Online. Where the connector does not carry what you need, we check what each system's API supports and build the link, and we tell you plainly where a connection is not possible. ### How much does an inventory or ordering system cost? It depends on whether you buy a product, connect it to other tools, or need custom pieces such as a portal or reorder logic, and on the support you want afterwards. We outline the proposed work and pricing after an initial conversation.