What is retail software development?
Retail software development is designing and building software for businesses that sell goods: stores, wholesalers, distributors and brands. It covers pricing, schemes, store operations, field sales, dealer ordering, loyalty and channel sync, connected to billing and stock. Custom development fits the software to your trade rules instead of adapting your business to a generic product.
What is the difference between primary and secondary sales?
Primary sales are sales from a manufacturer or brand to its distributor or stockist. Secondary sales are sales from that distributor to retailers. Tertiary sales are retailer sales to end customers. Tracking secondary sales shows a brand real market movement, while primary sales alone can hide stock piling up at distributors.
Can a salesman app book orders without internet?
Yes, if it is built offline first. The salesman downloads beats, outlets, prices, schemes and outstanding in the morning, books orders without network during the day, and the app syncs automatically when signal returns. Conflicts such as stock changes are checked at sync time and flagged to the distributor for confirmation.
What is a distributor management system?
A distributor management system is software used at the distributor level to manage secondary sales: retailer invoices, schemes, credit limits, beat plans, returns, expiry, claims and stock. It usually shares data with the brand so the company can see sell-through by town and outlet, and with the salesman app used in the market.
Do I need custom software or is a ready product enough?
A ready product is enough when your pricing, schemes and credit rules are standard and your team is small. Custom software makes sense when schemes are complex, you need integration with your billing or brand portal, you want to own your data and code, or per-user subscription costs keep rising with your field team.
How much does retail or distribution software cost in India?
Cost depends on user types, scheme complexity, mobile apps, offline needs, integrations such as Tally, GST e-invoice and marketplaces, and data migration. MaMITs does not use a fixed price list. We quote after a scoping call, and smaller modules like a salesman order booking app can start after a short scoping session.
Can my retailers order from me on WhatsApp?
Yes. Using the WhatsApp Business Platform, retailers can browse your catalogue and send orders inside WhatsApp. These orders can flow into the same system as salesman and portal orders, with the right price list and credit check. An AI assistant can also convert typed or voice orders into lines for confirmation.
Will the software handle GST e-invoice and e-way bill?
Yes. Retail and distribution builds generate the e-invoice IRN and the e-way bill from the same order-to-invoice flow, so nobody retypes the invoice on a portal. Detailed billing, stock and accounts are built in our ERP and inventory work. If your accountant already uses a GST suvidha provider, we connect to that instead of adding a second route.
How does the software handle expiry for pharma and FMCG?
Stock is tracked by batch and expiry date from purchase to sale. The system suggests the earliest expiry batch first, alerts on near-expiry stock by distributor or store, and records expiry returns with batch details so claims to the company carry proof. Expiry policies and return windows differ by company, so they are configurable.
What is a B2B ordering portal?
A B2B ordering portal is a website or app where your regular retailers and dealers place orders themselves at their own price list and schemes. They can see stock availability, outstanding dues and past invoices. It reduces phone and paper orders and lets salesmen focus on new outlets and product lines.
Can it connect with Tally or my existing ERP?
In most projects, yes. We often keep the client's existing accounting or billing system and build the distributor, salesman and dealer layer around it, syncing masters, orders and invoices. The exact method depends on the system's version and available integration options, which we check during scoping.
Which is the best retail software development company in Bhopal?
The best choice is the company that understands your trade, shows working offline apps, models your real schemes, gives you code ownership and supports you after go-live. MaMITs is a Bhopal retail software development company rated 4.9 on Google from 182 reviews, with 100+ software deployed. Compare a few vendors against the checklist above.