What Customer Management Software does for a building materials wholesaler
Customer management software tracks repeat customers, their purchase history, contact details and preferences in one central database. For a building materials wholesaler, the value shows up exactly where the work is hardest.
A building materials wholesaler holds bulky stock, so weighing and volume accuracy matter. Building materials margins are thin on cement and strong on specialty items.
Contractors and hardware shops need compliant invoices and delivery notes. Veira handles that as part of the same sale, so compliance is not a separate evening job.
Building Materials Wholesalers run differently, and the software should too
A generic till misses the details that decide whether a building materials wholesaler makes money. These are the ones that matter:
- 1
The daily reality
Bulky stock requiring storage space. Customer Management Software built for a building materials wholesaler turns that into a number you can act on, and you also see every customer's full history: what they bought, when they paid, their preferences and contact details.
- 2
Where the margin leaks
Credit to contractors and hardware shops. Customer Management Software built for a building materials wholesaler turns that into a number you can act on, and you also track loyalty and repeat customers to reward them with discounts or priority service.
- 3
What slows the counter
Price changes from suppliers. Customer Management Software built for a building materials wholesaler turns that into a number you can act on, and you also segment customers by purchase pattern to target promotions to the right people.
- 4
What buyers expect
Slow moving specialty items versus fast cement. Customer Management Software built for a building materials wholesaler turns that into a number you can act on, and you also send automated birthday or anniversary reminders to keep customers coming back.
What to look for in Customer Management Software for a building materials wholesaler
- Mobile-first customer lookup (no staff training required). This matters for a building materials wholesaler because of bulky stock requiring storage space.
- Offline customer database so lookups work during outages. This matters for a building materials wholesaler because of credit to contractors and hardware shops.
- Built-in loyalty points or punch card system. This matters for a building materials wholesaler because of price changes from suppliers.
- Simple customer segmentation and targeted promotions. This matters for a building materials wholesaler because of slow moving specialty items versus fast cement.
A notebook and a basic till, or Veira
| Notebook or basic till | Veira | |
|---|---|---|
| Counting stock | By hand, rarely matches the shelf | Live by item, branch and value |
| M-Pesa at the counter | Checked on a separate phone | Matched to each sale automatically |
| eTIMS invoices | Typed in later, if at all | Filed on every sale, even offline |
| Knowing your numbers | A monthly guess | Live margin and takings on your phone |
A real building materials wholesaler example
A Nairobi building materials wholesaler moving 500 tonnes monthly loses money to unmeasured stock and uncollected debts from contractors.
- Bulky stock requiring storage space.
- Credit to contractors and hardware shops.
- Price changes from suppliers.
- See every customer's full history: what they bought, when they paid, their preferences and contact details.
- Track loyalty and repeat customers to reward them with discounts or priority service.
- Segment customers by purchase pattern to target promotions to the right people.
Every sale on Veira files a compliant KRA eTIMS invoice, online or offline. Contractors and hardware shops need compliant invoices and delivery notes.
Customer management software tracks repeat customers, their purchase history, contact details and preferences in one central database. Here is what that looks like with Veira:
- See every customer's full history: what they bought, when they paid, their preferences and contact details
- Track loyalty and repeat customers to reward them with discounts or priority service
- Segment customers by purchase pattern to target promotions to the right people
- Send automated birthday or anniversary reminders to keep customers coming back
Frequently asked questions
Is Customer Management Software hard to set up for a building materials wholesaler?
Does it keep working offline?
Does it handle M-Pesa for a building materials wholesaler?
Is it KRA eTIMS compliant?
How much does Customer Management Software cost for a building materials wholesaler in Kenya?
Can it run more than one building materials wholesaler?
Based on KRA eTIMS regulations and interviews with 5,000+ Kenyan businesses
Whether you run one building materials wholesaler or several across Kenya, Veira gives you customer management that fits the trade instead of fighting it. Book a free demo and see it work with your own cement and aggregates.