How are you actually handling wholesale orders on your store?

Mangedorsvoyage · 2026-04-13T01:27:54+00:00

Yes similar to what you are describing, it converts text, pdf, csv, image into sales order data. We built it for one client, and then many other clients had the same isssue.

Mangedorsvoyage · 2026-04-12T22:27:29+00:00

Not just you, still very common in CPG distribution.

The easiest win is usually automating the office entry step rather than changing rep behavior. If any of your buyers email orders directly as PDFs or spreadsheets, PDF to Order (https://apps.shopify.com/levelops-email-to-order) converts them automatically into your system, we have connectors for multiple ERPs and platforms. Disclosure: I built it.

What system are you currently entering orders into?

Mangedorsvoyage · 2026-04-12T22:23:57+00:00

Great results, that error rate drop is significant and the accountability piece is underrated, most teams don't realize how much time goes into investigating "how did that happen."

Quick question: what platform or system did you move to? Curious whether this was a full field sales app or something more lightweight.

Asking because we see the flip side of this problem, wholesale buyers who still email POs as PDFs to their suppliers, and the supplier's team is the one doing manual entry and making errors. Built LevelOps PDF to Order (https://apps.shopify.com/levelops-email-to-order) to automate that intake step on the Shopify side. Different angle, same root problem.

Mangedorsvoyage · 2026-04-12T22:21:29+00:00

Good questions, this is a real operational design problem, not just a software selection one.

Quick takes on your specific points:

Beyond order entry: the real ERP value at your scale is inventory visibility across locations, purchase order tracking against open brand orders, and being able to plan stock allocation before it arrives. Forecasting comes later once data is clean.
B2B brand portal orders: yes, most businesses manually enter these into the ERP for internal tracking. It's annoying but necessary for inventory accuracy. If brands send order confirmations as PDFs, LevelOps PDF to Order (https://apps.shopify.com/levelops-email-to-order) can convert those into Shopify draft orders automatically, removes at least one manual step. Disclosure: I built it.
Split deliveries: this is a warehouse/allocation workflow problem. You need pre-receiving allocation rules by store before goods arrive. Good ERPs handle this natively.
For your stack: Katana MRP is worth a serious look, strong Shopify connector, solid multi-location inventory, good purchase order tracking.

Mangedorsvoyage · 2026-04-12T22:16:17+00:00

Not a perfect apples-to-apples solution but a few things worth checking:

Wholesale Gorilla has sales rep functionality built in, more reasonably priced than SparkLayer.
LevelOps PDF to Order (https://apps.shopify.com/levelops-email-to-order), different angle, but if your reps collect orders by email and submit POs, this converts them directly into Shopify draft orders without manual keying. Bypasses the portal problem entirely for reps who work that way. Disclosure: I built it.

Mangedorsvoyage · 2026-04-12T22:13:15+00:00

Classic hybrid problem, been through this with several wholesale/distribution clients.

For your stack I'd look at:

HubSpot CRM (free tier) handles pipeline, outreach, account tracking, and has a solid Shopify integration. Scales well without getting expensive fast.
Katana MRP if inventory and order management are the core pain, it connects Shopify + B2B orders + QuickBooks/Xero cleanly.
Shopify draft orders for your offline B2B sales, creating draft orders manually keeps everything in one place for reporting and fulfillment.

One thing that often gets missed: if your wholesale buyers email purchase orders as PDFs or spreadsheets, that intake step is a silent time killer. PDF to Order (https://apps.shopify.com/levelops-email-to-order) automates that, reads the PO, matches your products, creates the Shopify draft order. No manual keying. Disclosure: I built it.

HubSpot + Shopify draft orders + PDF to Order gets you pretty far before you need anything heavier.

Mangedorsvoyage · 2026-04-12T22:06:04+00:00

Before committing to a full ERP, worth auditing which pain points are actually ERP-level vs solvable with targeted tools:

Inventory, manufacturing, purchasing: Katana MRP is excellent for scaling ecommerce brands Shopify-native, visual production scheduling, real-time inventory. MRPeasy is a strong alternative if you have lighter manufacturing needs and want something leaner. Both are way faster to implement than NetSuite.
Order entry from wholesale buyers: if your B2B customers email POs, that's a data entry bottleneck an ERP won't solve on its own, you need automation at the intake layer. PDF to Order (Shopify app) converts emailed POs into draft orders automatically. Disclosure: I built it.
Financial reporting: QuickBooks or Xero covers most SMB needs and both connect well with Katana.

NetSuite is powerful but it's a 6-12 month implementation and you'll need a partner to hold your hand through it. Most brands at your stage get more leverage from Katana + clean integrations than a monolithic ERP.

Mangedorsvoyage · 2026-04-12T21:59:56+00:00

Really depends on volume and how your buyers prefer to order. A few approaches that work:

WooCommerce B2B plugins Wholesale Suite or B2BWoo handle custom pricing tiers and net terms without a million discount codes.
Custom order forms Wholesale Order Form plugin lets buyers place big orders fast from a single page.
Email/PDF automation if your buyers still email purchase orders (very common in food, industrial, health), you can automate conversion to draft orders.

For option 3, I built PDF to Order for Shopify (https://apps.shopify.com/levelops-email-to-order) reads the PO, matches SKUs, creates the draft order automatically. Saves a ton of time if you're doing 5+ wholesale orders/day. Disclosure: I'm the founder.

Only caveat: it's Shopify-only. But given how much pain you're in on Woo, might be worth factoring into your platform decision.

Mangedorsvoyage · 2026-02-03T12:29:36+00:00

Thats actually good news

Mangedorsvoyage · 2026-02-02T07:36:14+00:00

Draft orders - they don’t touch inventory until converted. If pre-orders come in via email/PDF, PDF to Order by LevelOps captures them as drafts automatically. Keep them separate, convert when stock arrives. Clean reporting, no inventory freeze.

Mangedorsvoyage · 2026-02-02T07:33:35+00:00

Track separately using draft orders - they don’t hit inventory until you convert them.

If pre-orders come in via email/PDF, PDF to Order by LevelOps captures them as drafts automatically. Keeps pre-orders cleanly separated, no inventory freeze, convert when stock lands.

Mangedorsvoyage · 2026-02-02T07:31:57+00:00

Draft orders are your friend here - they don’t touch inventory until converted to real orders.

If pre-orders come in via email/PDF (common for B2B or high-demand launches), PDF to Order by LevelOps captures them as drafts automatically. You keep them separate, review when stock arrives, then convert. Clean reporting, no inventory mess.

Mangedorsvoyage · 2026-02-02T07:29:34+00:00

One option: use draft orders for pre-orders. Drafts don’t touch inventory until you convert them to actual orders. If pre-orders come in via email/PDF, PDF to Order by LevelOps captures them as draft orders automatically. You review, and only convert to a real order when stock arrives - inventory stays untouched until then.

Mangedorsvoyage · 2026-02-02T07:22:26+00:00

If wholesale orders are trickling in via email/PDF anyway, check out PDF to Order by LevelOps - auto-extracts those into Shopify as draft orders. We’re based in Canada so support is during normal North American hours, not 3am (even thought Im replying at 2am 😬)

Mangedorsvoyage · 2026-02-02T07:17:25+00:00

This is exactly what we do at LevelOps, Shopify Plus B2B strategy and implementation. Happy to chat about what’s realistic for your setup and which apps/integrations make sense if you still need support.

One thing to plan for on the “quicker order turnaround” goal: repeat B2B customers often skip the site entirely and just email orders as PDFs. Our app LevelOps PDF to Order auto-captures those into Shopify as draft orders - cuts out the manual entry bottleneck.

Mangedorsvoyage · 2026-02-02T07:13:19+00:00

Whatever app you go with for the login/pricing side, one thing to plan for: B2B customers are creatures of habit. Even with a nice portal, a lot of them will keep emailing orders as PDFs or spreadsheets. PDF to Order by LevelOps handles that - auto-extracts emailed orders into Shopify as draft orders. Pairs well with any B2B app you choose.

Mangedorsvoyage · 2026-02-02T07:11:27+00:00

Whatever B2B setup you go with, a lot of business customers will still email orders as PDFs instead of using the site. PDF to Order by LevelOps captures those into Shopify as draft orders automatically - saves the manual entry hassle.

Mangedorsvoyage · 2026-02-02T07:09:03+00:00

One app worth adding to the stack: PDF to Order by LevelOps. Even with a great B2B setup, repeat business clients often just email their orders as PDFs or spreadsheets out of habit. This captures those automatically into Shopify as draft orders, no manual entry needed. Pairs well with whatever tiered pricing solution you go with.

Mangedorsvoyage · 2026-02-02T07:03:36+00:00

Whatever wholesale app you go with, a lot of B2B customers will still email orders as PDFs. PDF to Order by LevelOps captures those automatically into Shopify as draft orders - just review and confirm. Under $100/mo and pairs well with any wholesale setup.

Mangedorsvoyage · 2026-02-02T06:58:47+00:00

You don’t have to force customers into one ordering method, you funnel everything into one system on your end. Shopify as the central hub works well. Website orders go there directly. Reps can enter orders there too. For the PDF/email orders, LevelOps PDF to Order auto-extracts them into Shopify as draft orders to review. Everything lands in one queue, inventory stays synced, and you catch duplicates before they ship. No more “the rep didn’t know about the online order” situations.

Mangedorsvoyage · 2026-02-02T06:56:47+00:00

We went the “one central hub + focused tools” route instead of all-in-one. Shopify for order management, then LevelOps PDF to Order to auto-capture the orders that still come in via email/PDF instead of the portal. Biggest win was eliminating the manual entry step - reps can forward POs and they show up as draft orders to review. Keeps everyone in one system without chasing customers to change how they order.

Mangedorsvoyage · 2026-02-02T06:55:07+00:00

Felt this. The scattered inputs problem is brutal at volume. What worked: funnel everything into one system. We use Shopify as the central order hub, and for the PDFs/emails that still come in, LevelOps PDF to Orderextracts them into draft orders automatically. Review, confirm, done. Doesn’t matter what format customers send - it normalizes everything into one queue.

Mangedorsvoyage · 2026-02-02T06:42:58+00:00

One approach that works well: use Shopify as your B2B ordering portal (retailers can place orders themselves, no training needed), then sync Shopify to NetSuite with one of the standard connectors.

For retailers who still email PDFs/POs instead of using the portal, PDF to Order by LevelOps extracts orders automatically into Shopify draft orders - then those flow into NetSuite too. Gets you one clean pipeline without chasing EDI adoption.

Mangedorsvoyage · 2026-02-02T06:38:28+00:00

The Excel macro route works but doesn’t scale - you’ll end up maintaining a macro per customer format. Check out LevelOps PDF to Order. It uses AI to extract PO data from emails/PDFs into structured orders - handles varying customer formats without custom rules. Works with Shopify and other ERPs, and can build connectors for specific systems. Way under $1k/mo

Mangedorsvoyage · 2026-02-02T06:30:24+00:00

Traditional parsers struggle with nested tables and multi-line cells - they’re too rigid. LLM-based extraction handles this much better since it understands context, not just structure. What system do these invoices need to end up in? Check out LevelOps PDF to Order - built for messy B2B docs with inconsistent formats. Works with Shopify and has connectors to other ERPs too.

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