What to ask vendors about IDW, Trade Service, and Catalog Management. 50+ evaluation questions designed to reveal the difference between marketing claims and production-ready functionality.
Wholesale Distribution ERP Software
Wholesale Distribution ERP Software
A Comprehensive Request for Proposal Framework for Wholesale Distribution Software Selection
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What’s Inside
From understanding the three pillars of electrical ERP to final evaluation checklists, this guide covers everything you need to make an informed decision.
Chapter 1
Understand why generic ERP guides fail electrical distributors and what makes this evaluation different.
Chapter 2
Questions about data synchronization, quality mapping, and operational considerations for Industry Data Warehouse.
Chapter 3
Evaluate real-time pricing, availability checking, manufacturer connectivity, and process automation.
Chapter 4
Assess scalability, product relationships, digital assets, and multi-channel publishing for 500K+ SKUs.
Chapter 5
1-5 scoring criteria and structured process for consistent comparison across all ERP vendors.
Chapter 6
Project methodology, integration approach, data migration, and ongoing support considerations.
Chapter 7
Warning signs that indicate a vendor cannot deliver on their promises for electrical distribution.
Chapter 8
Complete checklist covering IDW, Trade Service, catalog management, and implementation readiness.
50+
Evaluation Questions
8
Comprehensive Chapters
500K+
SKU Scale Guidance
15
Pages of Expertise
The Three Pillars
Generic ERP systems may check feature boxes but lack the depth required for electrical distribution operations. These three capabilities separate real solutions from marketing claims.
The Industry Data Warehouse is the central repository for standardized electrical product data from IDEA.
Real-time pricing and availability information from electrical manufacturers—dynamic data that changes constantly.
Manage 500K+ SKUs from 500+ manufacturers with rich attributes, relationships, and multi-channel publishing.
The Three Pillars
Generic ERP systems may check feature boxes but lack the depth required for electrical distribution operations. These three capabilities separate real solutions from marketing claims.
Data synchronization, quality mapping, operational considerations
Data synchronization, quality mapping, operational considerations
Data synchronization, quality mapping, operational considerations
Sample Trade Service Questions
Preview from Chapter 3
Chapter 7 Preview
During your evaluation, be alert to these warning signs that may indicate a vendor cannot deliver on their promises for electrical distribution.
“We can connect to any data source” without specific IDW experience
Vague answers about manufacturer connectivity count
Performance concerns dismissed with “just add more hardware”
Reluctance to provide electrical industry references
eCommerce sync described as “batch” with multi-hour delays
Critical features “on the roadmap” without delivery dates
Instant access to the complete migration playbook
Cloud ERP for wholesale distributors. Modern UX, reliable operations, and scalable performance.
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