Workflow: Multi-Brand Import and Distribution

Modules involved: Purchase · Warehouse · Price Lists · Clients & Client Groups · Invoices & Sales Orders · eTransport · Finance · Marketing Campaigns · Leads
Who uses it: Purchasing · Warehouse · Sales · Finance · Marketing
Typical duration: 4–12 weeks (from vendor negotiation to stock rotation)

Overview

Import companies working with 5–30 international brands face a complex cycle: annual negotiation of conditions per brand, placing orders in foreign currency with deferred delivery, managing import costs (international shipping, customs duties, customs broker commissions), and subsequent distribution through a reseller network organized by segments and price groups.

This workflow covers the entire cycle — from the first negotiation with a new vendor/brand through to the complete rotation of imported stock through the distribution network. Each brand is managed as a distinct vendor, with its own product catalog, its own purchase price lists (in foreign currency), and its own sales price lists (differentiated by channel: retail, wholesale, key account).

A critical aspect of this flow is the correct calculation of the landed cost: the purchase price in foreign currency, converted at the BNR exchange rate, plus international freight, insurance, customs duties, and customs broker commissions. Only with this complete cost can you calculate the true margin per brand and per product.

Flow Diagram

[EXTERNAL VENDOR — Brand]
  │  price + terms + INCOTERMS negotiation
  │  annual master agreement per brand
  ↓
[VENDOR CREATED IN CRM]
  │  vendor record with currency, payment terms, brand manager contact
  ↓
[PURCHASE ORDER — in foreign currency (EUR/USD/GBP)]
  │  status: Draft → Approved → In Progress → Completed
  │  products + quantities + currency price + INCOTERMS + estimated ETA
  │
  ├── [IMPORT DOCUMENTS — attached to PO]
  │     vendor proforma invoice
  │     vendor packing list
  │     Bill of Lading (BL) or international AWB
  │     certificate of origin / conformity (if required)
  │
  ↓
[CUSTOMS — if non-EU import]
  │  customs declaration, duties, broker commission
  │  → customs cost noted manually and added to landed cost
  │
  ↓  (or directly, if intra-EU import / no customs)
  ↓
[eTRANSPORT — if applicable]
  │  declaration before goods movement on RO territory
  │  status: Declared → Confirmed by ANAF
  │
  ↓
[GOODS RECEIPT — Goods Receipt Note]
  │  stock entered in warehouse per lot
  │  LANDED COST calculated and recorded:
  │    purchase price in currency × BNR exchange rate
  │    + international shipping
  │    + customs duties + broker commission
  │    + transport insurance
  │    = LANDED COST per unit
  │
  ↓
[CATALOG UPDATED]
  │  new Items added or stock replenished
  │  cost price updated (landed cost per unit)
  │
  ↓
[PRICE LISTS UPDATED — per brand / per channel]
  │  Retail List (brand X)
  │  Wholesale List (brand X)
  │  Key Account List (brand X)
  │  Promo / Season List
  │
  ↓
[RESELLER COMMUNICATION]
  │  Marketing Campaign or Announcement
  │  content: stock availability, new prices, promotional terms
  │
  ↓
[RESELLER ORDERS]
  │  Sales Order → confirmed → Invoice → Payment
  │  reseller sees prices from the list allocated to their group
  │
  ↓
[STOCK ROTATION ✓ · MARGIN PER BRAND ✓ · COMMISSIONS PAID ✓]

Step by Step

1. Vendor/Brand Negotiation and Contracting

Where: /admin/purchase/vendors + /admin/purchase/purchase_contracts (if the contracts module is active)

Each international brand is created as a distinct Vendor in CRMConnect, even if the same physical distributor supplies multiple brands. Separating by vendor allows:

• Independent tracking of orders and invoices per brand
• Different payment terms (Net 30 for Brand A, advance payment for Brand B)
• Purchase reporting per brand without complex filters

Essential fields when creating the vendor:

Purchase Contract (optional, if module active):

The annual master agreement documents the negotiated conditions: minimum volumes, tiered discounts, territory exclusivity, return policy. The PDF document is attached directly to the vendor record or contract.

Best practice: Create a recurring annual Task for contract renegotiation, 60 days before expiry. Assign it to the responsible Brand Manager.

2. Placing the Import Order (Purchase Order in Foreign Currency)

Where: /admin/purchase/purchase_order → New Purchase Order

The Purchase Order is the central document of the import. It is created in the vendor's currency (EUR/USD) and remains in that currency throughout the purchasing process.

Purchase Order statuses:

Critical fields to fill in at creation:

Sending to vendor:

• Send to Vendor button → PDF generated + email with vendor portal link
• Vendor can view and confirm the order through the portal (if portal access is enabled)

3. ETA Tracking and Import Documents

Where: Tasks on PO + /admin/tasks + attachments on PO

Between placing the order and goods arrival there is a 2–10 week window (depending on brand, season, INCOTERMS). During this period the following must be tracked:

Import documents — attached directly to the Purchase Order:

ETA tracking workflow with Tasks:

1. At PO creation → create Task "ETA Tracking Brand X — PO #[number]"

   • Assigned to: Logistics Manager
   • Due date: ETA − 7 days
   • Subtasks: Confirm vendor shipment / Confirm BL received / Confirm customs clearance complete

2. On receipt of shipping documents → Task "Customs Clearance PO #[number]"

   • Assigned to: Customs Broker or internal responsible
   • Attach customs declaration to PO after completion

3. On confirmation of goods arrival at warehouse → Task "Goods Receipt PO #[number]"

   • Assigned to: Warehouse Manager

Updating order_status: Manually change PO status to In Progress when the vendor confirms shipment, and to Completed after full receipt.

4. Goods Receipt and Landed Cost Calculation

Where: /admin/warehouse/manage_purchase → Goods Receipt Note (GRN)

Receipt is the most important step from a cost perspective: this is where the real purchase price per unit is established, which will be the basis for the commercial margin.

Creating a GRN:

• If auto_create_goods_received = 1: GRN created automatically when the PO is approved
• Otherwise: manually from /admin/warehouse/manage_purchase → New Receipt → select the PO

GRN fields:

Landed cost calculation — methodology:

Vendor unit price (in currency):         EUR 12.50
× BNR exchange rate at customs date:   × 4.97
= Purchase price in RON:               = RON 62.13

+ International freight allocation/unit: + RON  3.40
  (total freight ÷ number of units)
+ Customs duties allocation/unit:       + RON  2.10
  (total duties ÷ number of units)
+ Customs broker commission/unit:       + RON  0.45
+ Transport insurance/unit:             + RON  0.28
                                         ────────────
= LANDED COST per unit:                = RON 68.36

Where it is recorded: The Unit Cost field in the GRN = calculated landed cost. This feeds margin reports and the stock value on the balance sheet.

Partial vs. full receipt:

Upon GRN approval (approval = 1):

• Stock increases: inventory_manage.inventory_number += quantity_received
• Transaction recorded with status = 1 (Receipt) in goods_transaction_detail
• Lot becomes available for sale with active FIFO

5. Updating the Catalog and Price Lists

Where: /admin/warehouse/commodities (Items) + /admin/sales/price_lists

5a. Catalog Update (Items)

New products from the import must be created or updated in the catalog before they are available for sale.

Recommended structure for multi-brand import:

Products with variants (color, size, model): Each variant is a distinct Item with its own SKU and its own stock. If the system allows grouping (product families), associate variants under the same parent product.

5b. Price List Updates

Where: /admin/sales/price_lists

Recommended model for multi-brand import with a reseller network:

Updating prices at each import:

1. Open the price list for the relevant brand
2. Filter the brand's products
3. Recalculate prices starting from the new landed cost
4. Activate the new list with the effective date
5. Archive the previous list (do not delete — needed for historical reports)

Assigning price lists to Client Groups:

Assignment is done from /admin/clients/client_groups → edit group → Default Price List field.

6. Communicating Availability to the Reseller Network

Where: /admin/marketing/campaigns or Announcements

At each new import or season launch, resellers must be notified with: what products are available, at what prices, what quantities, and what the promotional terms are.

Option 1 — Marketing Campaign (Email):

1. /admin/marketing/campaigns → New Campaign
2. Audience: select the relevant Client Groups (all active resellers of the brand)
3. Email template:
   • Subject: [Brand X] — [Season Year] Collection available | Updated Prices
   • Body: featured products + images + wholesale prices + PDF catalog link
   • CTA: Place your order → direct link to client portal
4. Attachment: Updated PDF catalog or Excel Price List

Option 2 — Announcement (client portal notification):

Banner or notification visible at login in the client portal. Useful for urgent announcements (limited stock, flash promo).

Prospecting new resellers (Leads):

If opening distribution in a new region or adding a premium brand, the campaign can include a prospecting component:

1. /admin/leads → New Lead or Import from Excel (list of targeted prospects)
2. Assign commercial agent per county / region
3. Pipeline: New → Contacted → Demo / Meeting → Offer Sent → Active Reseller
4. At conversion: Convert Lead to Client + assign Client Group + Price List

7. Processing Reseller Orders

Where: /admin/estimates (Sales Orders) + /admin/invoices

7a. Reseller Order (Sales Order)

Orders from resellers can arrive through multiple channels:

When creating the Sales Order:

• The system automatically applies the Price List of the client's group
• Prices displayed are from the allocated list — the agent can see the margin too (if they have permission)
• The Warehouse field — select the warehouse from which delivery occurs (important if you have warehouses per brand or per region)

Stock check on confirmation:

CRMConnect does not reserve stock when the Sales Order is created. The check is performed when the delivery note is generated. If you work with limited import stock, verify availability manually before confirming the client's order.

Sales Order statuses:

7b. Conversion to Invoice and Delivery

The flow from Sales Order to invoice and delivery follows the same model as in Full Commercial Cycle:

1. Sales Order confirmed → Convert to Invoice
2. Invoice generated → Create Delivery Note
3. Delivery note approved → stock decreases automatically
4. Packing List → AWB generated (Innoship / other courier)
5. Invoice sent to client + delivery note

eFactura (ANAF) — if active:

For B2B clients in Romania, the invoice is automatically transmitted to the ANAF e-Factura system upon issuance. Check the transmission status from the invoice record → eFactura tab.

8. Tracking Collections and Stock Rotation Per Brand

Where: /admin/reports + /admin/finance + /admin/warehouse/warehouse_history

8a. Performance Reports Per Brand

8b. Exchange Rates and Financial Reconciliation

Where: /admin/finance/exchange_rates (or equivalent)

At each import there is a foreign exchange rate difference between:

• The rate at the order date (PO)
• The rate at the customs clearance / receipt date (GRN)
• The rate at the vendor invoice payment date

Best practice: Record the BNR rate from the customs clearance date in the GRN's Exchange Rate field. This is the correct basis for landed cost calculation and accounting reconciliation.

External vendor payment:

1. /admin/purchase/myinvoices → select Vendor Invoice
2. Check the amount due in foreign currency + applied rate
3. Record payment: type wire transfer + bank payment order reference
4. payment_status: unpaid → partially_paid → paid

What Is Created Automatically

Points Where the Flow Can Block

Relevant Reports

• Sales by Item / Category — /admin/reports/sales_by_item — sales per product/brand, volume and value
• Purchase Orders — /admin/purchase/purchase_order — open orders, ETA, delivery status
• Current Stock — /admin/warehouse/warehouse_history — current balance per product, per warehouse, per lot
• Vendor Invoices Unpaid — /admin/purchase/myinvoices?payment_status=unpaid — external vendor payables
• Client Invoices Overdue — /admin/invoices?status=4 — overdue receivables from reseller network
• Sales Order Pipeline — /admin/estimates?status=2 — reseller orders awaiting confirmation
• Dead Stock — Warehouse History filtered: products with no outflows in last 60 days — dead stock per brand
• DataPulse — /admin/datapulse — executive dashboard: revenue per brand, margin, rotation, forecast

Modules Involved — Detailed Documentation

Purchasing: Vendors · Purchase Orders · Received Quotations · Vendor Invoices

Warehouse: Goods Receipt Note · Delivery Notes · Inventory History · Loss & Adjustments

Sales & Pricing: Price Lists · Sales Orders · Invoices · Client Groups

Finance & Integrations: Finance / Exchange Rates · eFactura ANAF · eTransport

Marketing & Sales: Marketing Campaigns · Leads

Related Workflows: Purchase to Pay · Warehouse Inbound → Outbound · Full Commercial Cycle · Marketing to Lead

← Back to Workflows