I guess that is a question for the retailer. The question immediately following would be, what technology is the retailer using to communicate back to the manufacturer? If the answer is a fax machine… well then the answer to the title of this little article is way, way too many. Of course this is not an argument to get rid of the manufacturer representative. This is an argument for retailers to employ a smarter retail supply chain to increase the information flow between their store and the manufacturer.

Think about the value of increasing the information flow between these two organizations. Yes, I know it sounds so simple that you would think all retailers do this. The reality is that the small to medium sized retailer does not employ a smart way to communicate to their suppliers requiring a high level of service from the manufacturer. In the days where costs per sales are high and the big box retailers employ solutions that help reduce the cost of the sale, it is possible to lose manufacturers. Don’t allow this to happen. Help your partners by employing smart business solutions in place. This is a win-win.