Builders’ merchants' systems should be simple, straight forward, and practical.  But why not raise the bar, and choose a system that enables a “computer-savvy” (but not a systems expert) member of the team to configure, write reports, design screens and carry...

As providers of business software for the merchant industry we sometimes get caught up in the technology and features and miss the bigger picture.  So, let’s take it back to basics for a minute. You want to make and improve...

We’re all doing what we can for the environment in our personal lives – putting up with the texture of paper straws, trying to remember to bring our huge collection of “bags for life” to the shop, taking fewer long-haul flights (nothing to do with not being able to...

Most business systems (ERP) in use today, or available from leading software authors, still have a dependency upon third party modules or packages to supplement their functionality. This is not in obscure areas like CAD systems for kitchen or bathroom...

30 years ago, and that same salesman could have been talking about computer calculated minimum stock levels, with the merchant pacing around the yard and shop to work out what he needed to buy that day. The latest generation of...

What is CRM? Customer/Contact Relationship Management (CRM) has several definitions depending on who you are talking to, but in essence it is software that contains additional information about your customers/prospects and suppliers (industry segments, mailing groups, contacts, etc). CRM helps...

Distributors of fixings and fastenings know the importance of an efficient workplace in this fast-paced industry. It has become imperative to use an ERP system to manage your business and stay competitive. Modern ERP software such as Intact iQ improves…

As an independent UK merchant you are probably using one of the following: an aging software system built for the industry, a generic accounts package with a “bit of order processing” or benefitting from a cutting edge, modern system built for today’s challenges and providing you with a competitive...

Along with words such as “unprecedented”, “ lockdown” and “social distancing”, “the new norm” is a phrase that should be confined to history; however there’s no denying that “the new norm” is applicable to both our personal and professional lives….

With unpredictable staff shortages, unreliable deliveries and currency fluctuations still a concern over a year after the start of the pandemic, it is imperative that the operational side of your business runs as productively as possible.  Now more than ever, it’s unsustainable to be wasting time manually...