In South Africa, we are seeing more and more food and beverage companies turn to software to improve productivity, profitability, and stability. Savvy companies are leveraging technology to thrive in a rather bumpy market. One such game-changer is the B2B sales order app, a locally-designed app that optimises B2B sales ordering processes and catalyses growth.
In this article we’ll cover the challenges your food and beverage company is facing, how software can help, and the reasons why you need a sales order app like Skynamo to stay ahead in today’s market.
Some of the challenges food and beverage companies face in South Africa
As a part of the leading emerging economy in Africa, South African businesses have urgent challenges that are threatening their future.
- Loadshedding: Crippling power cuts have contributed to the country’s weaker growth performance of 0.4% in 2023’s first quarter. For the food and beverage sector alone, loadshedding has led to significant wastage, loss, and logistical challenges. However, wholesale trade, retail trade (0.7%) and rail freight (1.1%) saw slightly more positive growth than the nation’s slower percentage. However, there is still significant scope for improvement.
- Insufficient local production: Despite South Africa’s massive agricultural potential, there is not enough local production to meet local demand, and the country relies on importers to fill this gap. Agriculture, forestry and fishing saw an astonishing dip by -12.3% for the period January to March 2023, likely exacerbated by Eskom’s woes, volatile commodity prices and a hostile external environment.
- Margin pressure: The food and beverage channel is facing margin pressure due to increased overheads and declining sales in real terms.
- Consumer awareness: Consumers are becoming increasingly aware of the source and quality of the food they consume, which is driving innovation in the industry.
To overcome these challenges, the industry must embrace technological innovation, alternative energy supplies, and the appropriate adoption of B2B sales software for the food and beverage industry.
How a B2B sales ordering app and system helps solve these challenges
While sales apps can’t solve Eskom’s unpredictable loadshedding, they can go a very long way to reduce your losses and frustration, and improve productivity.
- The app that helps you bring home the bacon: We all have a preferred loadshedding app. These apps are the first thing we look at in the mornings! They help us plan our day. They tell us when we can charge our batteries, invite friends over, and when we can cook! In much the same way, Skynamo – the sales ordering app for the food and beverage sector – is the first thing to look at in the morning. Why? It helps you plan your sales day! It tells you which customers to visit, when to visit them, and what they need most from you. It keeps your sales teams productive and at full capacity, no matter what the grid’s capacity is.
- Take more market share, and make more sales: Skynamo’s field sales CRM and ordering app can help food and beverage manufacturers and wholesalers to increase their sales by providing their sales reps with readily available information and tools to close deals.
- Less drudge work and admin: Skynamo’s mobile sales app can help food and beverage sales reps spend less time on admin tasks and more time on selling, which can lead to increased sales and productivity.
- Offline or online, easily place remote order submissions: Skynamo’s B2B field sales management and productivity app allows for remote submission of orders. This helps food and beverage manufacturers and distributors to streamline their order management process and reduce the risk of lost sales.
- Fewer mistakes, more efficiency through automation: Skynamo’s B2B field sales management and productivity app can automate tasks such as order processing and invoicing, which can help food and beverage manufacturers and distributors reduce overhead costs and improve efficiency.
Overall, a B2B sales ordering app like Skynamo can help food and beverage manufacturers and distributors address some of the challenges they face by improving order management, increasing sales, reducing admin time, and automating tasks.
Why you must empower your food and beverage sales teams with a B2B sales order app
Skynamo is an innovative sales app designed to supercharge B2B sales ordering processes and spur growth. Here’s why you must give your food and beverage sales team the sales order app that helps them do more, with less, better.
1. Intuitive platform that automates and accelerates sales
A streamlined sales process is the first rung on the ladder to operational efficiency in B2B sales.
Traditional methods often burden businesses with labour-intensive tasks, errors, and time wastage.
Skynamo’s B2B sales ordering app combats these issues by providing an intuitive platform that automates and simplifies the sales process.
Sales managers can do this on their desktop PC:
- Predict sales and targets
- Track sales in real time
- Monitor sales teams’ activities
- Generate reports
- And more.
Sales reps can do this on their mobile phones:
- Place orders
- See updated stock and prices
- Route planning
- Engage with the right customers at the right time
- And more.
Now, your teams are free to focus on more customer engagement.
2. Minimise lost sales with faster order processing
Lost sales can significantly dent a company’s bottom line, particularly in the food and beverage industry where perishability is a key concern.
Skynamo’s sales order app can minimise these losses by providing real-time stock availability, efficient order tracking, and swift order processing.
This ensures businesses are meeting customer demands effectively, reducing stock waste, and ultimately, minimising lost sales.
3. Leverage data to boost sales volume
A sales order app can actively amplify your sales. Skynamo’s app, for example, delivers insightful data on customer buying patterns and preferences, allowing sales teams to adapt their approach and product offerings accordingly.
Additionally, because Skynamo empowers field sales teams to engage more customers and spend quality time with them, the potential for sales growth is dramatically increased.
In fact, clients using the app have reported a substantial surge in their sales – up to 25%!
4. Predictive insights to stay ahead of industry trends
In the ever-evolving food and beverage industry, keeping up with the latest trends can be a challenge. Whether it’s the push for sustainable packaging, the rise of plant-based diets, or the resurgence of home cooking and local produce, businesses must stay informed to remain competitive.
Skynamo’s sales order app enables businesses to analyse trends and customer preferences, and helps them to adapt quickly to changing industry landscapes.
5. Deliver an enhanced customer experience
Today’s customers have sky-high expectations. They want fast, efficient service paired with personalised experiences. A B2B sales order app can satisfy these expectations by enabling rapid response times and offering tailored solutions based on customer data.
Skynamo’s food and beverage industry clients echo the effectiveness of this tool.
“Skynamo has revolutionised our sales management. We’re seeing an increase in sales, a reduction in lost sales, and our customer satisfaction levels are higher than ever!”
Give your team the boost they need with Skynamo – the leading B2B sales order app in the food and beverage industry
In conclusion, a B2B sales order app like Skynamo is more than a strategic investment for any food and beverage business. It’s a necessity if you aim to accelerate your sales processes, minimise lost sales, and boost sales volume. By leveraging this tool, you can stay on top of industry trends and deliver the stellar customer service that modern clients expect.
The future of food and beverage sales is digital. Make sure you’re part of it.
