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Zoho CRM and Zoho
Analytics Implementation for a Natural Dog Treats
Wholesale Distributor

Sales Reps and Distributor Locations Performance Automation

1/3 Cost Saved by 
Overstock Reduction

80% Reduction of Manual Procurement Labor

Wholesale distributors often struggle to keep sales activity, distributor relationships, and procurement planning aligned – especially when operations rely on spreadsheets and disconnected tools. A leading Canadian producer of natural dog treats faced exactly this challenge. As Premium Zoho consultants, our team implemented a modern CRM for wholesale distributors using Zoho CRM and Zoho Analytics, bringing structure and visibility to both sales and operations. The result? The company now operates from a single source of truth — a centralized platform that delivers real-time insights across the entire business.

The Company

An Alberta-based Canadian producer and distributor of natural, single-ingredient dog treats — including bully sticks, jerky, and chews — sold under multiple brand lines. The company goes to market through a distributor-retailer network, with a field sales team managing accounts across Canada and the U.S.

The Challenge

The operational complexity of the business, combined with reliance on individual employee knowledge and manual processes, created ongoing productivity challenges. The sales team managed store accounts geographically, relying on in-person visits to assess shelf placement and product assortment. However, without a centralized CRM, account history lived in individual spreadsheets, making it difficult to track which brands each retailer carried, schedule follow-ups consistently, or rank stores by commercial value.

On the procurement side, the challenge was more technical. The company sources raw materials from overseas manufacturers with lead times of three to six months. Those materials feed into multiple finished products through complex conversion and cutting processes — meaning that visible finished goods inventory can mask a raw material shortage weeks in the making. Managing this entirely in Excel, one procurement employee was spending the majority of their time on manual calculations with no ability to anticipate shortfalls or flag unusual demand shifts.

the solution

This project required more than a simple CRM deployment. As experienced Zoho consultants, we designed a CRM for wholesale distributors that could support both field sales management and complex procurement planning, combining Zoho CRM with advanced analytics and automation tools.
 
The solution was implemented in two key areas.

Sales and Distributor/Store Management — Zoho CRM

  • Established a structured hierarchy of Distributors, Retailers, and End Customers with mapped relationships between them

  • Built custom modules for Store Visits and Competitor tracking - giving reps a complete 360° picture of each account

  • Automated workflows for call scheduling, follow-up tasks, and new product launch communications

  • Created a Customer 360 view so any team member can pick up an account seamlessly

  • Implemented a five-tier store ranking system based on real distributor sales data to help the team prioritize visits

  • Added pre-order forms so field reps can submit line reviews directly to distributors from within the CRM

  • Migrated all existing customer data from Excel into Zoho at launch

Inventory Reporting & Predictive Procurement — Zoho Analytics, Deluge, SQL

Manual Excel reporting was replaced with automated dashboards built in Zoho Analytics. Real-time inventory reports now span both warehouse locations, broken down by Canada and U.S product lines. Sales order–level reports give operations a clear view of what can ship in full and what needs to be expedited or substituted.
 
On top of this, a predictive procurement model was developed using Zoho Analytics, Deluge, and SQL. The model accounts for the relationship between raw materials and finished goods across multiple SKUs, incorporates active purchase orders whether in transit or still in production, and surfaces alerts when demand for a given material is growing faster than historical patterns — giving the team the lead time they need to act.

THE RESULTS

Before: Sales and procurement teams worked across spreadsheets, with limited visibility into account activity, store performance, and future inventory risk. Procurement planning depended heavily on manual calculations, consuming the majority of one employee’s time.
 
After: The company now operates from a centralized Zoho-based system that connects field sales activity, distributor and store performance, inventory reporting, and procurement planning
 
Key outcomes included:

  • 80% reduction in manual procurement workload

  • Centralized account history and store visit tracking

  • Excess inventory costs cut by over 30%

  • Clearer visibility into distributor, store, and field sales performance

  • Earlier detection of raw material shortages and unusual demand shifts

Need better visibility into distributor sales and inventory risk? Let’s discuss your wholesale operation.

about customerization

Customerization helps growing companies turn complex operations into connected, automated systems.As an award-winning Zoho implementation partner, Customerization specializes in CRM and business process automation that blends strategic consulting with hands-on delivery. From education sector to NFP and beyond, our project-based Zoho implementation model eliminates the hidden costs and complexity of traditional SaaS customization.

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