There are plenty of factors to consider when owning a brand, but luckily, there is a wealth of information available on how to navigate issues one might face in the industry. GlobeTrader is a worthy option to help business owners get their products out there and onto retail shelves. GlobeTrader is a wholesale platform where manufacturers and distributors can connect to process payments, manage inventory, and navigate customer relationships. Using the streamlined site manufacturers can create a customized branded wholesale order page that they can link to their main website and invite customers to order freely.
GlobeTrader successfully launched the AirFort brand two years ago. Since then, the company has provided manufacturers with tools that help streamline the wholesale distribution process. The Toy Book sat down with GlobeTrader CEO Patrick O’Donnell to find out more about expanding a growing business and navigating a challenging market.
The Toy Book: GlobeTrader has years of experience working with brands such as the popular line: AirFort. What have you learned since launching GlobeTrader?
Patrick O’Donnell: GlobeTrader has 25 years of experience helping brands grow their international business. I developed the platform over the years to help our clients connect with and manage their wholesale accounts in the U.S. and internationally.
The last couple of years has reminded us how important it is to have cloud-hosted software solutions. Working remotely with colleagues, vendors, and customers really highlighted the advantages of having all your data in one place and accessible from anywhere. GlobeTrader’s ability to help brands track and manage their customers, products, and orders in one easy-to-use online platform has been a game changer for our clients. Not only can they save time and money by leveraging many of GlobeTrader’s order management tools, but we can increase their sales dramatically with our easy-to-use sales automation.
TB: How can manufacturers use GlobeTrader’s services to launch their products?
PO: It’s super easy. With a simple GlobeTrader account, product owners are able to create a beautiful customized wholesale order portal that fits right into their existing website in just a few minutes. The order portal is easy to implement, customize and share so wholesale customers, retailers, and reps can all place orders, view complete order history, and even track their shipment status in real time.
TB: How does GlobeTrader create a custom experience for its users?
PO: This is one of the huge advantages of GlobeTrader. We understand how important branding is and we prioritize a consistent brand image across all marketing and sales channels. With GlobeTrader, the subscriber’s brand is front and center. Just because a client is trying to sell to wholesale accounts, doesn’t mean it should look like it was made for a warehouse.
Brands need their wholesale engine to look and feel like their e-commerce platform — user-friendly and designed to convert. GlobeTrader uses sophisticated artificial intelligence (AI) tools that help our clients create a wholesale engine that fits with their brand and converts visitors into customers and orders. This is extremely important to us and something we spend a lot of time working on.
TB: Have you noticed any changes in the wholesale and distribution industry since the recent developments in the global supply chain?
PO: Absolutely. One of my favorite features we are working on and will be released in our next major update is the ability for product owners to monitor and forecast when they need to place their next orders all the way down to the SKU level. Supply chain issues have always been challenging but it’s even more important today to have software tools that can assist you in real time by updating you when it’s time to re-order based on your current sales velocity and changing lead times. This is another one of those AI features that we are really excited about for our users.
TB: How does GlobeTrader prepare its users for success in today’s market?
PO: As any brand or product owner already knows, managing wholesale customers and orders requires constant attention and preparation. There are hundreds, if not thousands, of moving parts and details that must be accounted for on a weekly basis. These tasks take a lot of time and require consistent attention to detail. Mistakes can pile up and get expensive. It’s important to have a reliable platform that provides a source of truth and 360-degree visibility of all your critical data in one place. Using disparate systems only creates inconsistent and unreliable outcomes. GlobeTrader solves these order management issues with highly intelligent software solutions. For example, GlobeTrader automatically syncs with the clients’ ship station account or warehouse system so there’s no need for manual data entry which is prone to error. The order gets shipped seamlessly and error-free.
TB: From your experience, what advice would you give to business owners looking into wholesale distribution?
PO: I would encourage anyone that has a good product to seriously consider growing their business in as many distribution channels as they can. Wholesale distribution is not for the faint of heart, but if you have the right product, team, and software tools, it is definitely worth pursuing. B2B sales (wholesale opportunities) are 7 to 14 times the size of B2C sales globally depending on the industry. It’s an absolutely massive opportunity for any brand or product owner that has a good product line.
There are obviously a lot of considerations (i.e. cost, marketing, packaging, logistics, etc.) but as a general rule, I always encourage brands and product owners to start thinking about their wholesale business as early as possible. It’s a lot of work so getting started earlier really helps in the long run.
I also encourage product owners to build the relationships that will be the foundation for their wholesale business. Start reaching out to other wholesalers, 3PL warehouses, and sales rep firms. These can become some of your most valuable relationships and resources as you launch your wholesale business. GlobeTrader should definitely be one of those relationships as well. Our team’s experience and expertise in helping launch thousands of products in more than 90 countries around the world including in the United States, would be invaluable to any product owner interested in selling to high-volume wholesale buyers.
TB: What can product owners look forward to with GlobeTrader?
PO: GlobeTrader is packed with features designed to help product owners increase their sales while saving a tremendous amount of time and money. I encourage product owners to go to globetrader.com to book a software demo with me or better yet, sign up for a free trial so they can see for themselves all the tools and resources we’ve developed that will immediately benefit their business. There’s no payment required or any risk to try. And, of course, even if they’re not ready for a wholesale order management system just yet, we’re always eager to hear from product owners and learn how we can help them grow.
Brands interested in streamlining their wholesale distribution are encouraged to visit the company’s website, globetrader.com, to sign up for a free trial.
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