Digital Transformation of a Traditional Distribution Company

The client was a traditional food distribution company with 30 years of experience, a solid client base and a reputation for reliability. However, in the last three years it had been losing market share to competitors who had invested in e-commerce platforms and digital ordering systems.

The company's clients — restaurants, hotels and catering companies — were increasingly demanding digital ordering: online catalogue, real-time stock, automatic invoicing. The company was managing all orders by phone and email, which generated errors, delays and a high administrative workload.

The owner knew he had to digitalise, but did not know where to start. He had received several proposals from technology providers, all of them complex, expensive and with implementation timelines of 12 to 18 months. He was afraid of disrupting his operations during the transition.

The first decision was to define a phased approach that minimised operational risk. Phase 1 — the B2B ordering portal — was designed to be operational in 8 weeks, with a simple interface that clients could use without training.

Internet Operadores developed the portal with the specific requirements of the food distribution sector: real-time stock, minimum order by product, automatic invoicing and integration with the company's existing accounting system. The portal was launched with a pilot group of 20 clients before the general rollout.

Phase 2 — ERP integration — was implemented in parallel with the portal rollout, connecting the new digital system with the company's existing management software. This eliminated the double data entry that had been the main source of errors.

Phase 3 — the mobile app — was launched in month 6, allowing clients to place orders from their mobile phones. The app included push notifications for promotions and stock alerts, which generated an additional increase in order frequency.

Eight months after the start of the project, 35% of orders were being placed through digital channels. The most digitally active clients — those who adopted the portal in the first month — had increased their average order value by 22%, driven by the ease of browsing the full catalogue.

Administrative errors — wrong orders, invoicing errors, stock discrepancies — were reduced by 28%. The administrative team, which had previously spent 40% of its time correcting errors, could now dedicate that time to client service and commercial development.

The mobile app generated an unexpected effect: clients who used it placed orders 35% more frequently than those who used the portal. The convenience of ordering from a mobile phone changed the purchasing behaviour of the most active clients.