How to organize sales by samples in a showroom

Sample-based sales look simple: the customer chooses, the consultant writes it down. In practice, between the sample on the floor and the order in the ERP system there are several places where information gets lost. This guide follows the whole path and shows how to organize showroom customer orders so that each step is done only once.

1. What sales by samples means

In a distributor's showroom, samples stand on the shelves and the goods themselves sit in the warehouse. The customer sees the product but does not take it away. So the order, not a receipt at the shelf, is the document everything else is built around: picking, payment, pickup. The full solution is described on the page about sales by samples.

2. Preparation: samples and price tags

The first condition is order on the floor. Every sample or price tag should carry a scannable code that matches the product in the ERP system. If a tag is missing or damaged, the consultant can search by name, but scanning remains the quickest and most reliable way. It is worth deciding early who checks the tags on the floor, and how often.

3. What the consultant does on the terminal

The flow is the same for every product:

1. Scan the sample or tag

   Or search by name when no code is at hand.

2. Check price and stock

   Stock by warehouse shows at once on the same screen.

3. Enter the quantity

   In the right unit: square metres, pieces or packs.

4. Pick the customer

   A private customer or a company, straight from the terminal.

5. Create the order

   The order gets a short code and goes to the ERP system.

The device and the app are covered on the page about the consultant's mobile terminal.

4. Where errors usually appear

Errors in showrooms tend to repeat in the same spots:

• Re-writing the order: what is noted on paper and typed in later can change on the way
• Unit of measure: square metres instead of packs, or the reverse, when a product is sold in several units
• Promises without stock: the customer hears "we have it" without anyone checking the right warehouse; see also the article on stock by warehouse
• Wrong customer: the order is tied to the wrong person or company, with the wrong invoicing details
• Forgotten documents: nobody knows who prints them, or when

The terminal lowers these risks through the way the flow is built: everything is picked from lists and scans, nothing is re-typed.

5. Choosing the customer

For a private customer, the consultant searches by phone or name, creates a new customer on the spot, or issues the order without details, with just the code. For a company they search by name or fiscal code; details can come from the ERP system or a public register, and the invoice type is chosen at order time. The differences are explained in the article on private customers and companies.

6. After the order is created

The order has a short, unique code, printed on the spot if wanted; read about it in the article on the pickup code. It goes to the ERP system automatically, with no second entry (how to avoid double entry). The warehouse picks it, the customer follows the stage on a screen, and at the till the code becomes a fiscal receipt.

7. A short checklist

• Samples and price tags carry scannable codes
• Products have the correct units of measure
• Consultants see stock by warehouse, not just a total
• The customer is chosen on the terminal, not noted separately
• The order reaches ERP without manual intervention

If you would like to see the flow on your own data, request a demo. For a wider look at mobile hardware in retail, see the retail terminals section.

Read next

• Sales by samples: the solution page
• How to choose showroom software
• Stock by warehouse in the showroom
• ERP integration