As an Amazon seller, how long do you spend each week checking your Fulfillment by Amazon inventory and deciding what to restock? Maybe you download inventory reports and use Excel formulas. Maybe you make a mistake… or decide to just go with your best guess. (You’re only human, after all!)
Now, imagine you have to do the same thing for many other sellers too, with a wide array of products. It’s taking time away from everything else you could be doing to grow your business. That’s what life was like for Seller Presto before they found RestockPro.
“Previously we were using a manual system where we would be downloading inventory reports from Amazon for each client. We would then have to open up each spreadsheet and apply macros and formulas to obtain a recommendation of stock based on the last 30 days’ worth of sales for each unit,” said Michael Currell, an account manager and PPC specialist at Seller Presto.
“As you can imagine, having a wide and diverse array of clients, this quickly became time-consuming and would be taking valuable hours that could be utilized elsewhere.”
The team used all day every Monday to go through the process, then went back into each client’s account every Friday to double-check things before the weekend. So, inventory recommendations took at least one full day each week. “Because we were doing that, we were struggling to fit the clients’ other duties in, and we felt like we weren't giving them the service that they required,” said Michael.
Besides that, there was the risk of human error, especially after looking at so many SKUs in a row. “So we thought there must be some sort of better solution out there for us,” said Michael.
Michael and the Seller Presto team searched for a better solution for two years. They looked at several other software tools that didn’t quite fit their needs. “We never found one that provided just the features that we wanted. Or, they did provide it, but it was hidden amongst a thousand other features that we would never ever use… And the price of it was absolutely ridiculous,” said Michael.
Luckily, they came across RestockPro, which gave them all the information they needed for their clients. Convenient color-coded flags show which items are running low, nearly out of stock, or already out of stock. Suggested reorder quantities—based on real sales data and lead times—are provided for each SKU, creating a simple to-do list.
Plus, RestockPro tracks information like fees and margins, backing up those restock suggestions to help sellers make informed choices. Last but not least, RestockPro’s affordable price point and purpose-built agency package make it affordable for Seller Presto to use for all their clients.
Now, Michael says, he and the Seller Presto team have set up their Restock Suggestions Report in RestockPro so that they receive an automated email every Monday morning, showing the suggested reorder quantities and other relevant data for the SKUs that need replenishment. Then, they just forward it to their clients.
What used to take about 10 hours per week now takes a few minutes. As Michael put it, “Wow. You add that up over a month, that’s a week. That’s a week every month!"
Because of the time saved with RestockPro, Seller Presto has been able to focus on other ways to help clients, including more one-to-one meetings. As a result of this exemplary service, Amazon has recognized Seller Presto as a leading agency in their areas of expertise. The agency has also been nominated for the Amazon Ads Challenger award, which will be awarded in New York in October 2023.
In addition to saving Seller Presto so much time, Michael says RestockPro has improved their accuracy. “The moment that we set it up we could see what RestockPro was suggesting was different to what we were suggesting to the clients,” said Michael. “Now that we had a look into it in a little more detail, we think what we were telling them to send was actually slightly inaccurate.” By analyzing more than 70 data points, RestockPro is able to provide better replenishment suggestions, without messy spreadsheets.
As for the clients, they trust the weekly reports they’re receiving from RestockPro, via the Seller Presto team. Michael hasn’t heard any comments or complaints: “They just expect it to be right…which is how it should be.”
Trust is huge for keeping Seller Presto’s clients around. “They’re not tied into any long contracts, because we feel like if you're tied into a long contract, maybe you sort of lose a bit of confidence,” said Michael. “We want the clients to think, ‘Okay, we’re happy to spend money.’ They're happy to give us the money each month.”
Given that some of their clients have appeared on Shark Tank and Dragon’s Den, that happiness is a big compliment to Seller Presto and the tools and processes they’ve chosen to use, including RestockPro.
Just as their clients are happy with them, Seller Presto has been happy with the eComEngine team.
I must compliment the customer support from RestockPro. I have had video meetings, calls, and support…and their knowledge, attitude, and professionalism is second to none and a credit to the company.”
Overall, RestockPro has been a great choice for Seller Presto. “It’s the best decision we’ve made,” said Michael.
If you're a current RestockPro user who would like to share your story in an upcoming case study, please contact us.