As a modern company, there are many ways in which you can conduct business. This also means that the type of customers you deal with is also likely to vary. The most common would be the retail customer. But what of trade customers? How do they differ from the more familiar retail customer?

Lets take a look at the key points that separate the two and how you work with each one in Cloud Commerce Pro.

Retail customers represent what most people would consider a "normal" customer. These are usually private individuals buying products from you. A retail customer typically pays for goods upfront, before dispatch.

In Cloud Commerce Pro, a retail customer differs from a trade customer in that an invoice is generated for their orders right away, at the point of order.

Trade transactions tend to be business to business. For example, one company might be acting as a wholesaler or distributor and their trade customers would buy from them, usually with the intention of reselling the products.

It is common for trade customers to have credit agreements with their suppliers. This means they do not pay for goods upfront like a retail customer, but are instead invoiced for the amount at an agreed upon time, such as 30 days.

In Cloud Commerce Pro, one of the main things that sets a trade customer apart from a retail customer is that their invoices are generated when the goods are dispatched rather than when the order was placed. It is also typical for trade customers to be given a proforma rather than a standard retail invoice. Proforma's are more of a statement of an amount owed due to trade customers typically having credit agreements. A proforma contains all the relevant tax and VAT information that a business would require in order to keep effective accounting records.

Cloud Commerce Pro provides your business effective ways to manage your trade and retail customers. From separating trade and retail orders while dispatching, organising trade discounts, setting custom pseudo stock levels for one or the other, to using automated triggers which ensure the correct documents are generated depending on the customer type.

Cloud Commerce Pro offers you the flexibility to manage your retail and trade customers in a way that fits your business needs.