Manual entry of invoices from wholesalers into the PcMarket system consumes hours and generates errors. Learn step by step how to check which suppliers offer electronic invoices and automate this process, regaining time and gaining full control over deliveries.
Daily work in a store involves constant juggling of tasks. One of the most time-consuming and thankless is manually transcribing data from purchase invoices into a sales system, such as PcMarket. Each item – product name, EAN code, quantity, purchase price, VAT rate – must be entered manually. This process, repeated for hundreds of products from several different wholesalers, becomes a logistical nightmare.
Think of it this way: if entering one invoice with 50 items takes an average of 15-20 minutes, then with several deliveries a day, it’s easy to lose over an hour. Over the course of a week, that’s an entire workday spent on a task that a computer could accomplish for you. Time that could be spent talking to customers, analyzing sales, or planning promotions is irretrievably lost on tedious data entry.
However, lost time is just part of the problem. Much more dangerous are the errors that inevitably occur with manual work. Just one mistake in the purchase price can cause an entire batch of goods to be sold with the wrong margin, generating losses instead of profits. An incorrectly entered EAN code causes chaos in the warehouse, and a mistake in quantity means the system shows availability for goods that are physically not on the shelf – leading straight to customer frustration.
A grocery store in Manchester struggled with continuous discrepancies between actual and system inventory. After analysis, it turned out that over 80% of errors stemmed from mistakes made during manual entry of deliveries. Automating this process nearly completely eliminated the problem within a month.
The solution to the problem of manual data entry is automation based on Electronic Data Interchange (EDI). In the context of deliveries to the store, this most often takes the form of an electronic invoice or delivery document (often referred to as an e-invoice, although it is not always an invoice in the accounting sense). It’s simply a computer file that contains the same information as its paper counterpart, but in a structured format, understandable by software.
Instead of printing the document, the wholesaler provides it in the form of a file that you can download from their B2B platform or receive by email. The most popular formats are:
The PcMarket program is factory-prepared to handle such files. It has built-in tools that allow for so-called “data mapping.” This means that you indicate to the program once which column in the supplier’s file corresponds to a specific field in the system (e.g., the “Product_Code” column is “EAN Code,” and “Net_Price” is “Net purchase price”). After such configuration, the entire import process comes down to a few clicks.
Checking whether your suppliers allow data export and configuring the system is easier than it seems. Follow the steps below to free yourself from manual invoice entry once and for all.
Start by preparing a list of 5-10 largest wholesalers from whom you regularly order goods. Focus your efforts on them first, as automating deliveries from key partners will yield the greatest time savings. There’s no point in immediately dealing with small, sporadic suppliers.
Contact your sales representative or customer service department of each selected wholesaler. Your inquiry should be specific. Ask directly: “Do you provide invoices or delivery documents in an electronic format intended for import into the sales system?” If the answer is yes, ask for details:
Request a sample file. It’s crucial for you to assess its quality and usability before starting the configuration.
You have received the file from the supplier. Open it and check if it contains all the necessary information. The most important element is the barcode (EAN), as it serves as the unique identifier for the product in your PcMarket system. If the file lacks EAN codes and instead contains internal codes from the wholesaler, import is still possible, but it will require additional work to link these codes to your records.
Also, ensure that prices (net or gross) and quantities are correctly formatted. Sometimes wholesalers include goods with different VAT rates in one file – check if this information is also included in the file.
Once you have the file and know that the data is complete, you can proceed to configuration. In the PcMarket program, the module for importing trade documents is used for this purpose. The process involves creating a so-called “import definition” for each supplier. In this definition, you “map” the fields, indicating to the program which column in the file should provide the EAN code, which should provide the quantity, and which should provide the price.
For popular wholesalers, there are often ready-made definitions that only need to be imported. However, if the file format is non-standard, a new definition will need to be created. Although the program’s interface is user-friendly, at this stage it’s worth considering technical support to ensure everything is set up correctly from the start.
Before importing your first real, large invoice, conduct a test. Use the previously received sample file or request a file from a small, test delivery. Import the document and carefully check if PcMarket correctly created the PZ document (external receipt). Verify that all goods have been added, that inventory levels match, and that purchase prices are correct. Such a test will help catch any configuration errors and avoid problems at the production stage.
A store owner in Northampton, after implementing imports from their main dairy supplier, reduced the time for accepting the morning delivery from 45 minutes to just 5 minutes. This time is now used to prepare the store before opening.
Implementing automatic invoice import is not just a convenience but a strategic business decision. Here are the main benefits you will achieve:
Don’t put off this change for later. Today, choose three key suppliers and send them an inquiry about the possibility of electronic data exchange. This one simple step could be the beginning of a revolution in managing your store that will bring you more time, money, and peace of mind.
