This series uses Dingli, a Patisco demo account. Every system screen and all the data shown here came from real operations in the system, including the exchanges between buyers and suppliers; they are not mock-ups. The people and dialogue are dramatized, and the illustrations are for illustration only. Screens are shown in the system's Chinese interface; Patisco is also available in English and other languages.
In the story: opening day of the show, 10:20 a.m.
The unremarkable booth
The booth where A-Mei stops is tiny: one table, two people, and a row of chains.
She picks up an 11-speed chain, turns it once under the light, and runs a finger along the chamfer on the outer plate. Fine work.
"What's your monthly capacity?"
"Depends on the spec. We take small orders too." The young sales rep at the booth hands over a card. "We're second generation, and we want to do more direct exporting."
A-Mei takes the card. Dingli has always bought its chains from Hongtai. Ten years together, and Ms. Chang is lovely to work with. But Chairman Lin has said it many times: having only one supplier for anything is gambling on luck.
As she's leaving, the rep mentions, almost in passing: "Oh, I hear aluminum prices are going up next year. You'll want to prepare early for your forged parts."
A-Mei writes that down in her notebook and draws a tiny exclamation mark beside it.
Back at the office
The most tiring part of a show isn't standing for four days. It's what comes after.
In the old days, A-Mei's bag would hold thirty-plus business cards. In her first week back, she'd type them into Excel one at a time, then write to ask for catalogs and price lists. What came back would be PDFs, Excel files, and photos on LINE, every one in a different format. Three weeks later, to compare prices, she'd have to rework five companies' material into a single table.
And that note about aluminum prices going up would sit on some page of the notebook until the day prices really did rise.
How it goes in Patisco
Invite the supplier in.
Under seller management in [Partners], A-Mei adds this company, Shengda Chain, opens its detail page, clicks [Create invitation link], and sends it to the rep along with a line of greeting.
Once they accept, the status on the list changes to "Accepted." A-Mei can click [View business card] and see the company information they filled in themselves. She doesn't have to type it all over again.
See their catalog directly.
Once they share their catalog with Dingli, A-Mei can find it under [Seller product pages] at the top of the [Dashboard]. Every supplier's catalog is just as easy to get around: search by SKU, filter by category, look at the price range. Prices, and whether stock is visible, follow the trading terms they've given Dingli.
To compare prices, she no longer has to retype five companies' PDFs into one table. What she sees is the data in their system right now.
If something looks good, send an inquiry first.
Add the items of interest to the cart and click [Create inquiry]. The system opens a draft inquiry straight away, and A-Mei sends it once she's checked it. All further exchanges stay on that document.
Document 101｜Inquiry: A document from buyer to seller that says "I want these things, about this many, by about this date," and asks for a quote. It's not an order yet, just the opening question. But ask clearly and the quote you get back will be accurate. Ask vaguely and you get a vague quote, then several more rounds of back-and-forth.
A-Zhe walks by and takes a look. "You're looking for a new chain maker? Does Hongtai know?"
"It's just one more as a backup," A-Mei says. "I'll talk to Ms. Chang myself."
What she doesn't say is that the more she looks at that exclamation mark in her notebook, the less easy she feels.
Before vs. with Patisco
| Before | With Patisco | |
|---|---|---|
| Business cards | Typed into Excel one by one | Invite them in, and read the business card they filled in themselves |
| Their product data | PDFs, Excel files, photos, all in different formats | The catalog they share, laid out the same as everyone else's |
| Comparing prices | Retype five companies' data into one table | See their current prices and stock directly (per their settings) |
| Inquiring | Write an email, wait for a reply, organize it all | Open an inquiry straight from the cart, with all exchanges kept on the document |
A word for the boss: Don't wait for trouble to find a backup supplier. Stay connected in ordinary times, and when you really need one, a click is all it takes to compare.
Further reading
- After finding a product in the catalog, how to add it to the cart and continue purchasing
- How to search a seller's product catalog for a specific product