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: The same day, 10:00 a.m.
Full
200 chains, in the same shipment.
Hongtai's capacity was full this month. The new plating line had only just started up, and Ms. Chang said the middle of next month was the earliest they could manage.
A-Mei flipped to the last few pages of her notebook, where she kept a list of backup chain makers. One of them was Shengda, whom she'd met at the fair.
"Does Shengda have stock on hand?" A-Zhe asked.
"I'll ask around."
How it used to go
"Asking around" used to look like this:
A-Mei calls Shengda, and their salesperson says, "Let me check and get back to you." She calls two more makers. One says they need to ask the warehouse. The other's salesperson is off today.
At 3 p.m., the first one gets back: "We have 120, but I'm not sure it's the spec you want." The second gets back the next day. The third salesperson returns from leave on Thursday.
Meanwhile, Jonas has emailed again: "Any update on the 200 chains?" All A-Zhe can say is: "We're checking with our suppliers."
How it goes in Patisco
Open the supplier's catalog, and the stock is right there
Shengda got connected back in #5 and shared its catalog with Dingli. A-Mei opens [Seller product pages], clicks into Shengda's catalog, and searches for 11-speed chain.
The product card says [Stock 300].
No phone call, no waiting for a reply. This figure is the one in Shengda's own system.
The catch: the supplier has to let you see it
This doesn't appear automatically for every supplier. Whether stock is visible is the supplier's decision: in the trading conditions Shengda gives Dingli, it has turned on [Stock quantity visible].
If the supplier hasn't turned it on, the catalog shows nothing at all. If it has, there are three possibilities:
- [Stock N]: in stock, with the number available right now;
- [Out of stock — backorder accepted]: none on hand, but the supplier will take the order and then produce it;
- [Out of stock]: none on hand and no orders taken, so [Add To Cart] is disabled.
A-Mei thought about it. "Shouldn't Dingli let Jonas see our stock too?"
Good question. The trading conditions Dingli gives Velostrada have the same switch.
Before switching suppliers, ask the customer
The stock was there, but A-Zhe didn't order right away. Even with the same spec, when the same item number comes from a different maker, the customer needs to know first.
In the discussion on PI-0411, he sent Jonas Shengda's spec and test report: "Extra 200 chains from our second source, same spec. OK?"
Jonas replied: "Send me 2 samples first. If they pass, OK."
A-Mei added this chain to the cart from Shengda's catalog. Shengda's minimum order quantity is 100 chains, so the cart starts at 100. She clicked [Create inquiry], then spelled it out in that order's discussion: two samples first, and what's the delivery time on the main order?
Before vs With Patisco
| Before | With Patisco | |
|---|---|---|
| Asking about stock | Three phone calls, two days of waiting | Open the supplier's catalog and see [Stock N] |
| How reliable the number is | "Should be some, I think" | The figure in the supplier's own system |
| The customer waiting | "We're checking." | You can answer the same day |
| The catch | — | The supplier has turned on [Stock quantity visible] |
A word for the boss: A backup supplier's value isn't the name on a business card. It's being able to see how much they have on the day you need it.Moments in Trade #16｜Chasing shipments in the LINE groupShengda's samples would reach Hamburg on Wednesday.As for Hongtai's main shipment, Ms. Chang said on LINE: "Delivery next Wednesday."A-Mei wrote "next Wednesday" in her notebook and drew a big question mark next to it. Ten years of working with Hongtai had taught her that "next Wednesday" can mean several things.