An app for wholesale distributors: an order at the outlet in a minute, with prices and stock from 1C.
A sales rep arrives at a shop, checks the shelf and writes the order in a notebook or on WhatsApp, and in the evening a manager enters it into 1C. The app removes that step: the order is placed on the spot, even without internet, and goes straight to the warehouse.
In distribution an app has two scenarios. The first is for sales reps: the day's route, an outlet card with order history and balance, ordering at current prices and stock, shelf and display photos, a GPS visit check-in. Reps work in shop basements and on highways between cities, so the app must work offline and sync once a connection appears.
The second is for customers: a shop or café owner orders whenever convenient, sees their prices, supplier promotions and delivery status. This makes sense if you have hundreds of customers ordering regularly; otherwise a B2B portal with a mobile version is enough.
We build native apps in Swift and Kotlin with our own backend that exchanges data with 1C, plus an admin panel for the head of sales: plans, visits, performance by rep and territory.
What a wholesaler's app needs.
Daily visit plan, map of outlets, GPS check-in and check-out, reason for «no order».
Order history, average order, balance and credit limit, contacts, notes and tasks from management.
Catalogue, prices by customer type and stock are stored on the phone; the order is placed without connection and sent once the network returns.
Shelf and display photos, range presence checklists, price tags and promo — for manufacturers and chains.
Recording returns and defects, accepting payment with the amount logged, Kaspi QR at the outlet.
For the customer app: own prices, reorder, promotions, delivery status, invoices and waybills.
Products, prices, stock, counterparties and balances from 1C; orders, returns and payments back to 1C as documents.
Plan vs actual by rep, territory and brand, outlet coverage, average order, outlets that stopped ordering.
App screens.
- Employee or customer login by phone number and OTP
- Daily route and map of outlets
- Outlet card: history, balance, tasks
- Catalogue with search, prices and stock
- Cart and offline order placement
- Shelf photo and visit checklist
- Returns and payment collection
- Rep statistics: plan vs actual
- Sync status and send queue
Honestly: who will not get a return on an app.
If you have two or three sales reps and fifty regular customers, a custom app will not pay off. Orders and visits are covered by a CRM with a mobile version, and customers order through a B2B portal that works well in a phone browser.
A custom app is justified when you have five to ten reps or more, hundreds of outlets, routes outside the city, and need offline mode, shelf photos and visit control. A middle option is a PWA: installed from the website, works with a cache, no store publishing, from ₸1,200,000.
How we build it and how long it takes.
Review of sales processes and 1C configuration, screen prototype — 2 weeks. Design — 2 weeks. Backend, 1C exchange, offline sync, iOS and Android — 6–10 weeks. Pilot with 2–3 reps — 2 weeks, fixes based on real routes. Publishing to the App Store and Google Play or internal distribution for employees. In total, from 10–12 weeks to launch for the whole team.
What affects the price of the app.
An app for sales reps or customers on iOS and Android with 1C exchange — from ₸2,500,000, from 8 weeks. A PWA version without the stores — from ₸1,200,000. Support and development — from ₸60,000 per month.
The price goes up with: full offline mode with conflict resolution, merchandising and checklists, two apps (rep and customer), a non-standard 1C without ready exchange, several legal entities and warehouses. Base prices are on the mobile apps page.
The short version.
How much does an app for a wholesale company cost?
A native iOS and Android app starts at ₸2,500,000, a PWA at ₸1,200,000. Timeline — from 8 weeks. We give an estimate after reviewing processes and prototyping the screens.
Will the app work without internet?
Yes, for sales reps it is a must: the catalogue, prices, stock and outlet cards are stored on the phone, orders are queued and sent once a connection appears.
Why is this better than off-the-shelf sales rep tools?
Off-the-shelf services fit a standard process and charge a subscription per rep. A custom app makes sense when you have special pricing rules, merchandising for manufacturers or a customer account in the same product; if an off-the-shelf tool does the job, we will say so.
How does the app connect to 1C?
Through a backend that, on schedule and on events, pulls products, prices, stock and balances from 1C and sends orders and returns back as documents. We work together with your 1C developer.
Does an employee app have to be published in the stores?
Not necessarily: the Android version can be distributed directly, iOS via Apple's enterprise mechanisms or closed testing. The customer app is published to the App Store and Google Play under your name.
Same service for other industries
Have sales reps? Tell us about routes and outlets — we will say whether you need an app.
Tell us how many reps and outlets you have, which cities you serve and which 1C you use. We will reply with an estimate and a screen prototype within 2–3 business days.