QUOTING SOFTWARE FOR DISTRIBUTORS AND WHOLESALERS
Quoting software for distributors: from customer request to reviewed quote
Quoting software for a distributor, wholesaler, supply house or merchant has one hard job: turning whatever the customer sent into a correct, priced quote (a quotation, in UK and Irish usage), quickly. The request is rarely tidy. It arrives as an email, a PDF, a spreadsheet, a photo of a handwritten list or a text message, written in the customer’s shorthand and often with the customer’s own part numbers.
Qotora AI is quoting software built for that side of the counter. It reads the request as it arrives, finds each line in your own catalogue, applies your own price rules and prepares a quote that a person on your team reviews before it is sent. It does not invent prices, it does not replace the software you run, and nothing goes out without a human decision.
Last updated
Why a distributor’s quote is a different job
A distributor’s quote is rebuilt for every request, from a list the customer wrote, against a catalogue of thousands of items. That is why the work is slow, and why it is hard to fix with a generic template.
- The request comes first, the catalogue second. The customer writes “3/8-16 × 1-1/2 grade 5”, “C-fold towels, 4 cs” or “4 ft T8 tubes”, and someone has to decide which of your SKUs that means.
- The price belongs to the customer. Tiers, contract prices, quantity breaks and margin floors decide the number, not one list price.
- Units are a trap: each, box, case, pallet, foot, coil, per hundred, per thousand.
- Stock changes the answer. A quote for items you cannot ship this week is a different quote.
- Customers often ask more than one supplier, so a quote that waits in a queue competes with quotes that are already in.
Every line is a lookup, a stock check and a calculation. Those are the steps Qotora prepares for you.
How Qotora AI turns a customer request into a quote
- Receive the request in the form it arrives: email, PDF (native or scanned), Excel or CSV, a photo of a handwritten or printed list, plain text, or a voice note that someone on your team drops into Qotora.
- Find each line in your catalogue. Qotora reads the shorthand, looks for an exact hit first (your SKU, or a match your team confirmed before), then narrows by family and specifications.
- Apply your price rules. The customer’s tier, your discounts and your margin rules come from the software you already use and from the rules you set. Qotora never invents a price or a margin.
- Flag what is unclear. When a line could be several products, or is not in your catalogue, Qotora asks a precise question instead of guessing. Each line keeps the customer’s original wording next to the match.
- Review and send. A person on your team checks every line, adjusts what needs adjusting and sends the quote, as a PDF in your own template, by email or by link. Nothing is sent automatically.
What the customer sends
- 6 cs 33 gal black liners, 1.5 mil
- 4 cs C-fold white towels
- 2 gal floor stripper
- 12 – 4 ft T8 LED tubes, 4000K
- 1 – 6 ft fiberglass stepladder
The quote, ready to check
| Description / part no. | Qty | Unit price | Line total |
|---|---|---|---|
| Trash liner 33 gal, 1.5 mil, black, case of 100 — LNR-33-15B | 6 cs | $41.20 | $247.20 |
| C-fold towel, white, case — TWL-CF-WH | 4 cs | $38.50 | $154.00 |
| Floor stripper, 1 gal jug — STR-1G | 2 | $17.90 | $35.80 |
| LED tube T8 4 ft, 4000K — LED-T8-48-40 | 12 | $4.60 | $55.20 |
| Stepladder 6 ft, fiberglass — LDR-FG-06 | 1 | $89.00 | $89.00 |
| Total (sample) | $581.20 | ||
Illustration with sample products and prices. In your own account, part numbers and prices come from your catalogue and your price rules, and a person on your team reviews the quote before it is sent.
A typical request takes seconds to under a minute to prepare once your data is connected. Long PDFs and photos take longer, times vary with the request, and the time your team spends reviewing is on top.
What to look for in quoting software for a distributor
If you are comparing options, these are the questions that separate a distributor’s tool from a general proposal tool. This is how Qotora AI answers each one.
| You need | What Qotora AI does |
|---|---|
| To start from the customer’s request | Reads email, PDF, Excel, photos, voice notes and plain text, in the customer’s own shorthand. |
| To find the right product | Matches against your own products and part numbers, narrows by specifications, asks when a line could be several products. |
| Your prices, not generic ones | Customer tiers, discounts and margin rules come from your own data and your rules. No invented prices. |
| Stock on every line | Each line shows stock from your synced data. |
| A way to handle what is missing | Out-of-stock lines are flagged. Equivalents are proposed and never substituted without your confirmation. |
| A person in charge | Every quote is reviewed before it is sent. There is no automatic sending. |
| A quote that looks like yours | Your quote template is reproduced, so the PDF looks like the ones you send today. |
| No change to your software | Read-only. Qotora never writes into the software you use and never posts orders. |
Stock and price data are only as current as your own system. The workspace shows when your data last synced.
Your catalogue, your prices, your decision
- Your catalogue: Qotora matches against your products and keeps its own enriched copy beside them. Your original product names are never changed.
- Your price rules: tiers, discounts and margin floors are the ones you set. A warning appears when a line or the total falls below the floor.
- Your roles: the owner decides who sees margins and purchase prices.
- Your corrections: when your team fixes a line, the fix is remembered for the next request.
- Your overview: the owner dashboard shows quotes sent, response time, acceptance, average margin and the out-of-stock items customers ask for most.
What Qotora AI is not
Being clear about the edges spares you a wasted demo. Qotora is a quoting layer, so some jobs stay with other software.
- It is not a stock, accounting or customer-management system. You keep the software you run.
- It does not write into your software or post orders. When a customer accepts, your team enters the order as it does today.
- It does not configure products from option rules. If your quotes are configure-to-order, read about CPQ first.
- Wholesale Distribution Software + Quoting | Qotora AI
How Qotora sits in front of the software you already run, read-only.
- CPQ Alternative for Distributors | Qotora AI
When configure-price-quote fits, and when your catalogue and price rules are enough.
What it costs and how you start
The Counter plan is US$49 for the first month, then US$149 a month, for up to 150 quotes sent per month and unlimited users. Setup is included: our team connects Qotora to your software or imports your catalogue, stock and prices. You have a 7-day money-back guarantee, counted from the first quote you send with Qotora.
Distributors that send more can choose Team (US$349 a month, up to 500 quotes sent) or Network (US$799 a month, up to 2,000 quotes sent, several databases or branches). There is no per-user fee.
Frequently asked questions
What is quoting software for distributors?
It is software that helps a distributor answer customer requests with priced quotes. A distributor’s version has to read requests that arrive in many formats, find each line in a large catalogue, apply customer-specific prices and show stock. Qotora AI does that and leaves the final check to a person.
How is this different from the quote screen in my business software?
Qotora starts from the customer’s request instead of an empty quote screen: it reads the request and prepares the lines. The software you already use stays the system of record for stock, prices, orders and invoices, and Qotora only reads from it.
Does it work with the software I already use?
Qotora works with whatever software you use: we connect it with read-only access, or import your catalogue, stock and prices. The free consultation is where we check how your system would connect.
Can it quote from a photo or a voice note?
Yes. Requests can arrive as an email, a PDF, an Excel file, a photo of a handwritten list, a text message or a voice note. Someone on your team drops what the customer sent into Qotora. Lines that cannot be read with confidence are flagged for you to check.
Who sets the prices on the quote?
You do. Prices come from your own catalogue data, and tiers, discounts and margins come from your rules. Qotora applies them and never invents a price or a margin.
Does a quote ever go out without my approval?
No. Every quote is reviewed by a person on your team before it is sent. There is no automatic sending.
How long does it take to prepare a quote?
A typical request takes seconds to under a minute to prepare once your data is connected. Long PDFs and photos take longer. Times vary with the request, and your team’s review time is on top.
What does it cost, and how many people can use it?
US$49 for the first month, then US$149 a month on the Counter plan (up to 150 quotes sent per month). Users are unlimited on every plan, setup is included, and there is a 7-day money-back guarantee, counted from your first quote sent.