HighJump, a global provider of supply chain management software, announced the release of new functionality to its direct store delivery suite of solutions for wine and spirits distributors, HighJump™ RouteCenter and OmniTech Sales. With over 70 enhancements, this latest release includes upsell tools, advanced discount functionality, the ability to reserve product by route or salesperson, and purchase order automation.

“As competition and new consumer demands drive beverage makers to expand their portfolios, our goal is to enable distributors to turn what could be an obstacle into a competitive advantage,” said Joe Couto, senior vice president and general manager, HighJump.

“This latest version of HighJump RouteCenter contains incremental enhancements and new features that aim to help wine and spirits distributors effectively manage a growing number of SKUs, including ever-changing pricing, complex discounting, and the need to equip field representatives with up-to-the-minute information,” said Derek Curtis, vice president of sales, HighJump.

Some of the enhancements in the latest release include:

• Discount alerts: When entering an order, HighJump OmniTech Sales detects when a customer is close to earning a discount and notifies the salesperson. Distributors are enabled to set percent or unit thresholds and leverage that information to encourage upselling.
• Discounts by cases or units: Distributors can now indicate whether each discount should be applied to cases or units, as well as discount reward or break quantities in both case and unit figures accordingly.
• Purchase order automation tool: HighJump RouteCenter allows distributors to easily generate, email, and track purchase orders for their vendors. In addition, the tool calculates suggested purchase quantity and future out-of-stock date based on sales history and pallet configuration.
• Buy-in and round-house deals: Discounts are now applied throughout the duration of the buy-in period for all qualifying customers, even if the discount award changes. Additionally, salespeople are allowed to select free reward products from a list of qualified product.
• Product reservation by route or salesperson: HighJump RouteCenter aims to help distributors ensure key customers get the product they need, when they need it. Each salesperson is assigned reserved stock, which he can then allocate based on market demands and customer relationships. 

In addition, HighJump RouteCenter provides comprehensive invoice customizations to address tax and product spec complexity.

“Our business has grown dramatically over the past few years, adding over 180 suppliers and 3,500 SKUs to our portfolio. In addition, we’ve had to meet industry-specific requirements such as split-case deliveries, the ability to inventory both bottles and cases, revised credit terms, and a variety of discounting plans.  Throughout these challenges, HighJump has addressed all concerns and been a great partner in our success,” said Kurt Leinauer, vice president and general manager, Lohr Distributing Co.