The usual worry about adding online ordering isn't the software — it's the customers. Will retailers who've called you for years suddenly be told to use an app? Will something break in the switch? In practice, most wholesalers add online ordering gradually, and phone and email orders don't have to stop.

What phone and email ordering actually costs you

Phone and email orders aren't wrong — plenty of wholesalers run entirely on them. The cost isn't the method itself, it's the re-entry: someone has to take the call or read the email, then type the order into whatever system you use to process and dispatch it. That's the step online ordering removes.

What online ordering doesn't change

  • You can keep taking phone and email orders and entering them manually, exactly as before
  • Your product range, pricing and delivery schedule stay the same
  • You still review and confirm every order before it's actioned — online orders don't skip that step
  • Retailers who never want to use it don't have to

A gradual way to introduce it

  • Start with one or two retailers who are comfortable ordering online, rather than announcing it to everyone at once
  • Keep taking phone and email orders for everyone else in the meantime
  • See how the online orders come through and whether the retailer actually prefers it
  • Expand to more retailers once you're confident it's working, rather than as a one-off switch

This also gives you a real answer to "will my retailers actually use this?" instead of guessing before you commit.

Worth noting

Some retailers will keep calling indefinitely, and that's a reasonable outcome. The goal isn't 100% online adoption — it's reducing re-entry for the retailers who are happy to order themselves, while leaving the phone available for everyone else.

Side by side

Phone and email orders compared with online ordering
Phone / email order Online order
Someone answers or reads it, then types it into your system Lands in your order list as the retailer entered it
Limited to your business hours (for phone) Retailer can order any time
Risk of mishearing or misreading an order Retailer selects from your actual product list
Works for every retailer regardless of comfort with apps Works best for retailers happy to self-serve

MenoLink supports both at once

Invite retailers who want to order online, and keep taking phone and email orders for everyone else — both land in the same order list.

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Common questions

Do I have to switch all my retailers to online ordering at once?
No. Most wholesalers move gradually — inviting a few retailers first, keeping phone and email available for everyone else, and expanding as it proves useful.
What happens to phone and email orders if I add online ordering?
They can continue as normal. Online ordering is an additional channel, not a replacement — you can still take and manually enter a phone or email order alongside online ones.
Will older or less tech-comfortable retailers struggle with online ordering?
Some might prefer to keep calling, and that's fine to allow. Others may find a simple mobile ordering screen easier than reading back a phone order correctly.
Does MenoLink charge retailers to order?
No. Retailer accounts are free. The wholesaler is the paying customer.