Taking Stock of Mobility: Direct Sellers Get Smart with Real-time Global Inventory Intelligence

    PROVO, UT, November 25, 2013 /24-7PressRelease/ -- The recent update of Access Technology Solutions' (ATS) industry-leading Global Access platform launches a robust new mobile interface that automatically pushes direct sellers real-time global inventory intelligence. The platform's mobile front-end takes global warehousing and distribution management to new levels by providing 24/7 visibility into warehouse activity, international stock levels, order processing and product delivery status.

Mobile innovations are streamlining the flow of global supply and distribution data, providing sellers more freedom and control and improving the bottom line. Putting big data mobility in the hands of sophisticated direct sellers allows them to optimize purchase decisions, stage and transfer inventory more effectively, expertly manage safety stock levels, eliminate lost product and reduce overstocks. Highly tuned warehouse and inventory administration yields more responsive labor management, more efficient routing of warehouse activity and improves the overall productivity of global supply chains.

"Our investment in building a mobile front-end to Global Access offers clients immediate value on several fronts," explains Chris Boyle, ATS' CEO and co-founder. "Being able to respond to international supply and demand fluctuations instantly delivers opportunities to eliminate global distribution inefficiencies. The mobile interface also frees our clients to sell smarter and connect with new opportunities. No one understands the importance of getting in front of customers and partners instead of a sitting at the office PC more than our team."

Remember the "old days" when one had to head back to the office PC to check email? It's no secret that some direct sellers follow traditional practices; relying on weekly and monthly inventory reports that fail to provide them enough lead time to respond to fast-moving changes in demand that result in low stock levels. ATS' mobile Global Access offers ATS' clients distinct competitive advantages; providing global distribution transparency that lets them stay ahead of the pack by quickly responding to changes in supply and demand.

Eliminating data latency can positively impact an international direct seller's bottom line in multiple ways. One way is by helping them forecast supply constraints more quickly and respond by making smarter international shipping decisions. Direct seller's profit margins can take a big hit when unexpectedly low inventory levels result in the operations staff being forced to ship product by air instead of ocean. Air express shipments cost significantly more than ocean freight, so tools like mobile Global Access are helping ATS clients expertly and cost-effectively navigate supply and demand curves.

The real-time responsiveness of ATS' mobile Global Access platform also provides demand management capabilities that help direct sellers improve the overall performance of marketing campaigns. Like other retailers and direct marketers catering to today's deal-driven consumer marketplace, direct sellers increasingly rely on advertising and promotions to drive sales. By pushing real-time data to marketers on the go, Global Access offers them up-to-the-minute insights into the performance of promotional campaigns. This allows them to quickly refine and optimize campaigns so that they are directly aligned with the supply of product on hand needed to meet the demand created by the promotional campaigns.

"We see the mobile extension of Global Access as another way to help our savvy direct marketing clients," continued Boyle. "Today the direct sellers we take global are more innovative than ever and are open to new ideas and smarter ways of doing business. They're young and energetic and we increasingly see a digital-native mindset that demands global, mobile and social tools as the foundations of how they want to go to market and serve their customers. This new wave of clients relies on innovation to connect with global opportunities. We've learned a lot by working with them and the re-launch of Global Access with mobile capabilities is one way we're helping them execute on opportunities."

The direct selling industry is getting younger. Until recently, the median age of most U.S. direct sellers ranged from 45 to 50. But a recent Direct Selling Association census found that the largest percentage of these direct sellers is now within the 30 to 46 age bracket. Nowhere is the changing dynamic of the direct selling community more apparent than on the international side of the industry where the trend towards younger distributors and sales reps is accelerating. This is especially true for certain product categories that hold special appeal for younger direct sellers -- categories like cosmetics, personal care and wellness products that are the fastest-growing international direct-sold product categories.

This younger, digital-native set has already connected with ATS' mobile innovation. The "hardworking, heads-down, iPhone-friendly" community of direct selling entrepreneurs embraces the real-time mobile capabilities of Global Access , especially the ability to use their smart phones and tablets to access universal order tracking, a newly mobile capability that now lets them track the global journey of product across carriers and throughout distribution channels 24/7.

About ATS Global Access
With ATS Global Access, ATS clients can also tap into a world class cloud technology and a network of logistics partners that offer both direct shipping from the US and global, in-country warehousing and customer support. The ATS Distributor Portal provides your international distributors with the same intuitive tools that support online registration, autoship management, downline reporting, and order tracking. The new mobile interface provides real-time visibility into international inventory and warehouse activity and delivers direct sellers more accurate and timelier assessments of stocks levels regardless of where their inventory is staged around the world.

Access Technology Solutions (ATS) is the leading international sales and logistics partner for the Direct Selling and digital commerce industry, helping some of the markets' biggest names expand overseas faster and with less risk and investment. ATS operates proprietary express shipping lanes throughout Asia-Pacific and Europe that offer companies a global means to profitably sell and distribute products at significantly lower costs and with demonstratively higher levels of client satisfaction.

ATS clients can tap into a world class network of logistics partners that offer both direct shipping from the U.S. and in-country warehousing around the world. In addition, ATS provides direct-to-consumer and retail brands with the ATS Distributor Portal , a service that combines native language websites, customer support, order capture and local payment methods. The easy-to-use portal supports online distributor registration, autoship management, downline reporting and much more. ATS also provides cargo freight, warehousing, and in-country distribution solutions as well as reverse logistics.

Goopping (www.goopping.com), ATS' package forwarding division, lets international shoppers purchase products from their favorite U.S. online retailers and get their orders shipped straight to their door.

For more information about how Access help grow your international sales, please contact Greg Johnson ([email protected]) at 801-420-9204.

# # #