Fulfillment Setup | Distributor and Direct Fulfillment Accounts
We thought it would be useful for you to see exactly how these portals are constructed so you can better understand how we make your fulfillment portal available to the retailers who enroll and select you as their distributor. We will go over how the Fulfillment Portal Accounts are set up and how your Astro Fulfillment Portal is linked to Astro Frequent Buyer Program(s) and or Offer(s).
Distributor Fulfillment Portal Account Setup
Image 1 (shown below) is an example of what the account setup currently looks like for our distributor portals. There are three sections where we can add information that will affect who can see you as a fulfillment partner when they go to enroll in a program, and this is only the half of it. The other half is how we link the distributor to a program or offer on the Manufacturer Program Portals. Manufacturer portals have their portals that house their actual Frequent Buyer Programs and Offers.
Image 1:
States Served
When we create a distributor portal on Astro, we have a section where we check the states that the distributor serves. If you have multiple divisions/warehouses with different delivery areas, it would be best to have multiple distributor portals on Astro, i.e., one for each warehouse.
If we check the boxes for NC, VA, SC, GA then only the retailers who have a physical address in those states will be able to see your distribution company listed as an option for a program or offer.
Canadian Provinces Served
We are now available in Canada, so we have a separate section for the distributors who service provinces in Canada. This section works the same way as we described in the States Served portion of this article. If the box for Alberta (AB) and British Columbia (BC) is checked then only retailers who have a physical address in AB and BC will be able to see you listed as a fulfillment option for a program or offer that your portal is associated with.
If you service both Canada and the USA, then we can check boxes for you in both sections.
Restricted to Location
Restricted to Location allows you to limit yourself as a fulfillment option for only specific retailers on Astro. So for example, if you only want to let Kat's Pet Food Shop report to you, then we will only check the box for Kat's Pet Food Shop. If you have a handful of retailers that you are allowing to report to you, then we can select more than one. We typically use this feature when we are setting up a smaller distributor or wholesaler that does not want to be seen as a fulfillment option for all retailers in a particular State.
Please note: You cannot have both State and specific Retailer's checked; the Retailer link will override the State link.
Notes
The notes section is where Astro team members record information to help recall what restrictions or allowances pertain to the account. For instance, if you bring on a new brand or you no longer carry a brand, or if you no longer service a particular state or province, we'll add a note here to remind us of these recent changes.
How Fulfillment Portals are Linked to Manufacturer Program Portals on Astro
When you tell us what Brands/Manufacturers you want to be a fulfillment partner for we reference the Brand/Manufacturer Program Portal and check the box that is associated with your fulfillment portal(s). Checking the box will create a link/partnership in Astro between the distributor and manufacturer.
When we check the box to indicate your distribution company's partnership with a specific brand/manufacturer it doesn't automatically add you to all programs or offers available in that MFG Portal, you can still decide which particular programs and offers your company wishes to associate.
To add a fulfillment portal to a specific program or offer we need to go into the individual program and edit it. When we indicate the distributor options within a program, only those partners that were previously selected will appear in the MFG Portal. We can now select the specific fulfillment portals that have agreed to receive redemption reports for this Program or Offer.
If there is a brand you carry and do not see on your Distributor Accounts, please let us know at distributor@astroloyalty.com so that we can get you added to their program.
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