Streamlining & Automating Supplier Fee Collection With Custom Retail Software for the Largest Retailer in the Gulf

Summary

One of the Gulf region’s largest and most respected &link-/industry-specific-solutions/retail-it-solutions;retail&:link-/industry-specific-solutions/retail-it-solutions; organizations faced a &v-highlight;complex operational challenge managing supplier fees&:v-highlight; across thousands of vendors and millions of products. Existing systems failed to support dynamic rules, integration requirements, and approval workflows.

Mechsoft’s implementation of &link-/products/vendor-management-software;Ladders SFA&:link-/products/vendor-management-software; transformed their operations by &v-highlight;automating rule-based charges,&:v-highlight; enabling seamless integration, and streamlining approvals. This case highlights the impact of building custom retail software that can flex to scale and complexity. A &v-highlight;mission-critical solution&:v-highlight; for large retail ecosystems.

Overview

The client operates at a massive scale with a &v-highlight;footprint spanning multiple countries,&:v-highlight; hundreds of stores, and thousands of suppliers. Their challenge was ensuring accurate and timely management of supplier-related charges, all within an interconnected, &v-highlight; high-volume ecosystem.&:v-highlight;

Business challenge

With &v-highlight; millions of SKUs&:v-highlight; and complex promotional campaigns, the client’s supplier fee processing became a significant operational bottleneck. &v-highlight; Manual calculations, rigid systems, &:v-highlight; and limited transparency were causing &v-highlight; missed revenue &:v-highlight; opportunities and process delays.

&v-highlight;Key challenges included &:v-highlight;

&v-highlight;Integration:&:v-highlight; Need for smooth connection with contract management, purchase systems, and finance tools

&v-highlight;Customization:&:v-highlight; Requirement for highly &v-highlight;configurable charging rules &:v-highlight; based on country, supplier, product, and promotion combinations

&v-highlight;Workflows:&:v-highlight; Dynamic, &v-highlight;multi-step approval &:v-highlight; chains for different fee request types

Managing this with legacy systems was unsustainable as they needed a robust, scalable supplier fee automation solution that worked across functions and geographies.

Solution approach

1. Seamless Integration with Enterprise Systems

Ladders SFA was integrated into the client’s digital landscape, enabling &v-highlight;secure data exchange &:v-highlight; with:

• &v-highlight;Supplier contract management &:v-highlight; systems
• &v-highlight;Purchase management &:v-highlight; tools
• Financial and accounting platforms

This ensured real-time synchronization across departments and reduced silos between operations, finance, and procurement.

2. Configurable Charging Rules Engine

We implemented a custom &v-highlight;rule-based module &:v-highlight; that supported:

• Charging configurations by country, supplier category, product line, or active promotion
• Easy updates to rules without code-level changes
• &v-highlight;Transparent fee calculation logic &:v-highlight; accessible to stakeholders

This flexible engine enabled the client to adapt fee strategies dynamically across regions and campaigns.

3. Dynamic Approval Workflows

To handle various request types, we introduced a &v-highlight;visual workflow engine &:v-highlight; that:

• Mapped different fee types to multi-tiered approval chains
• Enabled &v-highlight;role-based escalation &:v-highlight; paths
• Maintained audit logs and status visibility for all requests

This not only streamlined approvals but also ensured accountability and process compliance.

Key features delivered

• Full integration with supplier contracts, purchase orders, and finance modules
• Highly &v-highlight;customizable charging &:v-highlight; engine adaptable to business needs
• Dynamic, rule-driven approval workflows
• &v-highlight;Automation of fee distribution &:v-highlight; across multiple store accounts
• &v-highlight;Transparent billing reports &:v-highlight; for suppliers and internal teams
• Scalable architecture for future multi-country expansion

Outcome & results