Location Codes for Wholesale and B2B Distribution

A wholesaler or distributor serves hundreds of small outlets: corner shops, kiosks, pharmacies, market stalls and restaurants. Each has an account, a delivery day and, ideally, a driver who knows the way. The problem arises when the usual driver is sick, a route is reshuffled or a new outlet is added. Knowledge of "the blue shop behind the mosque" disappears with the person who held it.

Turning driver memory into data

Experienced drivers hold a mental map. Distributors that depend on that map are fragile. Recording a code for each outlet, ideally at the delivery door or the unloading kerb, turns tacit knowledge into a record that anyone can use.

What to capture per outlet

• Delivery point, the spot where the van stops.
• Shop door, if it differs, so that the driver knows where to walk.
• Back-door or yard access, for outlets with limited street frontage.
• Collection point for empties and returns, where crates or bottles go back.

Sales reps can create the code during an account visit, standing at the door, with a few taps. Drivers confirm it on the first delivery.

Benefits for the distributor

• Route planning uses real positions instead of whatever the driver's phone guesses from an address.
• New driver onboarding needs less accompanied riding.
• Substitute routes run smoothly during holidays and absences.
• Credit and collections visits can find the outlet without a guide.
• Territory planning can use the stored points in your own tools to see where outlets cluster.

Limits

A code is a pin, not a route. It does not sequence stops, estimate times or manage loads. It also cannot capture the customer's opening hours or who is authorised to sign for goods. Keep those in your order system.

Since many small outlets are informal, consider the privacy of the proprietors: an exact pin on a market stall is less sensitive than one on a family home, but treat both with care.

The documentation shows how to generate and look up codes with an API key, and the partner page explains how to get one. Related reading: courier and parcel companies and freight and trucking.

Piloting it on one route

A sensible pilot is a single route. Record codes for every outlet on it over one week, then let a substitute driver run the route using only those codes. The difficulties they hit show which records need a better description.