Mistakes Brands Make as They're Scaling (And How to Solve Them)

The scale that enterprise-level brands operate on presents a double-edged sword. 

The scale that they operate under is what allows the revenue and profit that’s expected of large enterprise brands, but at the same time, the more an enterprise brand scales, the more complexities and obstacles can pop up, potentially slowing their growth and impacting retailer relationships. 

So, let’s take a look at the common mistakes enterprise brands (and growing brands) typically make, to see what you can do to overcome them. 

1. Losing Touch with Retailers

As your brand grows, organizational structures inevitably become more layered, and your direct communication with retailers can suffer. Decision-makers move further away from customer interactions, risking misalignment with market needs and retailer expectations.

This distance makes it easy to miss out on critical insights that retailers can provide, from product preferences to emerging trends. Staying connected with retailers requires intentional effort and consistent outreach. You should regularly reach out to your retailers for feedback and remain engaged at every level.

2. Navigating Internal Bureaucracy and Resistance to Change

As your organization gets larger, so do your approval processes for things that used to take much less time and effort to move along. This can slow down critical decisions, reduce responsiveness to market demands, and create resistance when new technologies or processes are introduced.

Create a culture that embraces flexibility and transparency to mitigate this issue. You need processes in place, but they don’t need to become roadblocks. Simplifying approval structures and clearly communicating the benefits of any new technology or process can reduce friction and promote quicker adoption across your teams.

3. Supply Chain Complexities

Expansion brings additional pressures on your supply chain. Inventory management becomes more complex, and there's an increased risk of disruption due to unexpected demand fluctuations or supplier delays. You’ll want some sort of tool or software that allows you to track and manage your inventory accurately in real time, or else you won’t be able to respond quickly enough when these issues arise. 

4. Data Fragmentation and Systems Integration

As brands grow, they tend to need more platforms, such as ERP systems, CRM software, and more to run their operations. Without integrations, these data silos will make your operations less efficient, less accurate, and cause more delays.  

Centralize your data and streamline how information flows between your department and you will see more efficient operations. 

5. Training and Change Management at Scale

Expanding wholesale operations often requires extensive training programs for larger teams, including sales reps, managers, customer support teams, and executives. Training isn’t just about getting teams acquainted with new software; it’s about communicating the "why" behind changes to ensure buy-in across all levels.

Clear communication plans and thorough onboarding processes help smooth these transitions, minimizing disruption to maintain your productivity while the change is happening. 

6. Rising Customer Expectations

Larger operations mean heightened expectations from your retailers. Retailers expect a consistent, professional, and seamless buying experience. Brands that can’t keep up risk losing valuable shelf space and damaging their reputation.

Adopting scalable customer support solutions and being transparent about any potential shortcomings will go a long way in maintaining a good relationship with your retailers and meeting their growing expectations. 

How RepSpark Helps Enterprise Brands Overcome These Challenges

RepSpark offers several robust features specifically designed to tackle these common enterprise challenges. 

Real-Time Inventory Management & Order Visibility

RepSpark's platform provides live inventory tracking, giving your team and retail partners immediate visibility into available stock, future availability, and accurate delivery timelines. With Order Status Tracking and Invoice & Package Tracking, retailers can independently monitor their orders, to significantly reduce back-and-forth communication, confusion, and frustration.

This clarity helps eliminate common supply chain pain points, to make sure that retailers always receive accurate, timely shipments. Trust us, this will result in stronger relationships and more trust from your retailers. 

Streamlined Ordering and Product Management Tools

RepSpark provides tools such as digital catalogs and custom line sheets, that make the order entry process simple for your retailers. Retailers and sales reps can place orders quickly and accurately, with little to no errors for fewer returns. With the time saved, you free up your team  to focus on strategic initiatives rather than troubleshooting wrong shipments.

Integrated Data and Reporting Capabilities

One of the biggest challenges for brands is fragmented data. RepSpark integrates smoothly with your existing systems (ERP, CRM, etc.), to create a unified platform. This seamless integration means you get consistent, accurate, and timely information across your entire wholesale ecosystem. 

Easily Communicate with Customers

The RepSpark Customer Communication Hub centralizes interactions between sales, customer service, and retailers. Tasks, conversations, and follow-ups are easily tracked and managed within the system to make your team more responsive to retailers' needs.

Simplified Change Management & Training Support

Implementing RepSpark across a large enterprise sales organization becomes simpler with comprehensive onboarding and training resources. RepSpark’s enterprise-focused training and ongoing customer support ensure that all team members, from field sales reps to top executives, are confidently onboarded and comfortable using the platform to make for a smooth transition. 

Enhanced Payment Management & Flexible Terms

RepSpark's RepSpark Pay and Accounts Receivable Hub streamline the financial aspects of wholesale. Retailers enjoy a simplified payment experience, while your internal teams benefit from efficient invoice management and cash flow visibility. Simplifying financial transactions further improves retailer satisfaction and loyalty, maintaining strong partnerships even at a large scale.

Make Sure to Stay Connected While You Scale

It’s hard to consistently deliver that personal touch to your retailers when you’re scaling. 

But if you can identify some of the challenges and mistakes we discussed to see if they apply to you, you can start addressing them before they start to present too large of a problem for your brand and your retailers. 

And the good news is that there are tools out there to help you do this. 

We think that we have the tools and features that will let you meet the expectations of your retailers and will still facilitate the scale that you’re operating under, so check out our full feature list to see how we can meet your needs. 

Remember that growth and scale doesn't need to compromise relationships. Equip your brand with the right tools, maintain open lines of communication, and proactively manage change to watch your wholesale success flourish.