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- Web & Mobile
- B2B SaaS
- Distribution
- Field Sales
From the store shelf to QuickBooks, in one platform.
Project facts.
- Client
- SimplyDepo — a US-based B2B SaaS platform helping CPG brands and distributors manage sales, inventory, orders, and accounting.
- Project type
- B2B SaaS platform design and development
- Timeline
- 5 years · Ongoing
- Technologies
- Flutter, React, TypeScript, Node.js, PostgreSQL
- Engagement
- Full-cycle development · From MVP to platform
- Industry
- CPG · Wholesale Distribution · Field Sales
- Our role
- Product management, BA, web & mobile development, QA
- Team
- 23 specialists (PM, developers, QA)
- Platforms
- Web · iOS · Android
In short.
Distribution, made simple.
For five years PettersonApps has been building SimplyDepo, a US B2B SaaS for CPG brands and distributors. Field reps, the back office and customers work in one system: a web back office, an offline-ready mobile app, a customer storefront and QuickBooks Online sync.
Beyond the basics.
More than just order management.
Additional features that help distributors streamline field operations, manage customers, and keep business data connected.
| Feature | Implementation | User value |
|---|---|---|
| 01Shelf inspections | Digital forms, photos, and stock checks | Better visibility into store conditions |
| 02Route planning | Territories, stops, and rep assignments | More organized field visits |
| 03Flexible pricing | Custom price lists and discounts | Accurate pricing for every customer |
| 04Accounting sync | QuickBooks Online integration | Less manual work and fewer errors |
01
Shelf inspections
- Implementation
- Digital forms, photos, and stock checks
- User value
- Better visibility into store conditions
02
Route planning
- Implementation
- Territories, stops, and rep assignments
- User value
- More organized field visits
03
Flexible pricing
- Implementation
- Custom price lists and discounts
- User value
- Accurate pricing for every customer
04
Accounting sync
- Implementation
- QuickBooks Online integration
- User value
- Less manual work and fewer errors
Client.
A founder who knew the challenges.
The founder of SimplyDepo also runs his own drinks brand, GNGR Labs. Selling it through distributors, he saw the same problem again and again: running the business meant juggling several apps that did not talk to each other.
- Client
- SimplyDepo · USA
- Product
- Cloud B2B SaaS for distribution and field sales
- Decision maker
- Founder
- Starting point
- A .NET web prototype by another vendor
- Main concern
- Scalability
- What they lacked
- Product management and business analysis
Our first decision
Restart on Node.js and React.
The client came with a .NET prototype built by another team. We convinced the founder to rebuild on a JavaScript/TypeScript stack shared by the backend and the web apps — with scalability, his main concern, in mind from day one.
Challenge.
Three teams.
One platform.
In CPG and B2B distribution the work is split: reps are in the field, the office runs orders and stock, accounting keeps its own books. Every hand-off means re-typing data — and mistakes in prices, stock and orders.
Before
Separate tools
- Reps, office and accounting each work in their own tool
- The office re-enters orders, prices and stock by hand
- Accounting reconciles everything again in QuickBooks
- No signal in a store means no order
With SimplyDepo
One shared platform
- Reps place orders during the visit — even offline
- Office processes orders, stock and payments in one back office
- Invoices and customers sync with QuickBooks Online
- Customers reorder themselves in the storefront
Challenge statement
Distributors needed one place to run field sales, orders and stock — one that keeps reps working on unstable internet and stays in sync with accounting, so less is typed twice and fewer mistakes reach customers.
Order journey.
From shelf to QuickBooks — without re-typing.
- 1
09:12 · Store visit
Shelf check
Low stock — reorder required
Low stock
- 2
09:15 · No signal
Order built offline
3 items · queued on the phone
Queued
- 3
09:41 · Back online
Synced
Prices and stock re-checked on the server
Synced ✓
Order #14541 placedGreen Harbor Market · now - 4
09:42 · Back office
Order #14541
Green Harbor Market · $149.40
Processing
- 5
09:43 · QuickBooks Online
Invoice created
Customer and invoice matched · no duplicates
In accounting
Solution.
One platform for all.
We built SimplyDepo from scratch, starting with a merchandising MVP — customer list, rep management, check-in/check-out and shelf photos — and grew it into a full distribution platform.
- Web
Distributor back office
Customers, catalog, prices, stock, orders, payments, routes and reports.
- Mobile · iOS & Android
Rep & merchandiser app
Visits, check-ins, shelf photos, forms and orders — with offline mode and sync.
- Web
B2B ordering portal
Customers browse the catalog and reorder on their own, without waiting for a rep.
- Integrations
QuickBooks Online & more
Invoices, customers and payments flow to accounting without re-typing.
Platform architecture.
SimplyDepo system architecture.
Mobile, web and storefront apps share one Node.js backend on Google Cloud, with storage and integrations behind it.
Field reps & merchandisers
Mobile app
Flutter · iOS & Android · offline queue + sync
Offline syncorders
Distributor office
Web back office
React · Redux · admin & reports
RESTHTTPS
Customers
Storefront
React · catalog & self-service orders
RESTHTTPS
Our scope · Google Cloud
Cloud backend & API
Node.js · Express · Prisma · Cloud Run
- Auth & roles
- Customers, catalog & pricing
- Orders, invoices & payments
- Sync API for mobile & web
- Integrations layer
- Data isolation per distributor
Pub/Subjobs
Async · Pub/Sub
Background workers
imports · documents · notifications
Internalevents
Syncwebhooks
Integrations
QuickBooks Online
+ other accounting, trade and logistics systems · webhooks · retries without duplicates
Storage
PostgreSQL
core data
Storage
Firebase
Firestore · Cloud Storage
- REST · HTTPS
- Offline sync
- Internal
Simplified view of the production platform
Offline syncorders
RESTHTTPS
RESTHTTPS
Pub/Subjobs
Syncwebhooks
Internal events
Our scope · Google Cloud
Cloud backend & API
Node.js · Express · Prisma · Cloud Run
- Auth & roles
- Customers, catalog & pricing
- Orders, invoices & payments
- Sync API for mobile & web
- Integrations layer
- Data isolation per distributor
- REST · HTTPS
- Offline sync
- Internal
Simplified view of the production platform
Mobile
- Flutter
- Dart
- iOS & Android
Web
- React
- TypeScript
- Redux
Backend
- Node.js
- Express
- Prisma
- Pub/Sub
Cloud & Data
- Google Cloud Run
- PostgreSQL
- Firebase
Inside the product.
Distribution in action.
Real SimplyDepo screens — from the rep’s visit to the report the owner reads at the end of the week.
01Store visits
Every store visit, documented
Retail execution in the app: reps fill in shelf checklists and take photos. The office sees a photo feed tagged “out of stock”, “competition promo” or “perfect shelf” — and knows what to reorder.
02Routes
Routes planned in the office, followed in the field
Territories, stops and rep assignments are set up on the web; the rep gets the route on a map with check-in and order actions at each stop.
03Offline mode
Orders that don't wait for signal
In a store with weak or no signal the rep still builds the order. It is queued on the phone and synced when the connection returns — then checked against current prices and stock.
04Reports
Field activity turned into numbers
Sales over time, fill rate, on-time deliveries and orders vs returns by product — for the owner and the sales manager.
Hard parts.
All systems in sync.
An order can be created on a phone without internet, processed in the office and then synced to QuickBooks Online. Each step can fail on its own — and nothing may be lost or counted twice.
- 01
Offline sync
While a rep works offline, prices, stock or product availability can change on the server.
- 02
Integrations
Mapping entities and statuses between systems, partial failures and retries without duplicates.
- 03
End-to-end testing
Many roles, distributor settings, document states and lost-connection scenarios to cover.
- 04
Data isolation
Every distributor’s data stays separate on a shared multi-tenant platform.
Example 1
An order created offline
By the time the phone syncs, a product may be unavailable. Simply retrying does not help.
What we did
We defined a recovery flow: a visible error status, the problem lines explained, and the order editable before it is sent again. QA covered scenarios where server data changes during offline work.
Example 2
A mismatch with QuickBooks Online
“The numbers don’t match” had to become a concrete, testable case.
What we did
We traced each order, invoice or product: IDs, sync direction and record state in both systems — separating mapping errors from delays or failed syncs. A fix counted as done only after the first sync, a retry and a no-duplicates check.
Trade-offs we chose.
Work offline
The order is re-validated against live server data on sync.
Long operations run in the background
Users get clear progress and error statuses.
Keep the client’s accounting tool
We design around QuickBooks Online API rules and limits.
Team & journey.
From MVP to platform.
Our PM grew into the Product Owner role: researching distributors’ workflows, clarifying business rules and turning requests into tasks and acceptance criteria.
12
Developers
Web & backend
6
QA engineers
Manual & automated testing
3
Project managers
Delivery & client communication
2
Mobile developers
iOS & Android apps
Journey.
01MVP
Merchandising
Customer list, rep management, check-in/check-out and shelf photos.
02Growth
Orders & storefront
Order taking in the app, offline mode and customer self-service.
03Growth
Money & accounting
Pricing, invoices, payments and QuickBooks Online sync.
04Platform
Full distribution
Routes, purchasing, fulfillment and reporting.
05Next
New markets
The client plans to expand to the UK and Latin America.
What we delivered.
Nine product areas, one data model.
- 01
Distributor back office
Order & inventory management: customers, products, stock, orders and payments in one web back office.
- 02
Sales rep app · offline-first
Customer work, orders, forms and photos — with offline mode and sync.
- 03
Customer storefront
A wholesale storefront where customers browse the catalog and reorder on their own.
- 04
Pricing
Price lists, discounts and customer-specific terms.
- 05
Field operations
Territories, routes, stops and rep assignments.
- 06
Purchasing & warehouse
Purchase orders, goods receiving and fulfillment.
- 07
Finance
Invoices, payments and credit memos.
- 08
Integrations
Accounting / ERP integration: QuickBooks Online and other external services.
- 09
Reporting
Sales and operations reports for owners and managers.
What users say.
SimplyDepo experience.
Summaries of public reviews left by distributors on Capterra and G2.
I was able to give them a list of customers and products, and was up and running the next day.
- 5.0Capterra · 19 reviews
- 4.7G2 · 56 reviews
The platform covers the needs of his distribution business; the QuickBooks integration is singled out as especially valuable, along with fast support.
Wesly M.Founder & CEO · G2 · 2026
The team added and improved the features his company needed, at his request.
Ivan K.CEO · Capterra · 2023
Results.
Impact on distributors.
SimplyDepo runs in production and is used by real distributors. The team keeps developing it based on their requests.
- 01
Less manual work
Accounting integrations cut re-typing and reconciliation between tools.
- 02
Faster orders
Reps order during the visit; customers reorder in the storefront without waiting for a manager.
- 03
Offline ready
Offline mode made field work far less dependent on a stable connection.
- 04
Ready to scale
One shared system for the office and the field — the base for lower costs and new markets.
Client requests.
Small features distributors asked for — each one shipped into the product.
Alternative company address on invoices
Product tags in the catalog
Customer hierarchy in QuickBooks Online
Cancelled-orders report
Hide case sales in the storefront
Faster brand & category picker in the app
Where else.
B2B sales anywhere.
Offline mobile work, a B2B catalog, customer-specific pricing, routes and data sync carry over — with business rules adapted to each industry.
- 01
HoReCa supply
Food, drinks and consumables for restaurants and hotels, with individual prices and regular delivery routes.
- 02
Cosmetics & household goods
Reps working with shops and salons, assortment control and shelf photo checks.
- 03
Building materials & hardware
Wholesale catalogs, stock levels, customer price lists and order processing.
- 04
Merchandising agencies
Visit planning, checklists, photos and reports on completed work.
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