In this guide 6 sections
Ask five things and have the vendor demonstrate each one. Does a finish carry its own code and stock? Are retail and trade price lists separate? How often does the site read showroom stock? Where are breakage claims recorded? Can a spare be found by model?
Can one product carry every finish with its own stock?
One mixer, three finishes, three stock lines. Each line needs its own code, barcode, price and photo, so ask the vendor how that is built and watch it being done. Photographs matter more here than in most categories, since matt black and gunmetal look alike on a screen and the wrong shade comes back from the fitter.
Request a new finish added live. If the demo has to copy the whole listing, reviews split and the wrong finish photo lands in the basket. That is a weakness, not a detail.
Then test a mixed order. A customer wants a basin mixer, a bath filler and a shower valve in one finish, and the basket should warn if any one is out of stock.
- Add a finish to an existing model without copying the page
- Show each finish with its own code, barcode and price
- Switch the photo when the shopper picks a finish
- Warn when one item of a set is out in the chosen finish
How are retail and trade price lists kept apart?
Trade buyers expect their own prices. Ask whether trade price is a separate list tied to the account or a discount typed onto each quote. The first can be audited. The second hides in someone’s spreadsheet. Ask what a designer with a specified scheme sees, because they often hold a project price that differs from both lists.
Ask for two windows side by side, a retail shopper and a trade login, both viewing the same wall hung WC. Check that the retail window never shows the trade price on the page, in an email or on a printed quote.
Then ask how a price change goes live. A scheduled date and a spreadsheet import are normal. A change that needs a developer is not. A price rise set for Monday should not wait for Thursday.
How often does the site read showroom stock?
The display pan may be the last one. If the site reads stock once a night, it can sell that pan to a second buyer by the afternoon. Ask how often it reads. Ask what happens on the last unit.
Ask how display pieces are handled. Ex display items should leave sellable stock or be listed once at their own price, and must not feed the main listing with a count the floor cannot honour.
Test it. Sell the last piece at the counter. Reload the product page. Time the gap.
- Stock read on each order, every few minutes or nightly
- What the shopper sees when only one unit is left
- Ex display pieces kept apart from new stock
- Separate counts for showroom floor and store room
Where do breakage claims live?
Sanitaryware cracks in transit. A claim needs the order number, a photo, the delivery note, the courier reference, the date reported and the decision. If those sit in email threads, nobody can say which brand cracked most often, or which carrier crushed the cartons.
Ask them to open a claim. Attach a photo, then close it with a replacement that is a new order line linked to the first, with stock reduced only once. Ask which fields the supplier’s own claim form needs, such as batch number and carton condition photos, and whether the system can fill them from the order.
The same record should feed the claim on the supplier, so that a cracked basin traces back to a brand, a carton lot and a carrier. That decides whose packing to blame.
- Order number, delivery note and courier reference on the claim
- Photos attached to the claim, not to an email
- Decision recorded: replace, credit or reject
- Supplier claim raised from the same record
Can a spare be found by model?
A customer returns with a model name and a dripping cartridge or a broken seat hinge, and the counter needs the right spare quickly. Ask for that lookup live.
The link should run both ways. A spare page names the models it fits, and a model page lists its cartridges, flush buttons, hinges and fixing kits. Without that, staff search a catalogue PDF by hand.
Write the five questions on one sheet before the demo. Score each answer as shown, partly shown or only promised, ask for the missing ones on a second call, and sign nothing that was only promised.
Vendor demo score sheet
The score sheet lists five rows, one per question: finish variants, price lists, stock reads, breakage claims and spares. Columns hold what to ask, what the vendor must show, a score of shown, partly shown or promised only, and notes. A last line records who watched the demo and the date.
Open a blank worksheet to printQuestions owners ask
How many vendors should a showroom compare?
Two or three is enough. Give each the same five tasks and the same sample products, so the answers can be compared on equal footing.
Which sample products should I give the vendor?
Choose one mixer in three finishes, one wall hung WC with a concealed cistern, and one shower set with spares, which exercise variants, stock, claims and spare lookup.
Should trade prices be visible to everyone?
No. Show them after login, tied to the account. A public trade list invites retail shoppers to ask for it, and that sets up price arguments at the counter.
What if the vendor says a feature is on the roadmap?
Treat it as not available. Ask for a date in writing, or plan to work without it, because a promised feature should not sway the choice today.