Software Solutions for Bottled Water Suppliers
Bottled water is delivered on fixed days to the same homes and firms, in returnable jars that must come back. The business runs on routes, standing schedules and a deposit for every jar. A supplier online needs a customer record with its schedule, a driver app and a ledger of empties.
Keep every jar, deposit and delivery day on the customer’s record.
A jar leaves the plant full and has to return empty. Everything else depends on that loop closing. Miss it and the route loses money.
Plants delivering their own jars
A plant fills and delivers its own jars on routes, with drivers collecting empties as they go.
Distributors of branded water
A distributor buys cases and jars from a brand and supplies shops, offices and homes.
Small bottle and case sellers
A seller supplies cases of small bottles to events, offices and hotels, billed after delivery.
The workflow for bottled water.
- 1
Customer signs up
A customer pays a deposit, chooses days and quantities and receives the first jars.
- 2
Routes built daily
Schedules, extra drops and pauses are combined into the day’s routes.
- 3
Delivery and swap
The driver delivers full jars, takes empties and records both counts on the stop.
- 4
Cash or credit settled
Payment at the door or against the month’s account is noted at the same stop.
- 5
Empties reconciled
At day end, jars returned to the plant are matched to the drivers’ counts.
The challenges, and what they cost.
What is specific to this trade.
These are requirements we would confirm in discovery. They describe what the solution may need to handle. They are not features that already exist.
- A customer record holding schedule, deposit and jars on hand
- A driver app that records full and empty counts at each stop
- Daily reconciliation of jars out and jars back
What we would build for bottled water.
Chosen from the commerce capabilities this business needs, not a list of everything.
Who works in the system, and what each can do.
What it would connect to.
An integration is confirmed only after its API, access and scope are checked. A connection that updates on a schedule is described as scheduled, not real-time.
- A payment link or wallet through your gateway, once tested
- Delivery reminders on a verified business messaging account
- Accounting by invoice and receipt export
How the work runs, and what we need from you.
What you provide
- Customer registers and deposit records
- Routes, vehicles and drivers
- How billing works for homes and for offices
Count the jars first
We start from how many jars exist and where they are, since the ledger depends on it.
Pilot on one route
A single route runs on the new system for a few weeks before others join.
What you receive.
- A customer and schedule record
- A driver app and route plan
- A jar and deposit ledger
- Monthly billing
How progress is judged.
Measures are agreed against your own baseline. We do not promise a result in advance.
- Jars unaccounted for against your own count
- Deliveries recorded without a payment note
Selling at home and abroad.
Packaged water rules, labelling and plant licensing vary by place and by authority. Your adviser confirms what applies, and the software holds the records you are asked to keep.
The wider requirements for beverages are on the Beverages page.
Related subcategories.
Bottled Water Delivery E-commerce Software
Custom software solution
No existing GullySystem product runs jar delivery routes, deposits and empties. The system would be written for you, and nothing counts as available until it has been designed with you and accepted.
Read about the softwareExisting GullySystem products that apply
Related services
Selling in a shop as well?
Questions about bottled water e-commerce.
Can we see how many jars a customer has?
Yes. The ledger holds jars issued and returned for each customer, and the balance is on the record.
Can customers order or pause on their phone?
Where a customer app or link is included in the scope, yes. Otherwise support records the change from a call.
Is the driver app ready to download?
No. It is built as part of the solution, for your routes and your counting method.
Talk through your commerce requirement.
Describe what you sell, where you sell it and what is slowing you down. An engineer will reply within one business day.
- No obligation
- A reply within one business day
- Your details stay private