Software Solutions for Imported Food Sellers
Imported foods arrive in containers after weeks at sea, with a label from the maker and one added by the importer. The cost of a pack is set by freight, duty and exchange rates, not only the supplier’s price. A seller online needs landed-cost pricing, arrival batches with dates and pre-orders for the next shipment.
Price from landed cost and plan stock around containers and short dates.
The shelf price of an imported sauce is the end of a long calculation. It begins with a foreign price list and runs through freight, duty and the exchange rate on the day the container clears.
Importers selling to shops and shoppers
An importer brings in a range of foreign foods and sells in cases to retailers and in packs to households.
Gourmet stores with an import range
A store buys from an importer and from abroad, and sells both online.
Pre-order and shipment-based sellers
A seller opens orders before a container lands and delivers when it clears.
The workflow for international foods.
- 1
Purchase from abroad
An order goes to the overseas supplier in its currency, with pack sizes and a lead time.
- 2
Landed cost worked out
Freight, duty, clearing charges and the exchange rate are added to the supplier price to give the cost of each pack.
- 3
Arrival and batch entry
Stock is received by batch with the date printed on the pack, and the importer’s label details are recorded.
- 4
Selling with remaining life
Listings show the remaining shelf life, and short-dated lots move first at a lower price.
- 5
Pre-order for the next shipment
Buyers reserve items on an incoming container and are told when it clears.
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.
- Supplier price, freight, duty and exchange rate held on each purchase
- Batch and printed date recorded on arrival
- Pre-orders tied to a specific incoming shipment
What we would build for international foods.
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.
- Freight-forwarder statements entered from files, with a link scoped later if the agent offers one
- Accounting entries for foreign purchases, by export
- Checkout on a gateway account held by you
How the work runs, and what we need from you.
What you provide
- Your last three shipments with their costs
- How you set a selling price today
- Your pre-order practice, if any
Reconstruct one shipment
We rebuild a past shipment’s landed cost in the system and compare it to your own working.
Set the repricing rule
You decide when selling prices follow changes in cost, and that rule is built in.
What you receive.
- A landed-cost record per shipment
- Batch and date records on arrival
- Pre-order handling
- Reports of margin by shipment
How progress is judged.
Measures are agreed against your own baseline. We do not promise a result in advance.
- Items sold with less shelf life than your set minimum
- Margin gap between planned and actual landed cost
Selling at home and abroad.
Imported foods are often resold to buyers in the country of origin’s diaspora or in a third market. Import rules, labelling and duty differ for each route, and your agent and adviser confirm them.
The wider requirements for specialty foods are on the Specialty Foods page.
Related subcategories.
Specialty Food E-commerce & Retail Software
Existing product, extended
GullySystem’s Grocery Management System already covers barcode billing, customer credit, stock and an ordering page for a shop’s own customers. The wider storefront, dietary filters and claim register are configured around it, and each of those is marked as added.
Landed-cost pricing and container-based arrivals are costing and stock rules the category solution can hold.
Read about the softwareExisting GullySystem products that apply
Related services
Selling in a shop as well?
Questions about international foods e-commerce.
Does it know customs duty?
No. You enter the duty and charges your agent confirms. The system adds them to the cost and does not state what rates apply.
Can buyers pre-order from a container?
Yes. Reservations are held against the incoming shipment and released when stock is received.
Can it show the importer’s label details?
Yes, as fields you fill from the sticker, shown beside the product.
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