How to make an app for a distributor

A distributor runs on beats: each salesman visits a set of markets on fixed days, takes orders from retailers, collects old dues, and the van delivers the next day. An app gives each salesman his beat for the day, records orders and collections shop by shop, and turns them into a loading sheet for the warehouse.

Updated 2026-11-09

Who uses the app

The owner, the office, the salesmen on their beats and the warehouse. Since they all work on different phones, connect your own Supabase database with sign-in, so each salesman sees his own beat and the owner sees everyone's orders and collections.

The screens a distributor app needs

Today's beat: For the salesman: the retailers in today's market, in visiting order, with each one's last order and dues
Take order: Products and pack sizes with the distributor rate; enter quantities for the retailer and save
Collection: Cash or UPI collected from a retailer against old bills, with a receipt to share on WhatsApp
Retailers: Every shop with its market, beat day, phone, location pin, credit limit and balance
Loading sheet: Tomorrow's orders added up by product for the van, and split by shop for delivery
Salesman report: Orders, collections and shops visited per salesman per day
Dues: Retailers with overdue bills, oldest first, by market

Features worth asking for

Beat plans: retailers grouped by market and weekday, assigned to a salesman
A shop's location pinned on the map when the salesman is there, for the van driver later
A 'not ordered' reason for each visited shop (shop closed, stock enough), so the owner sees why
A credit limit per retailer, with a warning when a new order would cross it
Collection receipts as a PDF to share on WhatsApp
Scheme quantities, such as one free carton on ten, worked out on the order when you enter the rule
A map with pins for the day's shops (OpenStreetMap), so new salesmen can find them

Where the data lives

Salesmen, the office and the warehouse all need the same orders, so connect your own Supabase database from the chat and turn on sign-in. Location is recorded only while the salesman has the app open at a shop; there is no live tracking.

How to make it with AppCub, step by step

Decide what the app does. List the screens you need, for example: Today's beat, Take order, Collection, Retailers, Loading sheet.
Describe it to AppCub. Paste the request below, changed to your own business and details.
Check the plan. AppCub shows the screens and features it will build. Change them in the chat until they are right; seeing the plan is free.
Try it on your phone. The app runs live next to the chat. Scan the QR code to install it, and ask for changes.
Share it. Share it as a web link, an APK file, or publish it on Google Play from your own developer account.

Copy this request, change the details to match your distributor, and paste it into AppCub:

Make an app for my distribution business, Gupta Distributors in Varanasi. 7 salesmen visit retailers in 14 markets on fixed beat days. Screens: today's beat for the salesman with each shop's last order and dues, take order with products and pack sizes, collection with a WhatsApp receipt, retailers with market, beat day, phone, map pin and credit limit, loading sheet for tomorrow's van added up by product, salesman report, and dues by market. Warn if an order crosses the credit limit. Salesmen sign in and see only their beat. Green and white colours.

Tips for a distributor app

Enter your retailers market by market with the beat day first; everything else in the app depends on that list.
Agree on product names and pack sizes with your salesmen before you start, so orders match what the warehouse loads.
Start with order taking and the loading sheet; add collections and credit limits once the salesmen are comfortable.
Pin each shop's location on the first visit; it helps the van driver and any new salesman.
Run one beat with one salesman for a week before giving the app to the whole team.

What it costs

Describing your app and seeing AppCub’s plan for it is free.
A new app usually takes 60 to 110 credits. Start with the 2-day trial for ₹99 (150 credits, enough for one app and a few changes) or the one-time App Pack for ₹499. Starter is ₹1,599 a month for 700 credits.
Google Play needs a paid plan (it includes the Play Store bundle and your app’s signing key) and your own Google Play developer account, a one-time US$25 fee to Google.
Work that fails or is rolled back costs no credits.

See all plans

Good to know

AppCub doesn't connect to the companies' own ordering systems, salesman apps or your accounting software, and it has no live tracking of salesmen or vans. Claims and scheme settlements with companies stay in your own records.
AppCub builds Android apps. You can also share the app as a web link that opens on any phone; for the iPhone App Store, AppCub’s team can do it for you.

Questions

Can my salesmen take retailer orders on their phones?

Yes. With your own Supabase database and sign-in, each salesman sees his beat, enters orders shop by shop, and the office sees them at once.

Can the app make a loading sheet for the van?

Yes. It adds up the next day's orders by product for loading, and lists them shop by shop for delivery.

Can I track where my salesman is?

Not live. The app can record a shop's location when the salesman saves a visit with the app open, so you see which shops were visited.

Can the app stop orders from retailers who owe too much?

It can warn the salesman when a new order would cross the retailer's credit limit you set. The decision stays with you.

Can the app work out scheme quantities?

Yes, for simple rules you give it, such as one free on ten cartons. Company claims for schemes still go through your own records.

Does the app connect to the company's distributor software?

No. AppCub doesn't connect to outside systems. Your orders and dues live in your own database.

Make your distributor app

Seeing the plan is free. Building starts with a 2-day trial for ₹99.

Start building