Merchant software should bring your trade counter, accounts and branch stock into one system, not leave them scattered across separate programs and spreadsheets. Profit4 is a cloud-based ERP from OGL, which has been building software for UK merchants and wholesalers since 1976.
As merchants ERP software, it connects counter sales, quotes, stock, trade pricing, purchasing and accounts, so every branch and every member of the team works from the same live figures. It is built for builders', industrial and plumbers' merchants who need to price accurately, keep stock in the right place and get paid on time.
Merchant software is ERP software that runs the day-to-day of a merchant or stockist: stock, orders, pricing and accounts in a single system. It gives every branch, counter and office the same live view of what you hold, what you have sold and what customers owe.
This page is about business management software for merchants who sell building, industrial, plumbing and similar trade products. It is not about merchant payment-processing or card-terminal software, which takes card payments. If you are looking for a card machine or payment gateway, you will need a payments provider instead.
Whether you call it merchant management software or an ERP for merchants, the idea is the same. Replace separate tills, spreadsheets and accounting packages with one system built around how merchants actually trade: trade accounts, customer-specific pricing, yard and counter sales, deliveries and multiple branches.
Good merchant business management software should cover the main jobs of your business in one place:
This is where generic accounting or retail software falls short. Accounting packages do not track stock by location, and retail tills do not handle trade accounts, account-specific pricing, quotes or delivery. Merchants end up re-keying data between systems, and the figures never quite agree. Merchant software is built around trade from the start, so counter, yard, office and accounts share one set of records.
View case study
Your counter is where merchants win or lose business, so it has to be quick. With Profit4, counter staff can look up products, check live stock across locations, apply the customer's agreed pricing and see whether an account is on stop, all from one screen.
Quotes are handled in the same system, so a quote can be converted into an order in a click instead of being re-typed, and credit accounts, deliveries and collections follow the same flow. Counter sales, phone orders and orders taken by reps all feed the same stock and accounts, which means fewer mistakes and fewer disputes.
See how this works in our trade counter software.
Stock sits at the heart of a merchant's business. Profit4 shows what is on the shelf, what is on order and what is allocated to customers across every branch and location, so you can promise stock with confidence and move it where it is needed.
Set reorder levels so purchasing is prompted before you run short, and raise purchase orders to suppliers from the same screens. Use sales history to forecast demand, so you buy for what customers actually order rather than for what you hope they will.
Find out more about our stock control system.
OGL Software is a UK-based company used by many members of the following Merchant industry buying groups and associations:
Yes, whether you're in the office, working from home or on a sales visit - you can access Profit4 from any location via your internet browser.
Yes, whether you're in the office, working from home or on a sales visit - you can access Profit4 from any location via your internet browser.
Trade pricing is rarely simple. Merchants juggle price lists, customer-specific prices, discounts by product group and supplier agreements, and one wrong price can wipe out the margin on an order.
Profit4 holds price lists and customer-specific pricing in one place, so the right price applies whether the order comes from the counter, the phone or the website. Trade accounts, credit limits and terms sit alongside, helping you control exposure as you sell.
If you also need to track supplier price agreements and rebates, see how we handle managing SPAs and supplier rebates in electrical wholesale. Many merchants also trade as wholesalers, and our guide to the best ERP system for wholesale distribution explains what to look for.
Builders' merchants run a yard, a counter and a delivery fleet at the same time, often across several branches. You need to sell loose, bulk and packaged materials, split deliveries and collections, and keep stock honest across sites.
Profit4 builder's merchant software connects the counter, yard, delivery and accounts, so orders move from quote to delivery without re-keying and every branch sees the same stock. If you are weighing up software for builders' merchants, see our page on building, roofing and flooring supplies.
Plumbers' merchants carry large product ranges from many suppliers, and trade customers expect their own pricing every time. Profit4 manages thousands of lines, multiple supplier price lists and customer-specific trade pricing in one system.
Counter staff can find the right part quickly and see live stock, while purchasing keeps the range stocked from the right suppliers. Read more about our Plumbing and Heating software.
Merchants live on cash flow. With integrated accounts, an order that is picked and delivered becomes an invoice without anyone re-typing it. Batch invoicing deals with regular account customers in one run, and credit control shows who is overdue, who is on stop and what needs chasing.
Because accounts sit in the same system as stock and orders, there is no month-end reconciliation between your merchant accounting software and the counter, and the figures you see are the figures you act on.
Trade customers increasingly expect to order online. Profit4 connects your website and online channels to live stock and pricing, so customers see accurate availability and their own prices, and web orders flow into the same process as counter and phone orders.
Profit4 integrates with eCommerce platforms including WooCommerce, Adobe Commerce (Magento), Shopify, BigCommerce, EKM Powershop and GOb2b, and with marketplaces such as Amazon and eBay. If you do not have a website, we can also build one for you. Explore our eShop and website portfolio.
With every branch on the same system, you can see sales, margin and stock position by branch, product and customer. Dashboards and KPIs give managers and directors a real-time view, and branch comparison shows where performance is strongest and where it needs attention.
Profit4 also includes contact management (CRM) to track customer enquiries and quotes, and supplier relationship management (SRM) to keep supplier information and performance in one place.
