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Check your RTM maturity | 6 Minute Assessment
See ScoreLighthouse DMS is a distributor management system that gives your distributors real-time inventory control, automated order fulfilment, and full trade spend transparency, so every transaction from sell-in to sell-out is tracked, reconciled, and working for your brand.
A distributor management system (DMS) is the software a CPG or FMCG brand uses to run and see its distribution network beyond its own four walls. It connects the brand to its distributors, sub-distributors, and the outlets they serve, so orders, inventory, schemes, and claims move through one system instead of scattered spreadsheets and month-end reconciliation.
Primary sales are what a brand ships to its distributors, and most brands see those cleanly in their own ERP. Secondary sales are what those distributors sell onward to retailers and outlets, and visibility usually disappears the moment stock leaves the depot. A distributor management system captures secondary sales at the distributor and outlet level, so demand planning reflects what the market actually consumed rather than only what was shipped in.
Because a DMS tracks distributor inventory in real time, brands can see stock cover by SKU across every distributor, catch out-of-stocks on fast movers before they cost a sale, and reconcile trade schemes automatically. Claims for damages, returns, and promotional spend are raised, approved, and settled inside the same ledger, which shortens claim cycles and keeps trade spend accountable.
A distributor management system is the distribution and inventory backbone. It pairs with a sales force automation (SFA) system, which is what field reps use to take orders and run retail execution in the market. Together they give a brand one connected view, from the salesperson at the outlet to the stock in the distributor's warehouse.
Rolling out a DMS across a distributor network is as much a change program as a software one. Lighthouse is built to onboard distributors in phases, integrate with the ERP and fulfilment systems already in place, and stabilise reporting early, so adoption holds across large, multi-tier networks rather than stalling after the first region.
The capabilities FMCG and CPG brands evaluate in a DMS, and how Lighthouse DMS handles each one.
| Capability | How Lighthouse DMS handles it |
|---|---|
| Secondary sales visibility | Captured at distributor and outlet level through distributor billing and field orders, by SKU and geography. |
| Distributor inventory | Live stock across depots, vans and warehouse bins, with batch and expiry tracking, FIFO allocation, physical counts and stock transfers. |
| Order management | Orders from field reps, the B2B app, van sales and tele-sales are routed, allocated and dispatched with SKU substitution and FIFO rules. |
| Schemes and promotions | Quantity, value, basket, free-goods and customer-specific schemes, with FY budgets by territory and automatic closure when a budget is used up. |
| Claims | Damage, return and promotional claims are raised, approved and settled in the same trade spend ledger. |
| SFA integration | Orders booked in Lighthouse SFA flow to distributor stock and fulfilment without re-keying. |
| Credit and collections | Credit limits, payment reminders and AR ageing, with retailers paying digitally through the outlet wallet, including UPI. |
| ERP integration | Pre-built connectors for SAP, Oracle, D365, Navision, BPICS and Blueplanner, with two-way real-time sync. |
| Returns and expiry | Market and primary returns with full inventory and AR reconciliation, and near-expiry tracking to prevent write-offs. |
| Primary replenishment | Purchase orders generated from secondary sales and stock cover, tracked through ASN and GRN to put-away. See Lighthouse Primary Replenishment. |
| Multi-tier distribution | Super-stockists, main distributors, sub-distributors and wholesalers on one platform, with sub-distributor wallets adjusting automatically on distributor invoices. |
| Analytics | Sell-in, sell-out, coverage depth, distributor performance and AR ageing, with AI/ML for demand forecasting and outlet churn detection. |
| Offline operation | Lighthouse SFA and the DMS Lite app work offline. The full Lighthouse DMS runs online. |
Hindustan Coca-Cola Beverages runs Lighthouse DMS across its nationwide network of 2,200 distributors and 6,600 users, and about 500 sub-distributors use the DMS Lite app. Read how Vxceed gave HCCB real-time visibility into distributor sales and inventory.
Super-stockists, main distributors, sub-distributors and wholesalers serving kiranas and general trade run on one platform, so secondary sales are reconciled across every tier.
Retailers pay digitally via UPI into the outlet wallet, while credit limits, reminders and AR follow-up run automatically.
Lighthouse DMS supports GST e-invoicing and e-way bill generation for distributor billing.
Lighthouse DMS sends data to Tally and Busy, so distributors can keep their accounts in the software they already use.
Six capabilities that connect your entire distribution network on one platform, replacing manual reconciliation, channel blind spots, and disconnected DT operations with real-time data, automated workflows, and a unified view of every transaction.
Lighthouse DMS connects natively with your ERP and fulfilment systems. Pre-built connectors, real-time bidirectional sync, and no middleware overhead.
Lighthouse 3.0 is technologically robust, enriched with feature enhancements to meet the evolving needs of our sales teams and distribution partners. Its future-ready architecture positions us to respond with agility to emerging market challenges.
A distributor management system is software a CPG or FMCG brand uses to manage and monitor its distribution network, connecting the brand to its distributors, sub-distributors, and outlets. It brings distributor orders, inventory, trade schemes, and claims onto one platform, giving the brand real-time visibility into secondary sales instead of relying on distributor spreadsheets and month-end reports.
A distributor management system manages distribution, distributor inventory, and claims. A sales force automation (SFA) system is what field reps use to take orders and run retail execution at the outlet. Most CPG brands run both, and Lighthouse connects them so the order a rep books in the field flows through to distributor stock and fulfilment without re-keying.
Secondary sales are the sales from a distributor to the retailers and outlets it serves. A distributor management system captures these at the point they happen, through distributor billing and field order capture, so the brand sees true market offtake by SKU and geography rather than only the primary sales it shipped to distributors.
Yes. Lighthouse DMS connects natively with ERP and fulfilment systems through pre-built connectors and real-time, two-way sync, with no middleware layer to maintain. Primary orders, master data, and financial postings stay aligned between the brand's ERP and the distribution network.
Timelines depend on the number of distributors, the tiers in the network, and the ERP landscape. Lighthouse is designed for phased rollout, onboarding distributors region by region and stabilising reporting early, so a large multi-tier network can go live in stages rather than through a single high-risk cutover.
Yes. Secondary sales captured in Lighthouse DMS, through distributor billing and field orders, feed Lighthouse Primary Replenishment. Sell-out velocity and distributor stock cover generate suggested purchase orders, which are tracked through ASN and GRN to put-away and synced with the brand's ERP.
CPG and FMCG brands with multi-tier distribution networks (main distributors, sub-distributors and wholesalers) that need secondary sales visibility, trade spend control and ERP integration on one platform, from a single country to multi-country operations.
Lighthouse SFA and the DMS Lite app work offline, so field teams can keep working without connectivity. The full Lighthouse DMS runs online.
Yes. Lighthouse DMS supports GST e-invoicing and e-way bill generation, and it can send data to Tally and Busy for distributors who keep their accounts there.
Lighthouse is priced as SaaS on a pay-per-use model, based on the products you choose and the number of users.
Every CPG distribution operation is different in structure, geography, and channel mix. Our team will walk you through a use-case-specific demo shaped around how your network operates.
Bangalore, India(HQ)
Auckland, NZ
Chennai, India
Dubai, UAE
New Jersey, USA
*All logos are property of their respective companies