Parfetts and Filshill have become two of the first companies to sign up with AI-powered platform Wholepal to help modernise how technical product data is shared across their supply chains.
The platform targets the process of completing and processing new line forms, which can take up to 12 weeks before a new product can go live. The same forms are typically required for minor product data changes, creating unnecessary repetition and delay.
Despite digital changes across areas such as logistics and payments, product data sharing is claimed to remain heavily reliant on spreadsheets, PDFs and manual data entry, slowing routes to market for suppliers and creating operational drag for wholesalers.
Read more: Opinion: AI could be a wholesaler’s best friend – you just need to try it
Wholepal instead uses industry-specific AI after suppliers upload their product specification documents directly to the platform, where the information is extracted, structured and stored automatically. Following supplier verification, the product data is then ready to be shared instantly and digitally with wholesale partners on the platform – removing the need for physical forms.
The AI company was founded by Victoria Lawson, following years working with FMCG suppliers and wholesale partners. “Time and again, I saw product sales slowed down by admin,” said Lawson. “The way product information is shared hasn’t fundamentally changed in decades. It’s manual, inconsistent and outdated.”
Cheryl Hope, trading director at Parfetts, added: “Anything that helps us range products faster, reduce manual work and improve data quality is a real benefit. Wholepal gives us a more efficient and consistent way to work with suppliers, while supporting quicker routes to market.”
Meanwhile, Chris Miller, chief commercial officer at J.W. Filshill, said: “Product data is fundamental to how we operate, but the way it’s traditionally been shared hasn’t kept pace with the rest of the industry. Wholepal helps remove friction from supplier onboarding and data updates, giving us greater confidence in the accuracy of the information we receive while saving valuable time for our teams.”
