Inventory & Supply ChainPurpose
1.2. Eliminate manual price checking to enable automated selection of the most cost-effective suppliers.
1.3. Enable automated notifications to inventory managers when price fluctuations or better pricing options are identified.
1.4. Automate regular supplier benchmarking to support negotiations and seasonal menu planning.
1.5. Support automated integration with procurement, inventory, and reporting systems to streamline the entire supply chain.
Trigger Conditions
2.2. Event-based triggers: New supplier upload or update of existing price lists.
2.3. Inventory threshold: Automatedly execute when stock nears predetermined reorder points.
2.4. External data update: Detect automated supplier price changes via email/API/webhook.
2.5. Manual trigger: Inventory manager initiates on-demand price comparison for urgent procurement.
Platform Variants
3.1. Google Sheets
• Feature/Setting: Automated Google Sheets API integration for real-time updating and comparison of supplier prices.
• Sample: Configure Sheets API (spreadsheets.values.get/spreadsheets.values.update) for price retrieval and storage.
3.2. Microsoft Excel Online
• Feature/Setting: Excel Online Connector for automated comparison and highlighting of low-price suppliers.
• Sample: Use “List rows present in a table” and “Update a row” for pricing updates.
3.3. Airtable
• Feature/Setting: Airtable Automations with “Find records” and “Update record” for supplier price tables.
• Sample: Set up scheduled automation to fetch and compare prices across vendors.
3.4. Zoho Inventory
• Feature/Setting: Zoho API (GET /items, GET /vendors) to automate supplier price extraction and storage.
• Sample: Automatedly match lowest prices for restocking in Zoho Inventory.
3.5. SAP Ariba
• Feature/Setting: Ariba Network APIs (Procurement.Order, Supplier.Quote) for automated quote retrieval.
• Sample: Automate regular quote requests and comparisons.
3.6. Oracle Procurement Cloud
• Feature/Setting: Oracle REST API (GET /suppliers, GET /prices) for automated supplier/purchasing insight.
• Sample: Automator fetches updated prices and generates reports.
3.7. QuickBooks Online
• Feature/Setting: QuickBooks API (PurchaseOrders) to automate import and analysis of supplier prices.
• Sample: Automated comparison and purchase order adjustment.
3.8. Xero
• Feature/Setting: Xero API (GET /PurchaseOrders, GET /Contacts) for supplier price automation.
• Sample: Scheduled polling for supplier email update and price comparison.
3.9. TradeGecko (QuickBooks Commerce)
• Feature/Setting: Product and Supplier API endpoints configured for automated price fetch and report.
• Sample: Automator scheduled task to compare all active supplier prices.
3.10. Amazon Business
• Feature/Setting: Amazon Business Punchout API to retrieve automated pricing info for bulk foodstuffs.
• Sample: Automated extracts and breakdowns of supplier offers.
3.11. Slack
• Feature/Setting: Slack Incoming Webhooks to automatedly notify managers of price changes and recommendations.
• Sample: Configure announcement channel and webhook URL for automated alerts.
3.12. Email (IMAP/SMTP)
• Feature/Setting: Connect to IMAP to automate extraction of price lists sent by suppliers as attachments or in body.
• Sample: Automator detects keyword and attachments, triggers download and parsing.
3.13. Dropbox
• Feature/Setting: Automate file polling in a “Supplier Quotes” folder for Excel/CSV uploads.
• Sample: New file event triggers script for parsing and price comparison automation.
3.14. Google Drive
• Feature/Setting: Automate Google Drive API monitoring for updated supplier files.
• Sample: Script detects updates, downloads, and processes for automated price comparison.
3.15. Monday.com
• Feature/Setting: Automate boards and columns for suppliers/prices with automations on updates.
• Sample: Use “When a status changes” to trigger price comparison workflow.
3.16. Notion
• Feature/Setting: Notion API to automate price record table updates and flagging lower-cost options.
• Sample: Scheduled automated comparison in Notion database.
3.17. Trello
• Feature/Setting: Automate Trello card fields for suppliers, trigger workflow on new/updated cards.
• Sample: Use Power-Ups/Webhooks for automated price review tasks.
3.18. HubSpot
• Feature/Setting: Automate CRM properties for supplier pricing, trigger workflow on data change.
• Sample: Automated workflow sends notifications when better deals are found.
3.19. Odoo
• Feature/Setting: Odoo Purchase and Vendor Pricelist API for automated comparative analysis.
• Sample: Automatedly update vendor pricelists and create buying recommendations.
3.20. Power Automate
• Feature/Setting: Multi-system automation across Excel, Outlook, SharePoint for cross-platform price comparison.
• Sample: Build flows to monitor, fetch, and compare supplier prices in a recurring automation.
Benefits
4.2. Automates detection of more cost-effective options, improving procurement efficiency and margins.
4.3. Enables automated, timely decisions about purchasing, reducing stockouts and overpaying.
4.4. Automating benchmarking empowers stronger supplier negotiations using up-to-date market data.
4.5. Automation increases transparency and reduces human error in inventory purchasing.
4.6. Automator enhances scalability as business and supplier lists grow.
4.7. Automated notifications save managers from repetitive verification, focusing efforts elsewhere.
4.8. Enables automatable integration with accounting, reporting, and ERP systems.
4.9. Automating this process supports a strategic supply chain, crucial for competitive Armenian restaurants.
4.10. Elevates decision-making through regular, automated comparison and actionable insights.