New procurement features to scale through peak season
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Peak season order volume can double or triple overnight. Manual processes that work during regular periods break under sustained high-volume pressure. Supplier stockouts, garment-to-job matching errors, and slow order placement become operational bottlenecks exactly when speed matters most.
We built eight new GelatoConnect Procurement features specifically designed to solve peak season challenges. These updates address three core operational pain points: limited supplier access, manual fulfillment workflows, and slow onboarding processes.
Expanded supplier access: Four new integrations
During peak season, single-supplier dependency creates risk. When your primary supplier runs out of stock or can't meet delivery timelines, you need alternatives immediately.
S&S Activewear integration (US market)
The S&S integration gives US-based PSPs direct access to one of the largest blank apparel suppliers in North America. The integration is built on PromoStandards, which means the entire S&S catalog syncs automatically into GCP with rich product media and specifications.
Real-time inventory checks show exactly what's in stock at each S&S warehouse location before you place an order. If you have client-specific pricing negotiated with S&S, that pricing flows through their API and displays automatically in GCP.
Once you place an order, it goes directly to S&S through their API. Order status and tracking information sync back into GCP automatically, giving your customers real-time visibility into shipment progress without requiring anyone to log into S&S's system separately.
Sanmar integration (US market)
The Sanmar integration works identically to S&S. Hundreds of SKUs with complete product specifications, real-time inventory levels, dynamic pricing based on your Sanmar agreements, and automated order placement and tracking.
The strategic advantage of having both S&S and Sanmar integrated is choice. If one supplier is out of stock on a specific SKU, you can check the other immediately without leaving GCP. You can compare pricing across both suppliers to optimize costs.
Pencarrie integration (UK market)
Pencarrie is one of the largest blank apparel suppliers serving UK operations. This integration gives UK-based PSPs the same capabilities as the US integrations: automated catalog sync, real-time ordering, and inventory visibility. For UK PSPs, geographical proximity to Pencarrie warehouses often enables one-day delivery.
Ralawise integration (UK market)
Ralawise serves as a second major UK supplier option, providing the same redundancy and choice that S&S and Sanmar offer in the US market.
Operational efficiency: Smarter fulfillment workflows
Supplier access solves the procurement side. The next bottleneck during peak season is fulfillment, specifically the manual processes that slow down production.
On-demand job ticket printing for apparel decorators
Apparel decorators running just-in-time models face a specific challenge during peak season. Garments arrive in mixed boxes containing dozens of different SKUs. Manually matching those garments to their specific print jobs is time-consuming and error-prone, especially when processing hundreds of garments daily.
The on-demand job ticket printing feature eliminates the manual matching step entirely. When garments arrive, receiving operators use a warehouse terminal connected to GCP. They identify the garment SKU, and the system immediately triggers a job ticket print for that specific SKU.
Instead of receiving all garments first and then trying to figure out which job each belongs to, you're printing the job ticket at the point of receipt. The garment and its job information are matched immediately. The operator pastes the printed ticket on the blank garment and moves to the next one.
This approach matters especially when dealing with 50, 100, or 150 different SKUs in a single delivery. Manual matching introduces errors (wrong garment paired with wrong job), especially when rushing to keep up with volume. Printing tickets at receipt eliminates that error source completely.
Multi-warehouse selection for manual ordering
Suppliers like S&S and Sanmar operate multiple warehouse locations across the country. Previously, when you ordered from a supplier in GCP, you only saw inventory from one warehouse location. If that location was out of stock, you wouldn't know if another warehouse had inventory available.
The multi-warehouse selection feature shows real-time stock levels per warehouse location and estimated transit time from each one. If you need next-day or two-day delivery, you can choose the warehouse closest to your operation. If speed isn't critical but availability is, you can choose the location with the most inventory.
This capability reduces stockout risk during peak season. If your preferred warehouse is low on a specific SKU, you can see alternatives immediately and make informed decisions about where to order from.
Faster onboarding and order creation
The third peak season bottleneck is time to first order. New GelatoCreate partners joining GCP often spend hours or days figuring out what materials to order initially.
Automated order suggestions for new PSPs
When a new GelatoCreate PSP gets onboarded to GCP, we now create templated order suggestions automatically. These are common orders for their product categories: poster packaging, card and calendar packaging, mugs, frames. The onboarding team assigns relevant templates during setup.
When the PSP logs into GCP for the first time, these orders are already waiting in the Replenishment Orders section with "Pending confirmation" status. They review quantities and details, and if everything looks correct, they confirm the order with one click. First materials order placed on day one instead of day three or four.
The templates are based on what successful PSPs in similar categories typically need, so they're immediately relevant rather than generic starting points.
Enhanced search functionality
During peak season, every minute spent searching for products or suppliers adds up. We upgraded both global search and catalog search to return results faster and more accurately.
Global search now searches across your entire catalog (all suppliers, all products) and returns results instantly. You can search by product name, SKU, or supplier name.
Catalog search includes grouped results organized by supplier and popular tags that let you refine searches quickly. When you search for something like "11 oz green mug," results are organized by supplier with tags like "Popular" for faster filtering.
Ready to try GelatoConnect Procurement?
These updates are live and available now in GelatoConnect. If you feel that GelatoConnect Procurement could be a fit for your business needs, request a demo with the GelatoConnect team.
Let’s make this peak season your most scalable one yet.