Wholesale distribution runs on thin margins and enormous transaction volume, and a surprising amount of that volume still arrives as an email, a PDF or a spreadsheet that someone retypes into an ERP. That manual middle is where AI is having the clearest effect in distribution: reading incoming orders, pricing them correctly, keeping the right stock in the right branch and making sure rebates are actually claimed.
This article covers wholesale and B2B distribution. For planning across a wider supply network, and for moving the goods, see the companion guides on supply chain and logistics linked at the end.
Start From the ERP, Not the Feature List
Almost everything below is an add-on to an existing distribution ERP, whether SAP, Dynamics 365, NetSuite, Acumatica, Epicor or Infor. Integration depth varies enormously, and a product that works beautifully on one ERP can be a poor fit on another. Confirm the vendor supports your edition and syncs the records you actually need, and ask for reference customers running your ERP rather than any customer at all.
The second question is how each tool handles variation. Template-based automation is reliable with established trading partners sending consistent documents, and fragile with a long tail of customers who each format orders their own way.
7 Best AI Software for Wholesale
1. Conexiom for Sales Order Automation
Conexiom is the established name in document automation for distributors and manufacturers, converting sales orders, invoices and acknowledgements from emails and attachments into ERP-ready transactions without asking customers to change how they order. It handles high volumes of structured purchase orders reliably, applies pre-built validations to catch flawed orders, and posts results straight into major ERPs.
Watch out for: template maintenance. Its architecture leans on configuration per customer and document format, which means new formats need setup and ongoing upkeep. That is manageable with a stable partner base and heavier with a fragmented one.
2. Proton.ai for Distributor CRM and Quoting
Proton.ai is built specifically for distributors, training on full ERP order history to recommend which accounts to call, what to promote and when. It combines CRM, product information and ecommerce recommendations, surfacing complementary products, substitutes for out-of-stock items and reorder prompts. In July 2026 it launched order and quote entry automation that reads emails, PDFs and spreadsheets, matches SKUs, checks stock and drafts quotes using customer-specific pricing, with a rep reviewing and approving every quote before it goes out.
Watch out for: availability. Parts of the order entry capability rolled out in stages. Confirm what is generally available on your plan rather than what was announced.
3. Zilliant for Price Optimisation
In distribution, price lists age badly and reps discount inconsistently, which quietly erodes margin across thousands of transactions. Zilliant applies AI to B2B price optimisation and sales guidance, recommending prices by customer segment, product and market conditions so pricing reflects willingness to pay rather than a stale matrix.
Watch out for: rep adoption. Price guidance only works if the sales team follows it. Explain the reasoning, track override rates, and treat frequent overrides as a signal that the model is missing something.
4. PROS Smart CPQ for Complex Quoting
For distributors selling configurable or complex products, PROS Smart CPQ combines configure-price-quote workflows with AI-driven dynamic pricing, built for high-velocity B2B sales. It shortens quote turnaround while keeping pricing consistent with the rules the business has set.
Watch out for: configuration effort. CPQ projects live or die on product and rule modelling. Budget for the data work, not just the licence.
5. Enable for Rebates
Rebates are a major profit lever in distribution and are frequently tracked in spreadsheets nobody trusts. Enable manages rebate and pricing agreements for distributors, manufacturers and retailers, keeping deal terms, accruals and claims in one system so earned money is actually claimed and reported accurately.
Watch out for: agreement quality. Automating rebate tracking exposes how loosely some supplier agreements are written. Expect to renegotiate a few terms once you can see them clearly.
6. Netstock for Inventory Planning
Distribution profit sits in inventory: too little and you lose the order to a competitor, too much and working capital is trapped in a warehouse. Netstock layers AI-driven demand and inventory planning onto an existing ERP, producing reorder recommendations by item and location without replacing the system of record. Slimstock covers similar ground for larger operations.
Watch out for: data history. Planning tools need clean sales and lead-time history. Recently changed item numbers or branch structures will distort recommendations until the history settles.
7. WizCommerce for Template-Free Order Capture
WizCommerce uses generative AI to read unstructured orders without pre-built templates, alongside B2B ecommerce and sales tools. For distributors with a diverse customer base, where every account sends orders in its own format, avoiding per-customer configuration can cut deployment time significantly.
Watch out for: vendor-published comparisons. Much of the material comparing template-based and generative order capture is published by vendors on one side of that argument. Run a bake-off on your own messiest recent orders.
Sequence by Where Margin Leaks
If your team retypes orders, start with order automation, because it is measurable in hours saved and errors avoided. If margin drifts across accounts, start with pricing. If cash is trapped in stock or branches keep stocking out, start with inventory planning. If rebates are managed in spreadsheets, start there, since it often returns money you have already earned. Keep a person approving quotes and prices that go to customers.
Related Reading
For demand and supplier planning across the network, see best AI software for supply chain. For B2B selling more broadly, see AI software for B2B companies.
Final Thoughts
Distribution has always competed on service, availability and price discipline. AI does not change that; it removes the manual work that gets in the way of all three. The distributors pulling ahead are automating the order-to-cash middle and using the time they recover to serve customers better than the competitor down the road.
Capabilities were accurate as of September 2026. Distribution software is quote-priced and ERP-dependent, so confirm integration support and terms directly with each vendor.