How AI Reduced Manual Order Processing by 70% for a Power Tool Retailer

Manual order processing has long been the silent margin killer in power tool retail. From sifting through customer emails to reconciling inventory spreadsheets and manually confirming each order detail, retail teams spend an overwhelming number of hours just pushing paperwork.

But what if those hours could be reclaimed?

That’s exactly what one mid-sized power tool retailer in the UK set out to do. They weren’t struggling with growth—they were struggling with scaling efficiently. Every new customer and every new channel added operational overhead. And as their B2B and DTC orders surged, the old systems buckled under the pressure.

Their solution? AI-powered automation. And within 90 days, they reduced manual order processing by 70%.

Here’s how it happened—and what others in the tools retail and distribution space can learn from their journey.

The Problem: Success Was Slowing Them Down

The retailer had a strong reputation, offering a wide range of premium drills, saws, impact wrenches, and safety accessories. Their catalog was over 10,000 SKUs deep, with variations based on voltage, application, and compliance standards. Orders came in through email, web forms, and reseller portals.

But behind the scenes, their order management process was struggling:

• Sales reps were manually processing up to 150 B2B orders daily
• Data entry errors led to wrong product dispatches and costly returns
• Orders from DTC customers needed manual confirmation due to stock mismatches
• Communication across WhatsApp, email, and portal orders led to delays and confusion

As volume grew, so did order backlogs. The operations team was overworked, customer complaints were rising, and peak-season fulfillment was a nightmare.

That’s when they began evaluating automation—specifically, how AI could streamline repetitive order workflows.

The Solution: Smart Order Processing Powered by AI

The retailer implemented Better Commerce’s Smart Inbox—a conversational commerce engine that integrates directly with email and WhatsApp to intelligently capture and process orders.
Here’s how it worked:

Email & WhatsApp Parsing with AI
AI was trained to extract order data from unstructured messages like:

• Hi, please send 3x Makita DHR242 and 2x SDS+ bits to our Leeds site.
• Need restock on last order + gloves (medium) and 5x 18V batteries.
   

Instead of manual copying, AI converted these into structured order entries in the OMS—SKU-matched, address-tagged, and quantity-confirmed.

Order Validation and Inventory Matching
The system cross-checked the requested SKUs against:

• Product availability
• Buyer contract terms
• Purchase history
• Shipping SLAs
   

Any discrepancies (like out-of-stock items or discontinued SKUs) triggered smart suggestions or partial fulfillment options, reducing back-and-forth communication.

Quote Automation for B2B Orders
For high-volume B2B customers, the CPQ engine kicked in, instantly calculating:
Tiered discounts

• Regional pricing
• Delivery terms
   

Quotes were generated, approved, and converted into orders within the same interface.

Internal Workflow Automation
Once validated, orders were automatically:

• Pushed to ERP for invoicing
• Allocated to the nearest warehouse
• Assigned to the fulfillment team

No rekeying. No delays.

The Result: 70% Less Manual Intervention, Faster Fulfillment, Happier Teams

Within the first 90 days of go-live, the impact was undeniable:

• Manual order entry tasks dropped by 70%
• Order processing time per order fell from 6–8 minutes to under 2 minutes
• Quote turnaround for B2B customers reduced by 80%
• CSAT scores improved as order errors and communication lags dropped
• Operations teams reclaimed over 100+ hours/month for high-value tasks

The AI didn’t replace staff. It freed them up to focus on sales enablement, upselling, and customer retention instead of decoding emails and fixing typos.

Even during their peak sales season, the team managed record order volumes without additional headcount or burnout.

Why This Works: The Power of Intent + Context in AI

What makes this implementation successful isn’t just automation—it’s contextual intelligence. The AI didn’t rely on rigid templates. It learned:

• That “restock” refers to the buyer’s last order
• That “gloves (medium)” maps to a specific SKU ordered before
• That “Makita” may refer to multiple SKUs, and prompts the buyer for clarification
   

This level of nuance is critical in the tools industry, where naming conventions vary, and buyers don’t always follow formality.

Instead of forcing the buyer to adapt to rigid eCommerce flows, AI adapts to how the buyer communicates. That flexibility was the real unlock.

Lessons for Other Power Tool Retailers

If your team is stuck chasing orders across inboxes and spreadsheets, this story offers a clear takeaway: AI doesn’t need to be a massive project. It starts with one process, like order capture, and scales from there.

Here are three actionable takeaways:

Start Where You Hurt the Most
Don’t try to “AI everything.” Focus on the process that creates the most drag, usually quoting or order entry. Win there first.
 

Use Tools Built for Your Industry
Generic chatbots won’t cut it. You need AI trained on product catalogs, B2B workflows, and distribution logic, like what BetterCommerce provides.
 

Don’t Wait for Perfection
This retailer didn’t have perfect data. But they had the willingness. And with AI modules that learn and adapt, progress came fast.

How BetterCommerce Makes AI Order Processing Work Seamlessly

At BetterCommerce, we understand that manual workflows aren’t just inefficient—they’re risky. Lost deals, late shipments, and poor data lead to missed revenue and unhappy buyers.

That’s why our platform includes:

Smart Inbox for WhatsApp and Email
→ Accepts and processes orders via unstructured messages
 

AI-powered CPQ
→ Speeds up quoting for complex B2B deals
 

Integrated PIM + OMS + ERP sync
→ Ensures every AI action is grounded in real-time inventory and product logic
 

No-Code Workflows
→ Customize rules for order routing, approvals, and exceptions

And all of it is modular—so you can start small and grow fast, just like this retailer did.

AI doesn’t have to be a giant leap. For many power tool retailers, it’s a series of small, high-impact steps—starting with something as simple as processing an email order.

This retailer’s story proves that even a modest investment in AI can deliver exponential returns in time, accuracy, and operational sanity.

The result? A business that’s faster, leaner, and more focused on what matters: serving customers, not chasing spreadsheets.