Build Journal · Vande
Let demand set inventory: VandeCart's product-request flow
By Ganesh R Datta. I build healthcare AI end to end: clinical decision support, clinic intake, and the marketing and operations around them.
VandeCart lets customers request products the store doesn't stock yet. Those requests show demand before money goes into inventory, which matters for a store with Ayurvedic products from many brands.
Stocking an Ayurvedic store means choosing from many brands and thousands of formulations. Guessing wrong ties up money in products nobody buys.
The product-request flow
When a customer can't find what they need, they can request it. Each request is a signal of real demand, from a real customer, before anything is ordered.
What it does for the business
- Inventory decisions are based on requests, not guesses.
- Customers who requested a product are the obvious first buyers when it arrives.
- The catalogue grows toward what the audience actually uses.
Why it fits healthcare commerce
Patients often arrive with a specific product their practitioner recommended. Saying "we don't have it" loses them. Saying "request it" keeps the relationship and informs the next order.
The principle
Where you can, let customers tell you what to stock before you stock it.
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