Data provider Trade Service, San Diego, rolled out a new interface for distributors using its eDataFlex service. The eDataFlex Service Console is an internet-based data portal that provides Trade Service's eDataFlex Pricing Service customers with a detailed look at all the manufacturer product and price changes that will be included in their next update. Access to the eDataFlex Service Console is customized to each individual distributor, available only through a secure user name and password.
What was once a printed bulletin has been transformed into a dynamic, multi-dimensional management tool that distributors can use to analyze current changes before they are loaded into their business systems. Distributors can preview future changes and look at item history to see how pricing and other key data elements may have changed over time — a “deep dive” that lets them view current and previous values for any data element on any individual item from any manufacturer. The new console also includes access to the company's recently-announced Margin Optimizer, a margin optimization service powered by epaCUBE that's scheduled for market roll-out in June.