Choosing
DMS, SFA and van sales apps: what each one does, in plain words
What a distributor management system, sales force automation and a van sales app each do, who usually pays for them, and which one a distributor running his own vans needs.
29 September 2026 · 7 min read
Short answer
A DMS connects a distributor’s bills and stock to the brand, and is usually bought by the brand. SFA tracks salesmen’s visits and orders, also usually for the brand. A van sales app is bought by the distributor to bill shops from the van and control van stock, collections and credit. A distributor running his own vans needs the third one.
Software companies use these three names loosely, and a distributor ends up in demos for things that were never built for him. Here is what each one actually does, and who it is really for.
What is a DMS?
A distributor management system sits inside the distributor’s business and records bills, stock, schemes and claims, so that the brand can see what its distributors are selling to shops (secondary sales). Because the brand wants the data, the brand usually chooses the system and often pays for it.
What is SFA?
Sales force automation is an app for the salesmen: attendance, shop visits, orders taken, sometimes photos of the shelf. It answers the brand’s question “is my product being pushed in the market?”. Brand platforms often sell DMS and SFA together. Our guide on who FieldAssist, Bizom and BeatRoute are built for looks at this in more detail.
What is a van sales app?
A van sales app is bought by the distributor, for his own money. The van is loaded in the morning, the salesman bills shops from it on his phone, collects cash or UPI or gives credit, and the van is unloaded and the day closed at night. It answers the distributor’s questions: where is my money, where is my stock, and did my men do their routes.
DMS and SFA (usually for the brand)
- Chosen and often paid for by the brand
- Counts secondary sales for that brand
- Salesmen's visits and orders for the brand
- Priced per user or quoted
Van sales app (for the distributor)
- Chosen and paid for by the distributor
- Bills every brand you carry, from the van
- Van stock, collections, credit, day-end profit
- Should work where there is no signal
Which one do you need?
- A brand asks you to use its DMS: use it for that brand’s reporting. It will rarely cover your other brands, your credit or your vans.
- You run your own vans and salesmen: you need a van sales app. That is the software that protects your money.
- You only bill at a counter: billing software is enough. You do not need either.
Five questions to ask any vendor
- Does billing work with no signal, and what happens when it comes back?
- If a bill is sent twice after a signal drop, does it get saved twice?
- Can the salesman’s phone refuse a credit bill over the shop’s limit?
- Is the price per user, per van, or one price for the business?
- Can you take all your data out in Excel whenever you want?
The words these vendors use are explained in our FMCG distribution glossary.
Where Mulberry Sales fits
Mulberry Sales is a van sales and distribution app built for the distributor. Salesmen bill on Android phones, even with no signal, and every bill carries a one-time key, so a bill re-sent after a signal drop is never saved twice. It covers van loading and unloading, collections, per-shop credit limits checked on the phone and on the server, and a day-end close with profit at cost. It is one price for the whole business, not per salesman, and reports export to Excel (Growth plan and up). It is not a brand’s DMS and does not report to any company. See FMCG distribution software.
Questions people ask
What is a DMS in FMCG?
A DMS (distributor management system) is software that records a distributor's billing, stock and claims and shares that data with the brand. It is usually chosen and paid for by the brand, so the brand can see secondary sales across its distributors.
What is the difference between DMS and SFA?
A DMS records what happens inside the distributor's business: bills, stock, claims. SFA (sales force automation) records what the salesmen do in the market: visits, orders, attendance. Many brand platforms sell both together.
Does a small distributor need a DMS?
Only if a brand asks for it. A distributor with a few vans usually needs a van sales app for his own work: billing from the van, van stock, collections, credit and the day-end close. If a brand also gives you a DMS, use it for that brand's reporting.
Is Tally a DMS?
No. Tally is accounting and billing software. Many distributors bill in it, but it is built for the office and the accountant, not around vans, beats and salesmen billing on their phones.
Found this problem in your business?
Don't estimate it. Run one van on Mulberry Sales for 14 days with your own shops, products and salesman, and measure it. One price covers your whole business, not each salesman.
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