The e-cigarette market in Romania keeps expanding, driven by a high smoking rate (over 30% of the population) and an increasingly diverse retail ecosystem. Specialist stores such as Smokemania, Voore, VAPS and Merlin have helped the segment mature, while the popularity of disposable vapes keeps pushing sales up.
Nationally, this is a business worth billions of lei (Romanian currency) a year, and an industry far more complex than it looks at first glance. Beyond the growth, distributing vaping products comes with significant operational challenges, especially for companies that run several sales channels.
The complexity behind a growing market
A key player in this industry, active through its own stores as well as a dedicated online portal and a B2B network, was facing the bottlenecks typical of rapid scaling:
- no unified system for orders coming from multiple sources (its own online store, marketplaces, EDI customers)
- the need to update stock in real time to avoid selling products that were no longer available
- complex management of custom commercial policies for B2B customers
- inefficiencies in picking, packing and delivery
- no centralized financial and operational picture
- growing sales volumes that exposed the need for full integration with courier companies, banks and Romanian tax systems (e-Factura, the national e-invoicing system, and e-Transport, the road freight monitoring system)
In short, the business had outgrown its existing operational infrastructure. The company hired Next iSolutions to implement a digital system that would automate its operations.
The solution: a fully integrated ERP + WMS system
To meet these challenges, we worked with the customer to develop and implement an extended, customized digital system, built on an ERP system integrated with the NEXT WMS warehouse management system. The goal was clear: fully digitalize the entire distribution chain, from order to delivery and financial reporting.
Bringing sales channels into a single flow
The first step was to unify all order sources in a single system:
- automatic import of orders from the online portal and eMAG
- real-time sync of stock and order statuses
- automatic application of pricing policies, by channel and customer type
- automatic generation of invoices, linked directly to customer accounts
- B2C and B2B running side by side on the same platform, with different commercial rules
We also built a dedicated connector to fully integrate the online platform with the central ERP.
WMS and full control over stock
In the warehouse, implementing the WMS module fundamentally changed the way people work:
- picking and packing done with scanners
- real-time stock updates
- automatic reservation of products the moment an order is placed
- no more overselling or stock errors
The result was much tighter inventory control and a significant increase in operational speed.
Full automation of sales and financial flows
Another important pillar was integrating the sales and financial processes:
- automatic management of negotiated B2B prices per customer
- EDI integration to receive orders from large customers automatically
- automatic import of bank statements (MT940 format)
- import of courier manifests to reconcile deliveries
- full support for e-Factura and e-Transport
- centralized operational and financial reports, in real time
In practice, the entire financial flow became fully automated and connected to operations.
Purchase planning based on real data
A dedicated purchasing module was configured to support stock decisions:
- estimating replenishment needs based on sales history
- factoring in seasonality and consumption trends
- optimizing stock levels to reduce shortages and overstocking
Purchasing thus became a predictive process rather than a reactive one.
The results: operational efficiency and real scalability
After implementation, the impact showed directly in business performance:
- full automation of the order → delivery → invoicing flow
- fewer human errors and shorter processing times
- full traceability of stock and orders across all channels
- faster decisions, based on data consolidated in real time
- more flexibility with B2B partners through EDI and automatic rules
- a better customer experience thanks to accurate availability and fast processing
- easier expansion of the sales network without operational bottlenecks
Beyond efficiency, the most important result was an operating model that can support growth without complexity growing at the same rate.
This project shows clearly that, in a fast-growing industry, digitalization is no longer an optional advantage but a precondition for scaling. By fully integrating the ERP with the WMS and all sales channels, the customer moved from a fragmented operating model to a unified, automated and predictive ecosystem.
What the customer says:
*
*
"For us, digitalization isn't just a step forward, it's a strategic choice. We've managed to fully connect our online, offline and B2B operations, respond to customers faster and adapt on the fly to everything new in the industry. We're always tuned in to trends, and above all ready to turn them into real value for our customers."
We thank them for working with us and wish them every success as their business grows.
