Top 6 Challenges Retailers Face with Supplier Claims (and How to Solve Them)

Dealing with supplier claims shouldn't be a full-time job, but for a lot of retailers it ends up feeling like one. Whether it’s chasing credits, managing back-and-forth emails or just trying to prove that a return was even valid in the first place, it can get messy fast.

Here are the top 6 challenges retailers face with supplier claims and what you can do to fix them.

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1. No clear overview of open and closed claims

The problem: Claims are scattered across inboxes, spreadsheets, or buried in internal systems. It’s hard to know what’s still waiting on the supplier, what’s been resolved, and what’s about to fall through the cracks.

The fix: Get everything in one place. A shared dashboard gives your team a full overview of every claim, every status, every update. No digging, no guessing.

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2. Slow response times from suppliers

The problem: You send in a claim… and then silence. Chasing suppliers for weeks wastes time and strains relationships.

The fix: Create accountability. When suppliers can see exactly what claims are open and overdue (and when their team members are tagged), responses tend to speed up. Transparency leads to action.

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3. Supplier guidelines are hard to find and inconsistent

The problem: Every supplier has their own process, and half the battle is just finding out what it is. One needs 3 photos, another needs serial numbers, another has a form hidden in a Dropbox folder from 2018. It’s frustrating and easy to get wrong.

The fix:  Keep all supplier guidelines in one easy-to-access place where suppliers can upload their latest requirements directly, so your team always knows what’s needed. No more guesswork and no more rejections for “missing info.”

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4. Manual processes eat up your team’s time

The problem: Manually filling out forms, forwarding claims, attaching photos, writing the same explanations over and over. It’s repetitive, boring work, and it keeps your team from focusing on actual customer issues.

The fix: Automate the boring stuff. Tools that let you create workflows, forward claims directly to the supplier, and reuse templates save hours. Less admin, fewer errors.

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5. Claims fall through the cracks

The problem: You’re juggling dozens (or hundreds) of claims at once. It's easy to lose track, forget follow-ups, or miss out on credits you’re owed.

The fix: Set reminders and get alerts when a supplier doesn’t respond. Having a system that flags pending actions ensures nothing gets lost in the chaos.

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6. Lack of data to hold suppliers accountable

The problem: You know some suppliers are slow or reject more claims than others, but without the numbers, it’s hard to prove.

The fix: Start measuring. Get analytics that show resolution times, rejection rates, and credit performance per supplier. It gives you real leverage in negotiations because you’re not guessing, you’re showing hard data.

Supplier claims are always going to exist, but the pain around them doesn’t have to. If your team is drowning in admin or constantly chasing suppliers, it's time to fix the system, not just work around it.

Want to see how other retailers are handling supplier claims smarter?

Book a demo or check out our guide to modernising your claims process.

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