Can Self-Service Stocktake Software Streamline Your Ordering System?

As a retailer, you know that your profits partly depend on having just enough products on the shelf to meet customer demand at any given time. However, this can be a hard balance to achieve.

Hitting the sweet spot where you always have enough stock on site to cover demand isn't always easy. While products may sell steadily most of the time, sometimes a fall or surge in demand can leave you with stock headaches. Plus, manual stocktaking doesn't always give you accurate data to make the right orders at the right time.

How can self-service stocktake software help?

Get Accurate Real-time Ordering Data

If you run a manual stocktaking system, then you reorder goods when they get close to running out. This may involve one of your staff seeing that a product is running out on a shelf and then going to the warehouse to get more. They may then see that you don't have much, if any, left in stock, so they tell you to reorder.

In the time it takes you to do this, you may run out of the product. You may lose sales in-house; customers may go elsewhere to get what they want.

If you use stocktake software, then you automate the process. You can set your own reorder limits at certain levels, taking into account the time you need to get stock in from a supplier. So, for example, if stock runs low, the system will automatically flag the reorder immediately. This may give you more time to get new stock in before the rest sells.

Avoid Costly Ordering Mistakes

Manual stocktaking doesn't always make the best financial sense. If you underorder and run out of stock, then you lose potential profits. Getting a reorder on the shelves may be more expensive if you have to pay for expedited delivery.

On the other hand, if you overorder, then you may end pay for more stock than you can sell. As it approaches the end of its shelf-life, you may need to sell it at a discount or even dump it.

Automated stocktake software enables you to manage your ordering process more effectively. This kind of system gives you immediate data based on actual sales and sales patterns.

Self-service stocktaking software doesn't just help you create better ordering procedures. This kind of system has other benefits that you may find useful. To learn more, contact stocktake software suppliers and get them in to talk about their systems.