Stock management software techniques
8 effective inventory management techniques to increase your profits
The term " stock management file" scared me. As a part time cashier during my high school years, the word " stock manager" had only one meaning: a lot of calculation . Business owners often have the habit of performing an inventory at the end of the year by counting all of their physical products and making sure that the quantities match those listed inventory store manager .
For larger companies, such as the one I worked for, it is usually a difficult task that requires the cooperation of all employees.
Today, I realize the importance of optimized inventory management. The stock is equivalent to money; you have spent money to buy it, and you will get it back probably making a profit.
The importance of inventory management
The acquisition of bar code stock management software requires a lot of money; that's why good inventory management is essential to growing a business. Having stock can have a positive or negative impact on your business, depending on how you manage it; it's the same for managing your cash flow.
Good inventory management saves you money
Optimized inventory management allows you to save money and manage inventory in a number of ways:
Manage stocks The expiry of products is avoided
If you sell products that have an expiry date with an excel free store stock management app (such as food or make-up products), you will encounter difficulties if you fail to sell your stock on time. Optimized inventory management will prevent your products from perishing.
Inventory management You avoid dead stocks
A dead stock can no longer be sold, but for reasons other than the expiration of the products. It could be that your products have become outdated, unsuitable for the coming seasons, or simply unimportant. By effectively managing your stocks, you will be able to avoid dead stocks .
You save on storage costs through store stock management
Storage costs are variable costs, which means that they vary according to the quantity of products stored. If you have too many products in stock or fail to sell certain items, your storage costs will increase. You could save money by preventing this from happening and inventory management store or stock management store, open source stock management.
Good stock management and barcode stock management improves cash flow
Whatever the software: stock access management, free access stock management, stock management with barcode, barcode stock management, excel stock management, stock warehouse management, open source stock management, good management Inventory with stock quote invoice not only saves you money, but also optimizes cash flow, in different ways. As mentioned before, you have probably spent money to buy your stock, and you are going to sell it for profit. But, as long as you have not sold it, your stock does not amount to money. Do you think you will be able to pay your rent with 500 iPhone cases?
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That's why it's important to consider inventory as part of your cash flow management. Stock affects both sales and expenses, since you rely on it to know how much you can sell and order. This has a significant impact on the amount of cash available. Good inventory management translates into better cash flow management.
A good inventory management system will allow you to know exactly how many products you have, and based on sales, you will be able to make projections as to when you will have to order certain specific items again. This will not only prevent you from losing sales (which is vital for optimizing cash flow), but also having enough cash available to better plan your future orders.
The money spent on inventory is money that is not spent on business growth. Manage it wisely.
8 inventory management techniques
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The inventory management program is a customizable activity that varies with each company. However, all contractors must do their utmost to try to eliminate the risk of human error from the inventory management process. This means that it is best to use inventory management software. If you have a shopify online store, the inventory management is already integrated to your store whatever the software management software stock management software stock barcode, software management free stock excel, stock management software store, software stock manager, free software store stock management ..
Whatever system you use, the following 8 techniques will help you better manage your inventory and cash flow.
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Order Points
Simplify your inventory management process by establishing a minimum level of storage software or order point for each of your products. In other words, it consists of holding only the minimum quantity of products that is necessary for the operation of your business at any time. When the quantity of a product falls below that predefined, the order of replenishment must be passed.
When restocking, the ideal would be to order for each product the amount needed to reach the predefined order point; these minimum stock levels will vary depending on the product, the speed at which it is sold, and the time required to have it back in stock and make stock management chart
While it will be essential to do some research and think ahead, setting up control points will allow you to make well-thought-out decisions faster; and will allow your staff to do the same during your absence with stock management .
Remember that conditions change over time. Review your order points a few times a year to make sure they have been properly set. If a change occurs unexpectedly, do not hesitate to modify your order points (by lowering or increasing them) to adjust to the situation.
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First In, First Out (FIFO)
The "first in, first out" principle is an important principle of inventory management; this consists of selling the oldest stock first, not the new one. This management system will be particularly useful if you sell perishable products, in order to avoid their expiry.
This technique can also be used for non-perishable products. If the same products are still stored at the bottom of the shelves, they will probably deteriorate. In addition, packaging and features often change over time. This will prevent you from having old-fashioned products that do not sell.
To manage such a system based on the date of purchase of the products, your warehouse must be well organized. It will be necessary to make sure to put back the products placed at the bottom of the shelves, or to always keep the oldest products at the front. If you are working with a warehousing and order processing company, staff will probably be used to doing this; however, you should contact them to confirm that this is the case.
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Customer-supplier relationship management
Fast adaptability is essential for effective management of the inventory management program. Whether it is returning a product that sells very slowly to replace it with a new item, quickly recommend a product sold very well, solve problems related to the manufacture of goods, or temporarily increase your space. 'storage ; it is important to maintain a good relationship with your suppliers. Thus, they will be more willing to adopt a comprehensive attitude when solving problems that may arise.
Maintaining good relationships with your product suppliers will provide you with other benefits; especially when negotiating minimum order quantities. Do not be afraid to negotiate lower minimum quantities for not having to handle too much stock.
Maintaining a good customer-supplier relationship is not just about being friendly. You must inform your suppliers of periods when you expect sales to increase so that they can increase production. If you can not sell a product, discuss it with them; this will allow you to suspend your promotions or search for a temporary substitute.
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Emergency planning
Many issues related to inventory management can occur. Problems of this kind can be crippling for poorly prepared businesses. For example :
- Your sales may increase unexpectedly and you sell more products than you actually have in stock
- You could end up in a budget deficit and not have the cash to order a product you desperately need
- Your warehouse may not have enough space to store your goods during periods of sustained activity.
- A poor estimate of your inventory levels could negatively affect your sales projections
- A product that sells very slowly could eventually occupy the majority of your storage space
- Your supplier may be out of stock while you have outstanding orders
- Your supplier could stop manufacturing a product without notice
It is important to know when to predict when a problem may occur. Identify risk activities and develop an emergency plan. How will you react? What steps will you take to solve the problem? What impact will this have on other aspects of your business? Remember that well-maintained client-supplier relationships can have a significant positive impact on your ability to effectively manage difficult times.
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Frequent checks
Regular reconciliation is essential. In most cases, you will rely on your warehouse software and reporting to find out the theoretical quantity of products in stock. However, it is important to ensure that the theoretical stock matches the actual stock. To do this, there are several methods:
logistics software stock : Physical inventory
Performing a physical inventory means counting all your products at once. Many business owners carry out a physical inventory at the end of the year; since they prepare at the same time their accounting and the payment of taxes on the income. Even though physical inventories usually only take place once a year, they can be very inconvenient for businesses to do. If you find a gap, knowing the cause can be a difficult task.
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Spot checks
If you are used to doing a complete physical inventory at the end of the year, and you often have problems; or you have a lot of products in stock; you should start performing spot checks throughout the year. This would be like comparing the actual amount of a given product to the one you should normally hold. You can perform these checks at any time; however, these spot checks should be conducted in addition to the physical inventory and not as a replacement. When performing spot checks, you should focus especially on products that sell very quickly or are often problematic. with stock management program, free inventory management program.
download software stock : Inventory revolving
Instead of performing a complete physical inventory at the end of the year, some companies make a rotating inventory to control their actual stock. Instead of counting all the products at one time during a physical inventory at the end of the year, the rotating inventory allows you to spread the reconciliation operations throughout the year. Every day, every week or every month, a different product should be controlled. There are several ways to identify items to be prioritized; but, in general, high-value items should be counted more frequently. For this you need to: download free store stock management, download stock store software free .
- ABC Analysis
Some products require more attention than others. Use an ABC analysis to determine your priorities in managing your inventory. Separate the products to which you should give the most importance of those that are less important. To do this, you can assign each item on your product list to one of three categories:
A - High value products that do not sell often
B - Medium value products that sell moderately
C - Low value products that sell a lot
Category A articles require special attention; their financial impact is considerable, but their sale is unpredictable. Category C items require less attention; their financial impact is lower, and they sell very well. Category B items represent the middle point between the two categories with a free stock software store download
- Precise projections
A precise forecast of demand is an essential aspect of good inventory management . Do not get me wrong, this is a difficult task to accomplish. There are many variables to take into account and unexpected events often happen - but you can organize yourself in advance. Here are some things to consider when planning your future sales:
- Market trends
- Sales volume recorded the same week last year
- Current year growth rate
- Guaranteed sales from contracts and subscriptions
- Seasonality and general state of the economy
- Promotions coming soon
- Planned advertising expenditures
If there are other factors that can help you make more accurate forecasts, make sure you include them, download free inventory management software store
- Consider selling in dropshipping
Dropshipping undoubtedly represents an ideal solution from the point of view of inventory management. Instead of having to stock and ship the products yourself (either internally or collaborating with third-party logistics solutions), the manufacturer / wholesaler will do it for you. This essentially eliminates inventory management operations from your business activities.
Many wholesalers and manufacturers offer dropshipping sales services, but even if this is not currently the case with your supplier, he could agree to work this way if you talk to him about it. Do not be afraid to ask. Although dropshipping products are slightly more expensive than wholesalers, you will not have to spend inventory warehousing and order processing.
It's time to have full control over your inventory management and stop losing money. Choose the best inventory management technique for your business, and start implementing it today, download free Excel stock management software.