Inventory
November 11, 2021

How to Excel at Store Inventory Management

Whether you like to make lists or checkboxes for organizing things, it is essential to know that an unorganized inventory is just a big drawback for your business. Sellers accrue more loss in costs due to mismanagement of inventory. The failures happen due to out-of-stock items, overstocking, and preventable returns, wrong product packaging, missed delivery, etc. Love it or hate it, one needs to keep inventory management in the top priority for optimally running a business and making money. 


Managing inventory is a pillar of successful business operation, and its techniques help eCommerce sellers and stores to satisfy customers, increase profits and reduce costs. Here you will learn about the management of store inventory, its importance, specific tips for managing it well, and the reasons for investing in an inventory management solution.


What is Store Inventory Management?

Store inventory management is an approach to source, store, and track the inventory. By managing the inventory, store owners meet customer demand without carrying a lot of supply or getting out of stock. Effective management of inventory leads to reducing costs and understanding sales patterns better. The management methods can provide them with more information about product locations, which stock has better sales, quantities, ideal inventory amount, profit margin, time to discontinue certain products, and factors affecting sales.


Why is Store Inventory Management Important?

The management of inventory is vital for stores as the practice will aid them in elevating profits. They are going to have sufficient stock for capturing any possible sales while minimizing expenses and avoiding overstock. This practice can help in many ways, and some major ones are mentioned below.


1. Minimizes Inventory Costs

After getting the idea about your stocks and the number of supplies you need, pinpointing inventory levels becomes more accurate. Thus, inventory management can reduce storage and carry excess merchandise costs. Other savings you can get with this include logistics, shipping, opportunity cost, and depreciation.


2. Reduces Out-of-Stocks

To avoid the disappointment of customers, stores must refrain from running out of inventory. You can determine the correct stock amount, not excess or little. The bestsellers amount will be huge, and unwanted products will be less. 


3. Increases Profit Margins

The low inventory costs and ample supply can increase profitability. The more you will continue management, the better profit you will get. 


4. Prevents Obsolescence and Spoilage

With inventory management, store owners can address cost inefficiency that occurs when products become obsolete or expire. This condition applies to perishable goods having less shelf life and non-perishable products that become obsolete due to changing technology and consumer taste.


5. Improve Omnichannel and Multi-channel performance

If you sell through physical stores, it can be hard to keep accurate inventory counts across various channels. Correct inventory data can let you utilize the inventory more efficiently and deliver the product to customers faster.


6. Facilitates Growth and Simplifies Processes

Good inventory management decreases friction and helps in sales growth. Shipping, getting, and order fulfillment can run smoothly. Moreover, you reduce errors, staff stress, and customer complaints. 


7. Enhances Customer Satisfaction

With faster product delivery and reduced out-of-stocks, customers satisfaction increases, and their loyalty also escalates.  


8. Eases Management of Supply Chain

A firm grip on inventory helps in managing the supply chain in a better manner. You can utilize the system that performs best for you. Determining the right order size will help reduce inventory costs along with shortage, holding, and order expenses. 


Some Expert Tips For Store Retail Management


Best practices for inventory management can lay the foundation for good stock accuracy, lower costs, and high-profit margins. 


1. Flex the Ordering Muscles

You can do everything to ensure that you are ordering the correct stock amount to satisfy customers' demands. It means setting data-backed levels to optimize order size and use the open-to-buy strategy to plan purchases.


2. Become Proactive With the Supply Chain

Track service sales and communicate with vendors to take concrete actions for meeting customers' needs. Also, plan to find out alternative providers of essential items.


3. Maximize efficiency and prioritize accuracy

Always make inventory management efficient and arrange the warehouse strategically. Keeping things organized is also a way to improve efficiency. You can regularly perform counts and audits of inventory to enhance accuracy.


4. Use an Inventory Management Solution

You can take advantage of technology by automating tasks to make instant progress. The correct tool can help in reducing human errors and produce richer data. Also, it can send notifications for stock alerts. 


Why Invest in Store Inventory Management Solution?

The store businesses will rapidly outgrow from pen and paper to tracking stock. The automation of inventory management can raise accuracy and enhance customer experience while reducing costs. More benefits include:

  • Real-time inventory counts
  • Accurate shipping records
  • Simplified returns
  • Merchandise traceability
  • Better forecasting
  • Custom notifications
  • Support strategic pricing
  • Easy generation of reports


Conclusion

Robust store inventory management will help in better handling your expenses and increasing sales. You can know which things are more in demand and are sold instantly with a proper inventory management tool. This way, you can prepare yourself to serve the customers better. 


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