When small businesses first start out, they usually need an inventory management system to help them grow their business. They usually have a limited budget to spend on the software, so it’s important to choose wisely. In my opinion, Windows PCs are better suited to managing inventory because they have a better built-in clipboard functionality enabled by default. Here is a list of the best software for small business inventory management that will work with your Windows PC.
Small businesses need good inventory management to grow and treat their customers right. When it comes to small business inventory software, there are a lot of things to consider, from number of users to price to ease-of-use. But no matter what you decide on, one thing is certain: a full inventory will make your business a lot more efficient.
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Establishing a business enterprise in this competitive market is stressful, painstaking, and time-consuming. Managing inventory and fulfilling the consumer’s expectations is an added responsibility which can drain the management to extreme. Organizations look forward to helping in advanced software that is accurate in handling inventory, eliminating overproduction, overbooking, and wastage and cost reduction. A right inventory control management is essential for indispensable business success. With so many Inventory management software coming up today, it might be an erroneous task for the enterprise. Various factors combine together to help you select the best inventory management software. This buyer’s guide will help you calculate business requirements and choose the right software.
1. Ordoro: Best for ecommerce
The right choice for all kinds of ecommerce
Ordoro is our recommended inventory management system for any business selling online. Between its multichannel selling features and dropshipping capabilities, this inventory software has everything you need to run an online store.Get Started
It’s hard to practice good inventory management techniques when you’re juggling multiple sales channels. Fortunately, Ordoro makes multichannel selling easier. With Ordoro, you can create master products within your inventory system, allowing you to update descriptions, images, branding, and more across all (or some of) your sales channels at your discretion.
Ordoro also offers vendor management features that make dropshipping a breeze. For instance, you can assign vendors to specific products in your catalogue. Then, anytime a customer orders those items, Ordoro can automatically send the order to the appropriate vendor, thereby cutting out the middleman (you), maximizing supply chain efficiency and ensuring your customers get their items as quickly as possible.
We also like that Ordoro makes nontraditional inventory management strategy possible. For instance, you can opt to strategically oversell your goods or limit the number of instock items visible to your customers—both of which create the illusion of scarcity and motivate your potential buyers to complete their purchase. Ultimately, this helps you turn a better profit and avoid storing expensive excess inventory.
To learn more about this ecommerce inventory management solution, check out our Ordoro review.
2. inFlow Inventory: Best budget buy
Must-have features at a low cost
inFlow helps you maintain accurate stock levels and keep your business running smoothly—without making you pay the exorbitant rates charged by other inventory control software providers.Get Started
For businesses on a budget, inFlow Inventory is a great inventory management system. inFlow offers, in our opinion, the best free inventory management service on the market (inFlow On Premise). Or you can enjoy more features with inFlow’s paid plans—some of the cheapest available, starting at a low $79.00 per month.
Also, inFlow is remarkably easy to use, with many of its inventory tracking features automated. It’s even got a great mobile app that facilitates barcode scanning and keeps your sales agents and inventory manager on the same page for stock inventory levels.
One thing to keep in mind, though? inFlow Inventory is cheap because it’s more scaled back than other platforms on our list. While it makes managing inventory a breeze, inFlow caps the number of orders you can process monthly before you’re charged extra. For example, the most expensive plan includes 10,000 sales orders per month.
Should you need to handle more orders, you’ll be charged between $19 to $29 for each batch of 50 orders above the limit. If that’s a problem, you may want to check out another of our top budget choices, Zoho Inventory.
Be sure to read our inFlow Inventory review to get more details on the features and drawbacks of this low-cost inventory platform.
3. Upserve: Best for restaurants
A unique platform for unique inventory needs
Restaurants need more than simple order management because restaurants use their inventory differently than other types of businesses. Fortunately, Upserve is an inventory management solution designed specifically to help restaurants.Get Started
Upserve provides a dynamic inventory solution for the unique needs of restaurants. Specifically, Upserve offers a greater focus on expiration date tracking and specialty supply chain needs (like refrigerated shipping) than other inventory control software options.
What’s more, Upserve provides features just for restaurants. For instance, you can use Upserve inventory software to create recipes for the dishes you sell, customizing each recipe with the precise ingredients and amounts needed. Then, when you sell that dish, Upserve can automatically deduct those quantities from your inventory levels for the ingredients used. You can even use this feature to determine pricing for your menu items and identify food waste.
We also like that Upserve comes with a built-in point-of-sale (POS) system—though admittedly, we don’t love that you’re restricted to using (and paying for) Upserve’s unique proprietary POS hardware. Still, if you’re running a restaurant, Upserve is probably the best inventory management software you could hope for.
4. Cin7: Best ERP solution
Enterprise solutions at midsize costs
Cin7 offers an inventory management system that can do more than just inventory management. In fact, it’s a one-stop shop for all your business needs, including everything from inventory optimization to point-of-sale and manufacturing—pretty much everything except for accounting software.Get Started
Most enterprise resource planning (or ERP) platforms feature modules for every aspect of your business (like accounting, point of sale, inventory, and shipping)—and they charge you for each module you add to your plan. Those costs add up, making ERP systems outlandishly expensive for all but the largest companies.
Cin7 breaks the mold by offering built-in modules that come standard with your plan. In addition to a fully integrated POS system, Cin7 comes fully loaded with B2B ecommerce features, manufacturing features, and even a payment portal. And that’s all in addition to the barcode scanning, inventory tracking, and order fulfillment features you’d expect from your inventory solution.
Cin7 also offers advanced demand forecasting and multichannel support, including cross-channel syncing every five minutes. This ensures you have a dynamic inventory system that stays up to date, helping you achieve proper inventory management with minimal effort.
The downside? While Cin7 isn’t as expensive as most ERP solutions, it is among the more expensive platforms on our list (starting at $299.00 per month). Be sure to read our full Cin7 review to see if the service is right for your business.
5. Stitch Labs
» About Stitch Labs:
When you are using conventional inventory management software, it might lack advanced features and restrict your access. It’s time to shift to more advanced, integrated best inventory software like Stitch Labs. Inventory is the heart of every commercial business. A multi-channel inventory system like Stitch Labs is not only a savior but also handles a lot of business epidemics with its integrated advanced features. Over Purchasing, less-inventory, late deliveries, maintaining multiple warehouses, inventory accounting, and cost management are some of the common problems faced by the business. Stitch Labs is one of the advanced inventory and order management software which benefits the commercial business by centralizing inventory and controlling sales, purchase, and orders.
Stitch Labs is a cloud-based inventory management software that provides detailed retail reporting to view historical stock, financial location and sales velocity which helps in future assessment. Additionally, this multichannel platform updates sales channels, transfer inventory, track units in transit and inbound locations. Stitch Labs offers purchase order management, cost allocation, low stock alerts, bundling, and stocktakes. By expanding into this software, a business gets a better picture of its inventory, and accurate data to prevail forecasting and making smart business decisions.
» Starting Price:
› $799.00/month
» Stitch Labs Features:
- Alerts/Notifications
- Inventory Optimization
- Multi-Channel Management
- Reorder Management
- Retail Inventory Management
- Warehouse Management
- Forecasting
- Kitting
- Mobile Access
- Reporting/Analytics
- Supplier Management
» Capterra: 4.5/5 » G2crowd: 4.2/5 » GetApp: 4.5/5
“With a better picture of our inventory and what’s heading out and what’s available, we have accurate data for forecasting…. It’s super easy to get the data you need to make smart business decisions.”
Netsuite
Netsuite, owned by Oracle, is the best inventory management software for manufacturing companies or companies with large manufacturing needs.
The platform offers a complete set of basic inventory management software features plus purchasing capabilities to streamline the manufacturing process and supply chain processes.
The software is very customizable and provides advanced features. Some of its advanced features include demand planning, cycle counts, and very detailed product catalogs. Still, you’ll likely need the help of developers to take advantage of all of its functionality. It’ll take time to set up the platform’s inventory system, but it’ll be well worth it.
One thing to note is that it’s not ideal for businesses with high retail functionality needs. The other software on this list made for retail businesses are a better option.
Netsuite Price:
The platform offers no free trial nor free accounts. You have to contact them for a custom quote. The software’s pricing starts at $999 per month.
Verdict:
Netsuite is best for businesses with more complex needs and a higher budget because it’s not the cheapest option on the list.
8. Cin7
Cin7’s unique spin is that it’s an inventory management software as well as a point-of-sale system. This allows businesses to further streamline stock management across sales channels to prevent stock-out. This is helpful for businesses with both online and physical stores.
The platform advertises itself as a comprehensive solution for many businesses, including retailers, wholesalers, and those with simple manufacturing needs. Cin7 is another great alternative besides Brightpearl for previous Stitch Labs customers.
On top of having all the other standard features of cheaper inventory management software, it has a lot more features and functionality.
Cin7 Highlights:
- Advanced reporting: You’ll have access to over 100 customizable reports. It also includes demand planning and forecasting features. This’ll give you access to actionable data to make better decisions around inventory.
- Known for its many integrations (550+): Cin7 has many integrations across eCommerce, accounting, and more. This feature makes it easy to take your business to the next level as it grows.
- Affordable enterprise resource planning (ERP): ERPs usually charge a higher price for additional features. Cin7 took a different approach. They include lots of built-in functionality at no extra cost.
- Fully-integrated point-of-sale system: Cin7’s point-of-sale allows you to do a lot more than just process transactions on their point-of-sale system. Their point-of-sale system also allows you to track inventory, ship orders, and much more.
- Mobile point-of-sale: Cin7’s point-of-sale module can be run on a mobile device and can even take orders offline.
Cin7 Price:
Cin7 has a small business plan which starts at $299 per month, making it one of the options with the highest price on this list. When it comes to ERP software, it’s considered to have a budget-friendly price.
Conclusion
Best inventory management software for small business provides various features to the users. Small business inventory software is a program used by business owners who want to keep track of their products, including sizes, quantities and other aspects that are concerned with inventory.