Inventory management is the process of managing an organization’s inventory of goods and raw materials. It involves tracking inventory levels, orders, sales, and deliveries. Effective inventory management helps companies ensure that they have enough inventory to meet customer demand without overstocking or carrying excess inventory. 

The goal of inventory management is to have the right products in the right place at the right time, enabling an organization to know when to order, how much to order and where to store stock.  

Inventory management is absolutely essential for organizations to streamline their day-to-day operations, improves accuracy as it ensures that you can accurately track current inventory levels and quickly identify what products you need more of, reduces costs, saves time, improves business planning and keeping track of your inventory and orders prevents any potential losses.  

Inventory management helps organizations identify which and how much stock to order at what time and it tracks inventory from purchase to the sale of goods. This includes the management of raw materials, components, and finished products, as well as the warehousing and processing of such items. 

Inventory Management Systems boil down to these three modules.

Shipping Management  

Shipping Management is concerned with planning and execution of the shipping process to ensure the smooth functioning of the same.  Shipping Management involves the Ability to create and manage shipping orders and packing lists,  Support for multiple shipping methods and carriers, Ability to track shipping status and delivery updates, Planning: This involves determining the most efficient and cost-effective shipping methods, routes, and carriers for transporting goods. It also involves coordinating with suppliers and customers to ensure timely delivery of products. Logistics: This involves managing the movement of goods from the point of origin to the final destination. It includes coordinating transportation, tracking shipments, and managing inventory levels

Production Module 

This includes; Raw material management is concerned with recording all the raw materials required for the production of a particular product. Units of measure; The basic units for stock quantities include; kilograms, grams, pieces, and dozen. Products management is concerned with recording all the organization’s products and their required raw materials for production. Variances This component is concerned with calculating the difference between the planned quantity of products to be produced and the actual quantity of products produced. 

Inventory Module 

Stock In (stock coming into the business); This describes the process of adding new products/items to the business. It details the process of how products get into or are brought into the business.  Adding stock/products from the organization’s manufacturing base. Purchasing products outside the organization 

Stock Alerts; Stock alerts, also referred to as inventory alerts, help an organization know when there has been a significant or noteworthy change in the organization’s level of stock/inventory.  

Stock Management; Stock management is concerned with managing the goods an organization offers to its customers. This involves acquiring, storing, organizing and tracking stock. Stock management also involves keeping records of changes in your inventory over time.  

Stock Taking; Stock taking is concerned with the activity of counting and checking all of the quantities of the goods that an organization has and the condition of items held in an inventory or warehouse.   

How an IMS can increase sales

An inventory management system can indeed help retailers increase sales in several ways. Here are some key ways an inventory management system can contribute to sales growth:

Avoid stockouts: An inventory management system helps retailers track and monitor their inventory levels accurately. By having real-time visibility into stock levels, retailers can avoid stockouts, which occur when a product is out of stock and unavailable for purchase. By ensuring products are always available, retailers can meet customer demand promptly, prevent lost sales opportunities, and maintain customer satisfaction.

Optimize inventory levels: Excess inventory ties up capital and incurs carrying costs. On the other hand, low inventory levels can lead to missed sales opportunities. An inventory management system can analyze historical sales data, forecast demand, and recommend optimal inventory levels for each product. By maintaining appropriate stock levels, retailers can reduce inventory carrying costs while maximizing sales potential.

Streamline order management: An efficient inventory management system automates the order management process. It can handle incoming orders, update stock levels in real time, and generate purchase orders automatically when inventory reaches predefined reorder points. By automating these tasks, retailers can streamline their operations, reduce human error, and ensure timely order fulfilment, thereby increasing customer satisfaction and sales.

Facilitate accurate demand forecasting: Inventory management systems can analyze historical sales data, seasonal trends, and other relevant factors to generate accurate demand forecasts. By understanding customer demand patterns, retailers can plan their inventory levels more effectively. This helps them to ensure they have the right products in stock at the right time, avoid overstocking or understocking, and capture sales opportunities during peak periods.

Enable efficient restocking: With an inventory management system, retailers can streamline their restocking process. The system can generate alerts or automate reordering based on predefined inventory thresholds, supplier lead times, and sales forecasts. By simplifying and expediting the restocking process, retailers can minimize stockouts and ensure a continuous supply of products, ultimately leading to increased sales.

Identify fast-moving and slow-moving products: An inventory management system provides insights into product performance, identifying fast-moving items that are popular among customers as well as slow-moving items that may require special attention. By focusing on promoting popular products or implementing strategies to improve the sales of slow-moving items, retailers can optimize their product assortment, merchandising, and marketing efforts to drive sales growth.

Enhance customer satisfaction: Accurate inventory information is crucial for providing accurate product availability information to customers. An inventory management system enables retailers to offer real-time inventory visibility on their websites, mobile apps, or in-store displays. When customers can see product availability information and trust its accuracy, they are more likely to make a purchase. By providing a positive shopping experience and meeting customer expectations, retailers can foster customer loyalty and increase sales.

In summary, an inventory management system helps retailers optimize their inventory levels, prevent stockouts, streamline operations, make data-driven decisions, and enhance customer satisfaction. By leveraging the benefits of an efficient inventory management system, retailers can increase sales, reduce costs, and ultimately improve their overall profitability.