Managing your Stock control
Stock control for online businesses presents similar problems to more traditional enterprises but there are important differences. Whether you sell products that are made in house or supplied from elsewhere, itt is surprisingly easy to lose track of how much stock you have even in a small business, especially if you are some products are components of others. The crucial part and ultimate goal of any stock control system must be to ensure that your stock can provide for that large customer order when it comes, at the same time as ensuring the cash flow in your business remains liquid.
Simple stock control systems can be built on spreadsheets or PC databases if you have the skills. More complicated stock control systems will need to be purchased “off the shelf”. Consequently the cost of small business stock control software can vary from £50 to £5000.
Buy investing in a stock control system you will save money and time for your business. At BSD online we have invested in a custom built stock control system and we have in house expertise that allows this system to manipulated and bespoked to serve the diverse range of client requirements that we provide. As a fulfilment service provider we understand the complexities of running your business are all inter related and we have made the investment in our systems that you business can rely on.
What is a stock control system?
Before computers many stock control systems were based on good old pen and paper, maybe with postcards filed alphabetically or based a round a ledger. Computerisation has ensured that the rather inflexible nature of these paper based systems are now a thing of the past.
A computerised based stock control system should enable you to see what stock you have, and most importantly, at what speed each line is moving. A stock system that is difficult to use or overly complicated can really harm your business ,but a simple and easy to use system can really benefit your business as the historical information it can provide will really show where the product strengths within your business lie.
Naturally the type of stock control system you purchase will depend on your business. At BSD online we aim to make this decision easy by asking you to allow us to deal with it for you and ensure that we provide you with accurate and informative data that makes running your business easier.
Features of a typical stock control system include:
● Easy to use and setup.
● Fast to process the data.
● Integration with common software such as spreadsheets and word processors.
● Integration with email systems to allow regular notifications and user updatesy you when stocks are getting low.
● Product fields and description boxes that enable you to clearly see what you have in stock
● Pricing optionst.
● Ability to group products logically together.
● Easy integration with complimentary products such as accounting packages or website stock control.
● Ability to increase/decrease or otherwise manage pricing across the product set.
● Instant stock check or valuation of stock on hand.
● Help with managing part delivered supplies.
Online or PC based stock control systems
The next question to consider is whether you want a PC based system local to your PC, or a hosted solution, accessed via the internet. There are advantages and disadvantages to both of these approaches which you may need to consider:
Online system
● Managed remotely.
● All backups and “back end” security managed remotely.
● Usability / adaptability .
● Can be accessed from anywhere there is an internet connection (home, office, airport…).
● Security must be consistently maintained
.
PC base solution.
● You control the PC and software.
● You are responsible for backing up the system and technical maintenance.
