Inventory man­age­ment software: best solutions

Once a company grows beyond a certain size, managing its warehouse ef­fec­tive­ly requires a reliable system. To keep track of inventory at all times, busi­ness­es turn to inventory man­age­ment software. These solutions help stream­line warehouse op­er­a­tions and, in some cases, support logistics co­or­di­na­tion. In this article, we explore the im­por­tance of this software, who can benefit from it, and the available solutions on the market.

Overview of inventory man­age­ment software

What is inventory software?

Inventory man­age­ment software provides a com­pre­hen­sive overview of stock levels across a business. This means companies always have real-time vis­i­bil­i­ty into what items are in stock, where they are located, and whether they are in transit. Managing inventory manually can be complex, but a good inventory man­age­ment system stream­lines op­er­a­tions, reduces errors, and optimizes supply chain ef­fi­cien­cy.

There are two primary types of inventory man­age­ment systems: perpetual and periodic inventory systems. Periodic systems determine stock levels through scheduled physical inventory counts, such as quarterly or annual audits, often following GAAP (Generally Accepted Ac­count­ing Prin­ci­ples). In contrast, a perpetual inventory system updates stock levels au­to­mat­i­cal­ly with every trans­ac­tion, purchase, or sale. To ensure accuracy, inventory man­age­ment software in­te­grates with barcode scanners, RFID sensors, or IoT tracking devices, allowing real-time updates.

A com­par­i­son of the best inventory man­age­ment software

The market offers a wide range of inventory control systems. Here, we present the nine most promising options.

Cin7

Cin7 is par­tic­u­lar­ly well-suited for e-commerce and retail busi­ness­es. With in­te­gra­tions for various online shop platforms and con­nec­tions to POS systems and in-store registers, the software ef­fec­tive­ly supports day-to-day sales op­er­a­tions. For pro­cess­ing orders in the warehouse, employees can either use handheld scanners (based on Android smart­phones) or tra­di­tion­al printed picking lists generated by the software. Ad­di­tion­al­ly, Cin7 can be in­te­grat­ed with logistics solutions, making product shipping simple and efficient.

Access to all areas of the software is managed through a dashboard, which also con­sol­i­dates reports and analytics. Since every­thing is cloud-based, the warehouse man­age­ment software is accessed via a web browser, while mobile apps are available for handheld devices. To ensure smooth im­ple­men­ta­tion, Cin7 provides on­board­ing and long-term customer support.

Zoho Inventory

Zoho Inventory is a web-based inventory man­age­ment software designed for busi­ness­es of all sizes. Favored for its intuitive and easy-to-use features, it supports inventory tracking, warehouse man­age­ment, shipping in­te­gra­tions, and seamless con­nec­tions with ac­count­ing and CRM tools. The software also includes barcode scanning ca­pa­bil­i­ties and in­te­grates smoothly with Zoho’s suite of pro­duc­tiv­i­ty tools.

Zoho Inventory is one of the best value options on the market. It offers Basic, Standard, and Pro­fes­sion­al plans, with pricing based on the number of users, orders, and ware­hous­es needed.

Sell­er­Cloud

The Sell­er­Cloud is a powerful mul­ti­chan­nel e-commerce solution that offers inventory man­age­ment, order au­toma­tion, and mul­ti­chan­nel selling tools. It is par­tic­u­lar­ly ben­e­fi­cial for online retailers managing multiple sales channels. Key features include mul­ti­chan­nel com­pat­i­bil­i­ty, listing au­toma­tion, order and shipping au­toma­tion, and advanced reporting tools.

One of Sell­er­Cloud’s standout features is its seamless in­te­gra­tion with major sales channels like Amazon, eBay, and Walmart, as well as shopping cart platforms (Shopify, Magento), shipping carriers (FedEx, DHL), and third-party logistics providers (e.g., Amazon Ful­fill­ment).

Bright­pearl

Another prominent inventory control software, Bright­pearl, assists retailers with real-time inventory man­age­ment, customer data, orders, reporting, and ac­count­ing. Compared to its com­peti­tors, this web-based solution offers a wide range of in­te­gra­tions with popular mar­ket­places, sales channels, and services, enabling seamless op­er­a­tions across multiple platforms. Its built-in financial man­age­ment and ac­count­ing features are specif­i­cal­ly designed for larger retail busi­ness­es, providing real-time insights for an instant overview of company finances.

Unlike many of its com­peti­tors, Bright­pearl is built specif­i­cal­ly for om­nichan­nel retail, meaning it seam­less­ly in­te­grates with various mar­ket­places, e-commerce platforms, and ac­count­ing systems. Its au­toma­tion ca­pa­bil­i­ties help busi­ness­es reduce manual processes, improve ef­fi­cien­cy, and focus on growth.

Logiwa

Logiwa is a cloud-based warehouse and inventory man­age­ment software designed for small to medium-sized retail, third-party logistics (3PL), and e-commerce busi­ness­es. It provides essential tools for inventory and warehouse man­age­ment, mul­ti­chan­nel in­te­gra­tions, order ful­fill­ment, and real-time data analytics, allowing busi­ness­es to stream­line their logistics and ful­fill­ment op­er­a­tions.

Logiwa offers a highly cus­tomiz­able and scalable system, enabling users to automate workflows, integrate with multiple sales channels, and access real-time inventory updates and per­for­mance reports. Its cloud-based in­fra­struc­ture ensures ac­ces­si­bil­i­ty from anywhere, making it a flexible solution for growing busi­ness­es.

SYSPRO

SYSPRO is an En­ter­prise Resource Planning (ERP) software suite designed to help busi­ness­es stream­line and automate key processes, par­tic­u­lar­ly targeting small to medium-sized man­u­fac­tur­ing and dis­tri­b­u­tion companies. The software offers essential features such as automated sched­ul­ing, ERP in­te­gra­tion, multi-currency support, and order man­age­ment.

While SYSPRO offers in­te­gra­tion ca­pa­bil­i­ties, it is not limited to Microsoft products. The SYSPRO In­te­gra­tion Framework allows for in­te­gra­tion with various third-party ap­pli­ca­tions, enabling busi­ness­es to extend SYSPRO’s func­tion­al­i­ty beyond Microsoft-centric en­vi­ron­ments. SYSPRO’s pricing is based on customer re­quire­ments, the number of users, and the chosen de­ploy­ment method. The price increases the more users there are.

Ordoro

Ordoro is a com­pre­hen­sive e-commerce logistics platform that provides shipping man­age­ment, inventory control, third-party ful­fill­ment, financial reporting, and barcode scanning, making it an ideal solution for small to medium-sized busi­ness­es tran­si­tion­ing from manual inventory man­age­ment to au­toma­tion.

It offers three pricing plans: the Express Plan at $59 per month, which focuses primarily on shipping man­age­ment without inventory features; the Pro Plan at $499 per month, which includes inventory man­age­ment, drop­ship­ping, and kitting; and the En­ter­prise Plan, which has cus­tomized pricing and provides advanced features like custom workflows and supplier man­age­ment. Ordoro in­te­grates with major e-commerce platforms and mar­ket­places, including Shopify, Amazon, eBay, Walmart, and WooCom­merce, covering essential in­te­gra­tions, though it may not offer the extensive range found in some com­peti­tors.

Fishbowl

Fishbowl is renowned as a leading inventory man­age­ment solution, par­tic­u­lar­ly for busi­ness­es utilizing Quick­Books. It offers features such as shipping in­te­gra­tion, merchant services, asset tracking, and wireless barcoding, making it a popular choice among small to medium-sized busi­ness­es aiming to stream­line their op­er­a­tions. A notable feature is its Wizard function, designed to guide users through processes ef­fi­cient­ly.

Ad­di­tion­al­ly, Fishbowl provides com­pre­hen­sive training resources, including videos and tutorials, supported by a dedicated customer support team, which is ben­e­fi­cial for first-time users. Fishbowl’s pricing starts at $4,395 per year, with the cost de­creas­ing slightly as more users are added. A 14-day free trial is available for busi­ness­es to assess the software’s ca­pa­bil­i­ties.

Stitch Labs

Stitch Labs is a cloud-based inventory man­age­ment solution designed for growing busi­ness­es and small to medium-sized en­ter­pris­es. It offers robust mul­ti­chan­nel in­te­gra­tions, including POS systems, ware­hous­es, third-party logistics, shipping ful­fill­ment, EDI, and various mar­ket­places. Key features encompass order logistics, ful­fill­ment ca­pa­bil­i­ties, and detailed reporting. The Basic Plan starts at $799 per month, including unlimited sales channels, users, and partner in­te­gra­tions., and the High Growth Plan is priced at $999 per month, offering ad­di­tion­al advanced features.

In July 2020, Square acquired Stitch Labs to enhance its seller services. As part of this in­te­gra­tion, Stitch Labs’ products were scheduled to continue operating for existing customers until Spring 2021, after which they were planned to be phased out to focus on in­te­grat­ing features into Square’s offerings. Therefore, Stitch Labs is no longer available for new customers, and current users should tran­si­tion to al­ter­na­tive solutions.

Please note the legal dis­claimer for this article.