How Inventory Management Software Development Can Help Overcome Business Challenges

Inventory management is an integral part of a business. From manufacturing to retail, the way the inventory management system is carried out can tell a lot about the company’s future whereabouts in the market. But challenges keep hovering in the day-to-day operations in the inventory management segment. After all, the conventional methods demand manual work, which takes time and, on top of that, has a vast scope for errors. Despite these pitfalls, inventory management software development is emerging as a tool that companies can count on. The inventory management software market is estimated to reach US $3.82 billion, growing at a CAGR of 6.12% during the forecast period of 2021 to 2028.  

This guide will discuss businesses’ common inventory management challenges and how inventory management software can help them keep them at bay.

What is Inventory Management Software?

Inventory management software, an online tool, attracts entrepreneurs for all the right reasons. This tool automates different functions of inventory and warehouse management. It helps managers and staff streamline the operations related to tracking, control, and data.   

 Considering the issues faced by people while conventionally managing inventory, investing in inventory management software development can be a rewarding task for addressing them, from real-time updates and monitoring to automation and increased efficiency.

Read More: Discover how eCommerce Inventory Management Software can streamline operations and boost profitability; explore this in our blog on eCommerce Inventory Management Software Development.

5 Common Challenges in Inventory Management

Inefficient Operations

Manual inventory management gets tedious at some point. Tasks already take time, and doing everything manually stretches the work to more lengths. When a company is scaling up, the process can become slower than ever, leading to inefficiency and delays. It is even more challenging when handling things across multiple warehouses. And when the management is slow, it results in delayed shipping of products and a lack of customer satisfaction.

Accessibility Issues

It has to be one of the topmost challenges in inventory management. Unable to locate the stock on time is one of the standard inventory management problems businesses face. Finding the correct item quickly is essential in inventory management as otherwise, it boils down to various complications on the other side of the business that entails manufacturing, transportation, etc.  

If an item that needs to be out for shipping is nowhere to be found, it can result in failed shipments and ultimately bring a disaster on the customer satisfaction front. The manufacturing process can also get obstructed if any required item is not located timely. These accessibility issues are common in inventory management and often lead to delayed operations.

No Real-time Tracking and Reporting

Traditional inventory management does not bring ease of real-time tracking or reporting. Inventory reports and tracking are the core aspects of inventory management that pave the way for making more informed decisions. In the case of a manual system, an inventory team cannot conclude any report based on real-time data. Moreover, if one is to prepare reports on historical trends, it can take ages to come to an outcome. The absence of real-time tracking of inventory stock or trends leads to poor decisions, ultimately impacting the business.

Overstocking

Keeping inventory management in check is more than essential as it helps stock the correct quantity of items. With items ending up useless, businesses have to face financial loss. The inability to access articles, poor management, and lack of proper tracking lead to overstocking and sinks the ship of profitability, given that stock is not being sold. It further concludes with the pileup of obsolete stock. Purchasing items and stocking them in excess to the time when they are no longer in demand tells a lot about the manual inventory management system.

Understocking

Understocking is also one of the significant inventory management problems faced by companies. Regarding manual inventory management systems, people looking after the system are tasked to flag the materials that must be reordered. Now, it may not always go vigilantly. Even if one thing goes wrong, the company can end up with understocked inventory and fail to meet demands.  

Moreover, understocking also leads to poor supply chain management by slowing the entire production. It is also a financial nightmare to understock the inventory, given that poor inventory management fails to use the available warehouse space, and the money the company invests goes in vain.

The Benefits of Inventory Management Software That Help Overcome Business Challenges

Several issues partake in inventory management to a greater level, resulting in hefty operational costs and the loss of time. But you don’t have to fret about these challenges when you can simply direct your plan toward inventory management software development.

Mentioned below are the benefits of inventory management software that can help you combat these common challenges easily. Take a look.

Efficiency

Supply chain management tasks work on the edge of meeting unpredictable scenarios. From stock management to delivery, there is always room for unforeseen challenges. To be done with this risk once and for all, you can count on the inventory management software, which backs you with enough data about your inventory.

Using the data and reports, you can ensure that you have sufficient stock in the warehouse. The software is also helpful in strategizing the most workable supply chain management plan, which can be leveraged to keep things handy for massive orders.

Automated Management

One of the most eminent advantages of inventory management software comes in the face of automation. The tool automates inventory-related tasks and eliminates manual workload. Since functions are being performed automated and the demand for manual labor decreases, it reduces human errors. So, it unfolds increased efficiency, which is much-needed in inventory management.  

Moreover, the software helps monitor every item’s status and is helpful, especially when working with multiple selling channels. Apart from automated inventory management tasks, you also enjoy the option to track the stock in real time. It makes it easy for you to perform forecasting and deliver fantastic customer service.

Read More: How to Develop Multi-Store Inventory Management Software for a Retail Chain?

Increased Visibility

When you’re using inventory management software, you need not worry about finding an item on time. This allows you to keep an eye on the stock and stay up-to-date with everything, thanks to the real-time tracking option. As the software enables you to monitor inventory status and gives you every bit of information, you have a window for better decision-making and forecasting.

Simplified Warehouse Management

Managing multiple warehouses is one of the primary functions of inventory management software. The tool establishes effective communication among all warehouses garnering data from different corners commonplace. It is one of the reasons custom inventory management software is an excellent tool for businesses.  

The inventory management software solutions help them track the stock and its whereabouts in different warehouse locations. The software also displays the warehouses where the stock is available with its quantity and cost. With more feature-rich inventory software development solutions, you can enjoy advanced features like automatic product count updates after the order.

Also Read- 9 Ways AI Can Modernize Warehouse Management

No Overselling   

One of the biggest challenges businesses faces is the consistent risk of overselling the product. It takes no time to run short on stock owing to the absence of inventory tracking and record. It gives way to the failure to keep up with customers’ demands and can also negatively impact the business.  

You can easily monitor and record the product demands with inventory management software. Moreover, you can determine whether the available stock is enough to meet those demands or not. Doing this will allow you to keep the store open at any given hour of the day. 

Reduced Costs

Since inventory management software helps you monitor your stock and forecast the restocking demand, you don’t have to worry about failing any requirement. With inventory management software, you can ensure you don’t have to spend money purchasing the stock at higher prices.

With reports and insights available at your fingertips, you can check the products in low demand and save up. Moreover, an inventory management software solution can help you drop other business costs such as transportation and insurance.

Increased Productivity   

With inventory management software comes more significant levels of productivity. The benefits mentioned above clearly show that you can achieve productive outcomes using inventory management software.

The software reduces manual workload, human errors, and last-minute inventory hassle, helping you save time. You can use this time to focus on other tasks like planning and production. Moreover, the software allows the employees to segment stocks based on their name, size, or other factors, which brings accuracy and helps employees wrap up their tasks in minimum time.

Read More: Best Inventory Management Strategies to Boost your Business Efficiency in 2022

Improved Customer Service  

In the end, it’s all about keeping your customers happy. Isn’t it? Using inventory management software, you can ensure your business is on the top of the game regarding customer satisfaction. The software allows you to read through the reports of the products that are always high in demand and make sure they are available in stock to avoid delays in meeting the requirements.  

Customers are happy when they get the product they order without much waiting. Thus, keeping the stock always ready will help you meet their expectations of the fastest delivery. Moreover, you can also provide services like returns & exchanges when the stock is available.

Conclusion

In this section, we discussed how challenging it gets for businesses to keep up with steady operations in manual inventory management. Traditional inventory management systems can burn a hole in your pocket and lead to customer dissatisfaction, from spending hours and hours on maintaining the records to the risk of understocking/overstocking and delays in transporting the stock to its destination.  

With an inventory management software solution, you can keep things on the safe side, enjoying the ease of management. You can use the functionalities of this software by investing in custom inventory management software development and ensuring the software aligns with your goals and requirements.  

If you’re planning to develop inventory management software, then Matellio can help you. With years of experience and an inventive approach, our team of engineers helps work out the best side of software development in favor of businesses. Schedule a call today to learn how we will help you build your project!