For a distributor or wholesaler, stock is often the company’s biggest asset… and its main source of invisible losses. Unreported breakages, forgotten returns, picking errors: without a tool, these discrepancies only show up at inventory time, when it’s too late.
Where do stock discrepancies come from?
- Goods out recorded “later”, or never.
- Customer returns put back on the shelf without being recorded.
- Transfers between warehouses that aren’t tracked.
- Picking errors (wrong reference, wrong quantity).
- Breakages, expired goods and theft that go unreported.
Each of these discrepancies seems minor. Added up over a year, they can represent a significant share of your margin.
What good inventory software should do
Track every movement
Supplier receipts, customer shipments, transfers, returns, adjustments: every movement is time-stamped and linked to a document and a user. You know who did what, and when.
Manage several warehouses
Shop, main warehouse, secondary depot, delivery truck: each location has its own stock, and transfers are recorded as such.
Alert before a stock-out
An alert threshold per item triggers a restocking suggestion. No more stock-outs discovered while a customer waits at the counter.
Link stock to sales and payments
The delivery note reduces stock, generates the invoice and feeds payment tracking. You see at a glance what has been delivered, invoiced and collected.
How to make your stock reliable
- Carry out a clean opening inventory (it’s the foundation for everything else).
- Code your items and remove duplicates.
- Ban any goods leaving without a document (delivery note, transfer note, breakage note).
- Run rolling inventories by product family rather than a single annual count.
- Analyse discrepancies every month and address their causes.
The case of customer returns
Returns are a grey area for many distributors. A return note module lets you record the goods taken back, decide whether they go back into stock or to scrap, and generate the matching credit note. Stock and customer account stay accurate.
Frequently asked questions
Do I need a barcode scanner?
It isn’t required at the start, but it speeds up picking and greatly reduces errors as volume grows.
Can stock be managed from a smartphone?
Yes, the ERP is accessible from a mobile browser, so receipts and inventories can be entered directly in the warehouse.
How long does it take to make stock reliable?
The tool is set up in a few weeks; reliability then comes from discipline: no goods out without a document, and regular rolling inventories.
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