Do you have an e-commerce store and struggle with staying on top of your current stock? Perhaps you’ve always relied on Excel sheets, but have a hard time finding the time to keep them up-to-date. There is a better way! Modern inventory management software programs exist for two main purposes: to make tracking your current inventory easier, and to give you a whole new suite of tools for your ecommerce site.
What inventory management software does for your e-commerce site. Not convinced you actually need ecommerce inventory management? Check out our resources here. Every retail business can benefit from inventory management software, whatever and wherever it’s selling. But e-commerce sites do require a slightly different set of features in their inventory management systems than the ones you’d find in a brick and mortar retail store.
What can an IMS do for you?
Whether you drop ship or ship everything out yourself, or do a combo of both, a good system for Shopify inventory management will help you avoid dead stock that’s just sitting in a warehouse. You’ll save money on storage costs and still be able to meet orders if demand increases. By minimizing excess stock while still meeting demand, a good IMS can improve your cash flow and save you money.
This article covers inventory management software for Shopify, so if your Shopify account is connected to your Shopify storefront, Amazon, or Etsy, here are some recommended apps for you! Of course, if you use Shopify, you may just want to use the in-house Shopify app for your e-commerce store to manage your inventory.. But if you have used it and are looking for something different, there are plenty of options available. These are some favorites.
Trade Gecko
If you’re looking to integrate inventory, sales, and multiple selling channels, Trade Gecko has you covered. It emphasizes automation to prevent your site from running out of stock. Additionally, Trade Gecko can also integrate with accounting apps such as QuickBooks, so your entire business can operate from one app.
Pros: Works with a myriad of different e-commerce sites like Shopify and Amazon.
Cons: Multiple complaints of tech help being unavailable or unable to assist.
Stock Sync
One of the top apps in the Shopify store, Shop Sync is popular with Shopify users for good reason. It not only updates inventory automatically when low but also can be used in conjunction with a brick and mortar storefront to ensure inventory is always there.
Pros: Can be used in conjunction with online and brick and mortar stores. Only costs $5 per month.
Cons: Not always the most user-friendly, with several complaints about the customer service.
ShipHero
If you’re looking for a Shopify inventory management software that integrates shipping and management of your inventory, ShipHere is your app. It integrates with multiple shipping companies and allows you to determine the cheapest shipping methods for your orders. Because it can also be integrated with Amazon, eBay, FedEx, UPS, and USPS, it offers plenty of flexibility to fulfill orders.
Pros: Wide range of features that integrate it with multiple systems, making it flexible to work for you.
Con: Cost begins at $1850 per month.
Etsy Marketplace Integration
If you are looking to integrate your Shopify and Etsy storefronts, this app is one of the highest-rated ones out there. By providing bulk uploading to Etsy and Shopify storefronts, it helps cut down on manual uploading and keeps products consistently in stock. It also notes errors in the Etsy shop and can convert the currency to specific countries.
Pros: Etsy-specific; if you rely on Etsy, this is a very useful, specialized app.
Cons: Multiple complaints of the app being buggy and deleting listings.
Ecommerce inventory management
Perhaps even more than brick-and-mortar stores, eCommerce shops require innovative inventory management software. There might not be a physical storeroom to inspect and verify stock amounts. Stock might be located in a warehouse in another city or another state, and many of the transactions can happen overnight and outside of “normal” business hours.
Ecommerce is a different type of business, so it requires creative approaches to managing inventory. Inventory management systems provide a method of tracking bestsellers and poor sellers outside of Shopify’s own tools, along with analysis and insights to give you the edge over your competitors.
Ecommerce inventory management, for Shopify, Etsy, or any other online storefront, is just as important to the success of your business as a manual month-end stock-take in a brick and mortar shop. Ecommerce and Shopify inventory management brings the ability to take stock of your virtual storefronts instantly and opens avenues for expansion down the line.