Inventory management is one of those things that businesses of all types, sizes, and in every industry rely on to be accurate and up-to-date in order for things to operate smoothly. Without accurate inventory management, the entire process chain begins to crumble, with each department and ultimately the customer feeling the ramifications. With that said, inventory control and management have come a long way in the past couple of decades, and now, thanks to technology, it seems to be entering a whole new era of user-friendliness, accuracy, and functionality.
If you’re looking to streamline your small businesses’ inventory management then these are the tech tools worth checking out.
Upgrade the Point of Sale System
Perhaps one of the most popular areas to make changes is with a company’s point of sale system. This is the actual system used when a customer pays for an item and then leaves the store, so it is the physical system being used.
With today’s high-tech systems, you can find options that are tapped into inventory management and control it, which automatically updates stock when a sale occurs. You can set up alerts to advise you when stock is low, which will help to streamline the process and ensure that you aren’t running out of popular products.
Transform Mobile Devices into Inventory Scanners
Another tech trend that your company may be able to benefit from is the ability to turn simple mobile devices such as a smartphone into a fully functioning barcode scanner. Take a look at this barcode scanner app that can be downloaded on a smartphone. By doing this you are giving your employees flexibility, as there is no need for an expensive barcode scanner device. You are also making sure that inventory management is user-friendly and something they actually want to use.
The best tools use simple software that is quick to learn and very easy to use. In general, such tools cost about three times less than a traditional dedicated scanner and can even be used by customers to find more product information.
Warehouse Drones to Track Inventory
While this may seem really far-fetched, and an idea that is still many years, even decades away, the fact is that drone inventory tracking done by air is already here and is being used by many warehouses. Now obviously this is something that a small business may not benefit from initially, as there is no need, but as the company grows this can be the kind of tech worth investing in.
Where these drones excel is in the accuracy and reliability of the data they are providing. They can be much more cost-effective than employing staff just for inventory purposes, and the drones can work incredibly fast around the clock.
Let Tech Improve Your Inventory Management
So, as the new year begins and you look for ways to improve your business, you may want to set your eyes on inventory management. This is how tech can help you to make some pretty significant improvements.
