Inventory management software is used to track inventory levels, sales processes, orders, and deliveries. It can also be utilized to generate production-related documentation such as work orders and bill of materials. Companies make use of this system to avoid overstocking of products and outages.Show more
Inventory management software offers an improved way to organize inventory information compared to spreadsheets or paper. This solution resembles distribution software because it helps distributors spend less money on inventories, thus giving them an edge over competitors. Main features of this software include order management, asset tracking, service management, and product identification. Start by checking our leader NetSuite ERP, and other recommended solutions in this category.Show less
To devise this list of best Inventory Management Software we have checked 325 popular apps currently present on the market, analyzing their features, how easy are they are to learn, customer support, offered integrations and mobile device support using our patented SmartScoreTM rating algorithm. This ranking has been prepared by Jenny Chang, our software expert responsible for the Inventory Management Software category.
CloudRank™ system is a unique algorithm that our research team uses to evaluate Inventory Management Software solutions in a detailed and accurate way. The Spring 2022 edition of the ranking was prepared by Jenny Chang, our leading expert in the field of Inventory Management Software, who has authored 1380+ product reviews in this category. The goal of CloudRank™ is to present an unbiased, multi-layered perspective on Inventory Management Software, considering a wide range of metrics and factors, and educating potential customers about both opportunities and challenges associated with each piece of software.
In order to achieve full objectivity the position in our CloudRank™ is based on:
We’ve calculated a score for each product based on the average experience shared by our users in their product reviews and arranged the list in three tiers. You can see the methodology below on how the calculations were made.
Regardless of their tier, all products included in our CloudRank™ are popular, quality products considered top-performers by our team of experts. Make sure you read a more detailed review of each solution to find one that will work best for your specific needs and budget.
Show lessMARKET POSITION
A score between 1 and 10 based on popularity and market reach of each product.
TOTAL score
A score between 1 and 10 based on the average of our Expert Score and User Score.
Market Position
A score between 1 and 10 based on popularity and market reach of each product.
Total Score
A score between 1 and 10 based on the average of our Expert Score and User Score.
CloudRank™ tier
Based on product's total score.
Rising Star
Contender
Front Runners
Here is a list of all 25 Inventory Management Software solutions evaluated with our CloudRank™ analysis. We have compared their features, user satisfaction, market presence and other key factors in an in-depth analysis you can find below:
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Our report covered 25 most popular products from the Inventory Management Software category. We’ve analyzed their features, performance, integration, customer support, pricing, and several other key buying factors and combined it with feedback from user reviews to come up with the current list of best solutions:
Square is this year’s number one Inventory Management Software CloudRank. This over a decade strong software managed to best industry giants such as NetSuite, Oracle, and more with its usability and customer support scores. Square not only serves as a point-of-sale application designed to provide businesses with a reliable and fast POS system, but it also offers an advanced and intuitive way to manage inventory. As a cloud-based POS solution, this software provides businesses with the capability to monitor and manage their inventory across different locations in real-time. It also comes with employee management features, vendor management, and more.
It has the capability to manage inventory such as changing item details like price, name, or quantity in real-time. Moreover, users can easily access and take a look at important data anytime and anywhere by simply signing in to Square Dashboard from any computer. Likewise, reports can be easily downloaded on vital business areas such as current inventory. Additionally, Square enables its users to easily update inventory quantities in bulk, receive daily stock alert emails, and quickly import thousands of products with CSV spreadsheets.
Most users of Inventory Management Software solutions confirm that in most cases these tools allow them to reach the following business goals:
The Spring 2022 version of the report includes a total of 25 Inventory Management Software products that were compared and analyzed by our team. We selected them based on the following factors:
Automated Guided Vehicles (AGVs) and Automated Mobile Robots (AMRs)
The growing demand for faster service is the main driving force behind the continued search for a faster automated order fulfillment process. As a response, businesses with large warehouses turn to robotics technology in the form of Automated Guided Vehicle or AGV and Automated Mobile Robots. Although AMRs are more advanced compared to AGVs, both share use cases, especially in the manufacturing industry. For AGVs, however, research on worldwide shipment shows that there are more AGVs deployed in non-manufacturing industries.
Source: Statista; IFR
Incorporating AI and IoT
Although these technologies are no longer fairly new in general, incorporating them to inventory management platforms is still a fresh idea. Studies, however, have revealed AI and IoT integrations are strong contenders in terms of technologies that are currently shaping the immediate future of retail.
3PL Integrations and Harnessing Big Data
Outsourcing has also been around for some time, but not in the warehouse and inventory management process. But since 2020, Third Party Logistics, or 3PL, has been predicted to grow by 15%, thanks in part to businesses focusing on minimizing operational costs. In the United States, warehousing and distribution is one of the largest 3PL markets with a forecast value growth of approximately $73 billion by 2026.
Source: Statista; Global Market Insights
Companies that deal with large amounts of physical products need a reliable and efficient inventory management tool. But since there are hundreds of such tools in the market, it can be a hard task to select the right one for your needs. This buyer’s guide describes the list of basic features of inventory management tools for small business firms or enterprises, identifies the various types of online platforms available, and helps you to easily navigate the complex selection process and choose the best Inventory Management tool for your company.
A good course of action is to sign up for at least a few free trial plans or demos from popular inventory management software providers. With that method, you will have the opportunity to test the important elements and you will get a good comparison of the capabilities of the chosen programs. You will also understand what is inventory management software better. The best thing to do when looking for the best Inventory Management tools is to try services that currently have the highest SmartScore rankings and Customer Satisfaction Rating in our inventory management software reviews: TradeGecko reviews, Sellbrite, Stitch Labs, Brightpearl, Contalog, and Goods Order Inventory Pro.
Buyers of inventory management software tools can be categorized into the following types:
There are many different types of inventory management software, varying from free and basic tool suites to ultra costly and accurate programs. Features can also be categorization criteria, as certain programs do nothing but list orders, while others are more robust and allow sales departments to track and categorize those orders, provide dynamic product information, and even do some custom branding. Deployment is also an important factor, which includes:
There are also those products that have a hybrid deployment. Meaning, users can either choose to use the cloud-based interface or an on-premise client. These, for many, provide the most flexibility.
These are the main features to expect from your next inventory management system:
Our detailed comparisons show that these are the three main benefits companies experience when using a solid inventory management system:
Cost is a big factor when choosing an inventory software solution. Most of the time, this is tied to the payment plan in a pricing scheme. To wit, here are the most popular pricing schemes today.
Choosing the right inventory software solution for you is a hard task. You don’t only need to take into account the pricing, feature, and benefits. You also have to mind the people that will use the software.
There are many companies out there that are not primed for digital transformation or change. However, if you are lucky, you’ll find yourself in an organization that looks to improve all the time. But, this does not save you from the birth pains of adopting a new platform.
Adopting a software solution also means adopting new workflows and roles. It also means learning new skills. This also changes your working dynamics and relationships. Thus, you need to mind that these changes will come. You don’t only get a software product. You will bring change.
The bottom line is that purchasing a new software solution is just a start. You need to put more care into this investment in order for you to see a steady stream of ROI from it.
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Pricing details are a key consideration when you analyze SaaS vendors. Ask the provider if they offer price protection and contractual flexibility. “Shelfware” has become a major problem in SaaS licensing as buyers end up shelling out for more than they require. Plus, to get pricing predictability, buyers are forced to subscribe to long-term contracts. Make sure you don’t get saddled with perpetual licensing and get locked in for a long time with a single provider. Ask about easy exit policies that allow you to move on to another vendor if you are not happy with the services provided by the current one. Select a vendor that offers a handy standard annual termination facility as well as long-term cost protection.
Another important factor to consider is whether the cloud provider meets compliance and security requirements. Your company is accountable to employees, clients, business partners, and regulators. Therefore, you should pick a vendor that has deployed a technically sound and comprehensive security program. Map your security control requirements such as availability, integrity, confidentiality, privacy, and accountability to the provider’s capabilities. Ask the potential vendor about the processes and systems they use to protect your private data. Do they meet general as well as industry-specific compliance and security standards? Do they offer special measures to meet the unique security needs of your particular industry? Get satisfactory answers to these queries before you make the investment.
The best inventory software is NetSuite ERP. It is a scalable solution that can help businesses of different, sizes from SMEs to large enterprises. Key features include complete inventory visibility, vendor management, historical demand analysis, and a workflow approval module, among others. NetSuite ERP is a total business solution and it is packed with comprehensive features needed to run any type of inventory operation, big or small.
The platform does not only provide users with a unified hub to centralize information and processes. It also houses all these capabilities in an easy-to-use and intuitive user interface. Businesses use NetSuite ERP to automate key operations. This saves them time and effort that they can use to grow their business further.
There are many benefits of inventory software. However, the specific benefits you’ll get depends on the specific program you have and how you use it. However, there are some general benefits that software hunters generally want when adopting inventory management software solutions. Here they are below.
Not all inventory software solutions are the same. Some of them are designed for general use. Others are quite specialized. Also, some solutions are robust modules of complete ERP or accounting suites. But, there are universal features that a decent inventory software program must possess. They are:
Most inventory software tools are designed for high usability. They sport intuitive user interfaces that professionals can easily understand right off the bat. But, some programs stand out when it comes to usability. Here are three of them.
A good free inventory software is really hard to come by. Most companies really want to monetize their developers’ efforts. There are open-source ones but they are quite technical to use. However, there are free versions of inventory software solutions that can count as good ones. One of them is Zoho Inventory.
The free plan includes 20 online orders, 20 offline orders, 20 shipping labels, and 20 shipment tracking per month. Moreover, it supports two users, one warehouse, one integrated Shopify store, and five automated modules per month. This is perfect for small operations.
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