Inventory management is something that new e-commerce entrepreneurs don’t think much about when they’re getting started. But successful store owners quickly discover how important it is.
Inventory management involves tracking the availability of assets, raw materials and stock items from the source to the final destination.
If you hold too much inventory, then you’ll end up spending too much money on storage and carrying costs. If you purchase too little, then you’ll run the risk of not having enough inventory on hand to satisfy customer demand.
Keeping the right inventory levels is a balancing act. How much inventory should we keep on hand? When should we re-order? What happens if we run out of inventory? And what tools will we use to track inventory movement?
These are all questions you’ll need to consider when planning out your inventory management.
The basic idea is to track the availability and movement of inventory items from the manufacturer or distributor, warehouse, final retail sales location and sometimes to the customer or end user. The goal of inventory management is to make sure that a business has enough inventory on hand to satisfy demand, while minimizing costs from holding inventory.
This article will explore questions you’ll need to ask yourself and other considerations you’ll have to consider when planning out your inventory management system.
