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An inventory management app is one of the best tools you can use in your business. In bars, restaurants, and brunch café spots, there are products coming in and being sold out on a daily basis. It’s more than any one person can reasonably keep track of. That’s where an inventory management app comes into play.
An inventory management app is a mobile platform to keep your inventory organized so that it’s always available at a moment’s notice. It’s the heartbeat of your business, with its pulse one tap away on your phone or tablet screen. An inventory management app streamlines the most crucial aspects of your business, starting with your inventory management techniques.
Inventory Management
Inventory management is the backbone of any bar, restaurant, or similar business. Without it, a business can fall apart quickly. Inventory does the tricky task of saving you money and helping you meet and exceed your customer’s needs. Ultimately, there’s nothing more important for your bar or restaurant business plan than a solid inventory management approach.
An inventory management app eases the inventory management process. It gives you less to worry about with the process, and more time to run your business. There’s nothing better than an app that covers all your bases–for all core business functions. From to-do lists to music playlists, we rely on apps on a daily basis. Why not rely on one for your inventory management as well?
Best Inventory Management App
The best inventory management app options have several similar features. It can be hard to choose which one is the best inventory management app for your business. Typically, with so many of the apps having some shared features, the best choice is the app that is used by the most businesses. It can also be the app that fits your business the best, but you’ll often find that those two aspects intersect.
The five features you should look for when choosing an inventory management app are all about user-friendliness and accessibility. The last thing you need is a mobile app that doesn’t suit your needs. These five features are a part of every inventory app that will make your life at work easier.
5. Real-Time Inventory Tracking
You might read this and think, “Why is real-time inventory tracking only at number five?” Speaking candidly, this is a hard list to compile, because each of these five features is crucial to a quality restaurant and bar inventory app.
Real-time inventory tracking gives you the ability to constantly keep in touch with your inventory counts. It means you never have to worry about missing a step. In a fast-paced business, constant data accessibility is vital to your success. It is, however, just one piece of the inventory puzzle.
4. Barcoding and Scanning
Of course, the basis of an inventory program is counting your products. The best way an inventory app can help with that process is with barcoding and scanning capabilities. The BinScan mobile app is designed to scan your barcoded items for inventory ease. A barcode scanner app for inventory streamlines the entire process, from wine bottles to your different liquor bottle sizes.
You’ll need to set up your barcodes when you first start using your inventory app. However, once that one-time project is done, you’re set up with scanner-friendly barcodes that will make the counting process quick and painless.
3. Reorder Points
The beauty of a well-kept inventory count is the ability to know when you need to replenish your stocks. Your reorder point is the moment when your stock of a particular item is low enough to require replenishment. It’s a crucial moment of inventory counting for every product. It also ties into lead time and a proper ABC analysis.
BinWise Pro and BlueCart notify you when you reach the reorder point, so you don’t have to worry about running low unexpectedly. You can stay on top of your inventory counts while focusing on the more tangible aspects of customer service.
2. Purchase Management
The other side of inventory management is the ability to purchase your inventory when you hit the reorder point. A great inventory app includes the ability to manage your purchase needs or order processing. It facilitates the order management relationship between you and your vendors.
Purchasing supplies and dealing with invoices can be a hassle when all you want to do is sell those supplies to your customers. An order management system and inventory app that eases the process will make that part of your job that much easier.
1. Unlimited SKUs
A final touch that will make any inventory management app a surefire way to master your inventory is unlimited SKU number options. The ability to count as many products as you need to keep your customers happy is vital to your business. A SKU generator will also come in handy with this endeavor.
You may start your business with 20 beverage options and 30 main dishes. As you grow, those numbers will grow as well, and you’ll need to count and order even more. An inventory app that scales up with you will help limit growing pains.
Inventory Management App Design
The design aspects of an inventory management app are on a similar level of importance as the inventory features. If you’ve ever used an app that was poorly designed you understand how necessary it is to have a well-designed app. This is especially true for inventory management app design, as you don’t want to add any difficulties to the inventory process.
These five tips for inventory management app design go a long way toward making a user-friendly app. Of course, these apply to any sort of app design. They are, however, especially helpful in creating an inventory management app, as inventory is complicated enough without a tricky app to deal with.
5. Decluttered Interface
One of the key features of any app is a simple interface. The less you have to work through to get to the functions of the app, the better. A decluttered interface can help make any app user-friendly no matter who the user is.
The main component of a decluttered interface is the ability to find simple design solutions for everything the app needs to accomplish. An app design can get complicated quickly. Evaluating its design every step of the way to search for the simplest solution is the best way forward.
4. Customization in Text
The ability for text changes–including design and size–is helpful for an app, as you never know who will be using the app. The ability to change the font in different parts of a page is an added bonus, especially with an inventory app. It makes it easier for the user to navigate different parts of a page with varying information.
Text customization is often standard on smartphones. Adding it in a unique way to an app makes the app that much easier to navigate.
3. Self-Evident Navigation
There’s nothing trickier than an app that takes work to figure out on a basic level before you get into the technical use cases. An app that requires a user manual for its simple functions is an app that gets uninstalled and replaced with something more straightforward.
Making your app easy to navigate for any user is one of the main keys to success. If a user feels comfortable with your inventory management app layout, they’ll have one less thing to worry about. They'll also keep using your app.
2. Chatbots
Chatbots often get a bad rap in the app world. If they’re poorly designed they can be clunky and do more harm than good. However, if made correctly, they can be one of the most useful features of your app.
A useful chatbot is designed with the intention of giving clear answers. It also functions to draw the attention of a customer success team member when the need arises. Some chatbots are even designed to be an open chat with a live customer success team member. That can be more work to design and implement, but it’s worth it to keep your customers satisfied.
1. Search Options
Giving your users the ability to search for words and features is one of the best things to make your app easy to navigate. A search function that operates like a standard search bar and “Control F” at the same time is priceless.
Any app with a seamless search function is easy for any user. Of course, a great search function is just one part of a great app design. These five functions all come together to make an app that anyone can easily navigate, to make their inventory process as smooth as possible.
Frequently Asked Questions About Inventory Management App
There are folks in the industry who still rely on a spreadsheet for their inventory. There are also people who have started moving beyond that method but are still new to 21st century inventory applications. Wherever you fall on that spectrum, our answers to these frequently asked questions will help you out.
We’ve focused on a variety of questions to give you a well-rounded view of inventory management app usage, and inventory practices in general. With the magnitude of a project like inventory management, there’s always going to be more to learn. These answers, however, will get you started in the right direction.
Which App Is Best for Inventory Management?
Depending on your business, a variety of apps for inventory management may suit you best. Pairing BlueCart and BinWise will help you cover your bases for all food and drink items. With the two sites developed to pair well together, you’ll be working with user-friendly apps. On a busy night, that’s the ticket.
How Can I Keep Track of My Inventory for Free?
There are plenty of free inventory-related SaaS providers, and you can always go old-school with a spreadsheet or clipboard. That said, when it comes to top-tier inventory management, you get what you pay for. If you want to use a free service, you’ll save money. In the long run, a paid service leads to profit gains through time saved and much clearer visibility into your flagship products and C-level inventory items.
How Do You Manage Inventory In Excel?
An Excel inventory management system is as easy as setting up an inventory spreadsheet with your inventory items and counts and keeping it updated. You can make use of Excel functions for your specific needs. Google Sheets can do the same work for you. Neither of these options are bad, but you’ll spend a lot of time that could be spent focused on more important business ventures.
How Do You Create a Simple Inventory Management System?
A simple inventory management system requires two things:
- An understanding of what you have coming in and going out.
- A well-organized space to store everything that comes in–this is where warehouse inventory management comes in.
Stocking a bar or restaurant can quickly become muddled if you’re not on top of inventory. Starting with the basics and moving forward with what you need along the way is the simplest way to begin.
What Is the 80/20 Rule In Inventory?
The 80/20 rule states that 80% of results come from 20% of the effort you make. In inventory terms, this rule suggests that 80% of business profits come from 20% of the products sold by that business. When 20% of your foods and beverages have that impact, it’s highly important to keep those products organized and ready when you need them. Your restaurant and bar profits depend on it.
Inventory Management App: Mobile Management Marvels
An inventory management app is the mobile key to an easy inventory system. When you have an app that keeps track of counts, purchasing, and reorder points, you’ve got the power to keep your inventory under control. An easy-to-use interface makes all that inventory power seamless. If you’re looking for more inventory management features and functions, come on back to the BinWise blog any time.