In fact, research about convenience stores shows that out-of-stocks could cause a store to lose one in every 100 customers completely. Of those customer service complaints, frustration over out-of-stock or backordered items is high on the list. According to the 2015 “Global State of Multichannel Customer Service Report”, 62% of customers have stopped doing business with a brand whose customer service was poor. Implementing proper inventory control procedures can help ensure a business is running at optimal financial levels and that products meet customers’ needs and expectations. How Inventory Control Can Improve Your Business Using inventory control to optimize your warehouse, stock room, supply room, or storefront is a sure way to cut costs and better manage any kind of product. If a company needs to carry more inventory and tight inventory control processes bring inventory levels up, the business could find higher sales, and again higher profits. If a company can lower inventory, it may find new funds available for expansion or profits. While some companies using just-in-time ordering may carry extremely small inventories, nearly any business requires some form of inventory, which is best managed through inventory control systems. Inventory control helps avoid the many costs related with buying too much inventory and the strains of going without the needed inventory. If you look at the balance sheet of this type of company, you’re likely to find that inventory makes up a large portion of current assets and uses up a lot of working capital. Inventory is one of the biggest costs of capital of any product-based business. This graphic shows the different aspects of inventory control in a business. The Reach of Inventory Control: Beyond Finished and Raw Goods The following graphic shows all the things a business might manage using these practices.
Inventory control practices and policies should apply to more than just finished and raw goods. Inventory management is broader and regulates everything from what is in the warehouse to how a business gets the product there and the item’s final destination. Inventory control regulates what is already in the warehouse. While inventory control and inventory management may seem interchangeable, they are not. Inventory management is a higher-level term that encompasses the complete process of procuring, storing, and making a profit from your merchandise or services. Warehouse management then synchronizes sales and purchases to the stock on hand. This process includes integrating product coding, reorder points and reports, all product details, inventory lists and counts and methods for selling or storing. Warehouse management also squarely falls into the arena of stock control. For example, Walmart estimated it missed out on $3 billion worth of sales in 2014 because its inadequate inventory control procedures led to stockouts.Īn integral part of inventory control is supply chain management (SCM), which manages the flow of raw materials, goods and services to the point where the company or customers consume the goods. Inventory control can help avoid problems, such as out-of-stock (stockout) events. Done right, it allows companies to assess their current state concerning assets, account balances and financial reports.
Inventory control enables the maximum amount of profit from the least amount of investment in stock without affecting customer satisfaction. According to the 2017 “State of Small Business Report”, almost half of small businesses do not track their inventory, even manually. Successful inventory control requires data from purchases, reorders, shipping, warehousing, storage, receiving, customer satisfaction, loss prevention and turnover. With the appropriate internal and production controls, the practice ensures the company can meet customer demand and delivers financial elasticity. Inventory control, also called stock control, is the process of ensuring the right amount of supply is available in an organization.
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