Stock Control Software

Compare Products

Showing 1 - 20 of 231 products

NetSuite

With an integrated system that includes ERP, financials, commerce, inventory management, HR, PSA, supply chain management, CRM and more – NetSuite enables fast-growing businesses across all industries to work more effectively by a...Read more about NetSuite

4.14 (937 reviews)

33 recommendations

Katana Manufacturing ERP

Katana Manufacturing ERP gives you a live look at all the moving parts of your business — sales, inventory, and beyond. Combining a visual interface and smart real-time master planner, Katana makes managing inventory and manufactu...Read more about Katana Manufacturing ERP

ERPAG

ERPAG is a cloud-based enterprise resource planning (ERP) solution. It is suitable for small and midsize businesses in various industries, including automobile, retail, education, information technology and more. Primary features ...Read more about ERPAG

Sortly

Sortly Pro is a cloud-based inventory management solution that caters to small and midsize businesses across various industries. Key features include activity tracking, location tracking, inventory management, barcoding and audit ...Read more about Sortly

4.35 (81 reviews)

Odoo

Odoo Point of Sale (POS) is part of Odoo’s integrated suite of business applications. The module is available both on and offline and provides unified data across stores and has an integrated inventory management function. Od...Read more about Odoo

monday.com

monday.com is an award-winning work and project management platform that helps teams of all sizes plan, prioritize, manage, and execute their work more effectively. The platform offers solutions for a wide range of use-cases such...Read more about monday.com

4.57 (3108 reviews)

1 recommendations

Megaventory

Megaventory is a cloud-based order and inventory management solution aimed at medium-sized businesses. Its features include order fulfillment, manufacturing management, invoicing and reporting. Megaventory offers comprehensive cus...Read more about Megaventory

EZOfficeInventory

EZOfficeInventory is a dynamic asset and maintenance management solution tailored for companies of all sizes. The cloud-based software works as you do and is accessible from anywhere and at any time. Track items across locati...Read more about EZOfficeInventory

eLabInventory

eLabInventory is an inventory management and sample tracking system designed to help organizations access business data in real-time. It offers a broad range of features and add-on tools that makes eLabInventory ideal for a resear...Read more about eLabInventory

5.00 (2 reviews)

SCP 4.0

Jada vendor management inventory and demand planning system is suitable for businesses looking to manage inventory holding costs and track service levels. SCP is offered as a best of breed application that is ideal for both midsiz...Read more about SCP 4.0

4.83 (9 reviews)

Sellbrite

Sellbrite is a cloud-based inventory management solution designed for small and midsize companies. It offers order management, product management, channel analytics and inventory control functionalities within a suite. Sellbr...Read more about Sellbrite

4.63 (75 reviews)

Learn More

Linnworks

One Platform. Total Commerce Control. Linnworks is a leading commerce automation platform that works with the world’s major marketplaces and selling channels. Linnworks connects, manages and automates commerce operations, power...Read more about Linnworks

4.15 (24 reviews)

Learn More

Veeqo

Free shipping software that does more than print labels. Cut the cost and speed of fulfilling orders with low shipping rates, automation and powerful fulfillment tools with Veeqo’s FREE shipping management software....Read more about Veeqo

4.14 (42 reviews)

Learn More

InventoryCloud

Wasp Inventory Control is designed specifically for small businesses. The system includes key features such as real-time functionality, barcode creation for all inventory, auditing and cycle counts, managing minimum and maximum le...Read more about InventoryCloud

Learn More

SkuVault

SkuVault is a cloud-based warehouse management software designed for small and medium-sized omnichannel businesses with a focus in eCommerce. SkuVault features warehouse management applications that include multi-warehouse invento...Read more about SkuVault

4.52 (50 reviews)

Learn More

HandiFox

HandiFox is an inventory tracking and sales management system designed for small to midsize inventory-centric businesses in a variety of industries, such as retail, wholesale/distribution and manufacturing. The app is availab...Read more about HandiFox

4.63 (47 reviews)

Learn More

Brightpearl

Brightpearl is a complete Retail Operating System for brands, retailers and wholesalers, that’s designed to scale with fast-growing e-commerce brands. Our platform offers flexibility to respond to rapid changes in demand with Plug...Read more about Brightpearl

Learn More

Zoho Inventory

Zoho Inventory is a cloud-based inventory management solution designed for small to midsize businesses. It features inventory management modules including reporting and analysis, vendor managed inventory and lot traceability. It f...Read more about Zoho Inventory

Learn More

DEAR Systems

DEAR Systems is a cloud-based ERP solution for small to midsized retailers, wholesalers, manufacturers, and e-commerce operators. This comprehensive solution includes modules such as e-commerce, manufacturing, purchasing, sales, i...Read more about DEAR Systems

Learn More

Finale Inventory

Finale Inventory is an intuitive, cloud-based inventory management system that is easy to use while also designed to scale to the demands of a growing business. Seamlessly handle all stock movements from purchasing through to sale...Read more about Finale Inventory

4.71 (187 reviews)

16 recommendations

Learn More

Buyers Guide

Last Updated: November 21, 2022

Inventory control is a complex process with multiple moving parts, quite literally. Any business that deals in physical products needs to maintain its inventory, whether that means transporting or selling products, or assembling them into a different product. In each case, it's essential to always have the right amount of necessary goods on hand.

Selecting the right inventory control software to help you with this process can make your job a lot easier, but choosing that software can be a challenge. The subtle differences between "inventory control" and "inventory management" can also be confusing.

This article will help guide you through this process, so you can choose the inventory control system that best fits your business needs.

Here's what we'll cover:

What Is Inventory Control Software?
Inventory Control Software vs. Inventory Management Software
Common Features of Inventory Control Systems
What Type of Buyer Are You?
Benefits and Potential Issues
Market Trends to Understand

What Is Inventory Control Software?

Inventory control (sometimes also called "stock control," a term used synonymously) means monitoring a company's inventory of products to ensure that slow-selling or little-used items are not overstocked. This way, the business can save money, time and warehouse space by not acquiring products or materials that are unnecessary. The ultimate goal of inventory control is to create maximum profit from the least investment in inventory, without negatively impacting customer satisfaction.

Inventory control systems can automate the monitoring and tracking of your products via their inventory codes, eliminating the need for time-consuming pen and paper logs or Excel spreadsheets. The software relies upon tracking items via barcodes (which you can create and customize) as products move in and out of your warehouse. It can provide automated alerts and reports as those items are checked in or out by various parties.

 

Inventory Control Software vs. Inventory Management Software

Whereas inventory control is the process of ensuring that you have the ideal amount of stock, inventory management is focused on most efficiently organizing and managing stock, so that reorders happen at the exact right moment.

According to major inventory control and inventory management vendor Fishbowl Inventory, the difference can be stated as follows:

  • Inventory control: "Focuses on cutting the number of slow-selling products a company purchases. This saves businesses time and money because they don't have to spend lots of man-hours reordering and receiving goods that they don't really need."
  • Inventory management: "Focuses on quickly and efficiently reordering products...Stocking up on products primarily because they can be obtained at a cheaper price will most likely lead to more products spoiling and becoming obsolete, as well as creating an inefficient use of storage space."

The two processes clearly complement one another, and thus many vendors will offer both inventory control and inventory management features, either in a shared package or divided up into separate offerings that can be integrated together.

Materials module in Fishbowl's inventory control software

The "materials module" found in Fishbowl Inventory's software

This buyer's guide will focus on the features that are specifically a part of inventory control systems, but we recommend you also check out our inventory management software buyer's guide.

Common Features of Inventory Control Systems

The most typical inventory control system features are explained in the following table:

Inventory tracking Enables you to track your entire inventory. This feature allows you to track your products by site, location, serial number, lot, date and/or pallet.
Barcoding Create an inventory system that fits your needs, with flexibility in creating your own inventory and shipping labels.
Check-in/out Track items as they move through the warehouse to employees, vendors or customers, preventing them from getting lost along the way.
Automated alerts Receive automated notifications about low inventory levels, expiring items, overstocked items and reorder points to help you better keep track of inventory levels.
Audits/reports Run periodic audits of your inventory and generate reports so you can track your stock and recognize problems before they develop.

What Type of Buyer Are You?

When considering inventory control software, you should take the following factors about your organization into account:

Industry. Your inventory control needs will vary greatly depending upon the type of industry you're buying for. Retailers will have very different needs from manufacturers, who will in turn have very different needs from distributors. Specific inventory control systems address the unique needs of different industries and may even have functionality that is directly suited to specialty niches within larger industries.

Company size. You should consider whether your company is a small business with one location; a midsize business with multiple locations within a relatively small geographical area or a large, enterprise-level business, with multiple lots located across a wide area. You will need an inventory control system that fits the needs of your particular business segment and the levels of complexity that come with any increases in size.

Be wary of overpaying for robust systems that have more capabilities than you need, but also be sure not to underestimate your needs.

Software needs. Consider carefully whether you are just looking for inventory control, or if you have greater automation, tracking and reporting needs. You may be looking to combine inventory control with inventory management, for example, or you may need an inventory control system that is part of a larger suite that includes other essential features such as supply chain management, warehouse management and/or business intelligence.

Benefits and Potential Issues of Inventory Control Systems

The obvious benefit of inventory control software is that it allows you to automate the process of tracking your company's inventory. It helps you figure out how much of a certain product you need to have in stock, without overages that mean you're stocking extra product with no attendant extra profit. Automation lets you take control of your inventory in a way that would prove exceedingly complex and complicated using spreadsheets or pen and paper.

Through inventory control, you can keep the right amount of raw materials and finished goods on hand and automatically place reorders at the right moment to maximize profit while minimizing stock overage.

However, because inventory control systems rely heavily upon barcode scanning, it does come with certain hardware requirements. Many vendors have mobile apps that can scan barcodes via smartphones or other mobile devices, while others may provide the necessary scanning hardware, potentially at an additional cost.

Market Trends to Understand

Here are some market trends you should consider as you select a product:

Mobile functionality. Largely provided by apps for phones and tablets, mobile functionality is a significant technological shift across most industries, and inventory control software is no different. In these contexts, apps connected to the inventory database can enable employees to scan barcodes throughout the warehouse without having to refer to a desktop computer.

Cloud-based software. Cloud-based systems, which are increasingly popular, require less hardware than on-premises software. They also require less IT knowledge (ideal for small businesses without an IT department), have lower upfront costs and are more quickly implemented, making them a good choice for smaller businesses in particular.