Is Cloud Inventory the Right Fit for Small Businesses?

Written by Michael DeFelice | Sep 26, 2018 8:33:07 PM

The Internet in 2018 is full of buzzwords: Cloud computing, the Internet of Things (IoT), Big Data, Online Storage, Smart Vehicles.

It’s very likely that you have used cloud computing in some capacity. Everything from Adobe Photoshop to your music playlist now syncs with the cloud, which makes it easy to post photos, communicate, and do business around the world.

That’s why it’s no surprise that businesses are increasingly moving the bulk of their operations to the cloud. For some businesses, the words “cloud inventory management” are still unfamiliar. A whopping 43 percent of businesses either don’t track their inventory at all or use manual processes to do so. These businesses are more likely than not to find themselves overwhelmed by the carrying costs of inventory, or up to their ears in unsold product that they can’t unload.

According to GetData research, "55 percent of small and medium business owners say that inventory management software saves them more than five hours each week, with 16 percent of all respondents saying they save more than a day." The extra time savings could lead to so much more productivity and increased earnings.

Cloud inventory management takes the busy work out of managing your stock, reduces the manual errors that humans are bound to make, and keeps you updated with reports and reorder analysis. Here’s a list of just a few things that using a cloud-based inventory management platform can help you do:

Check Your Inventory From Anywhere

Order Time can be accessed anywhere that a user has an Internet connection

If you have multiple locations, offices, or warehouses: you can update your records from any of these places. That means if your warehouse is across the country, you don’t need to place a phone call to ask your employees to update records. Any changes they make, by scanning an item’s barcode for example, will be reflected instantly on your end as well.

This can also come in handy if you’re on the road, selling your inventory from a trade show, convention, or even a farmer’s market.

Where is your inventory?

There are many reasons why inventory might be unaccounted for. Employee theft or loss is one explanation; inefficiencies and mistakes along your supply chain is another. When inventory goes missing, you’re much more likely to disappoint a potential customer by overselling them a product that you can’t deliver. Cloud-based inventory systems track inventory across all of your channels, from your brick-and-mortar location to your online store via Ecommerce integrations. Any orders from those channels will be reflected in your overall inventory levels, keeping you informed of any shortages, spikes in demand, or errors.

Your business probably already utilizes other cloud-based solutions to help keep things organized. Including Google Drive, Dropbox, or Amazon storage. Either way, the addition of a cloud-based inventory platform should integrate seamlessly with the rest of your tools.

In fact, it should be as easing as switching to another tab to manage things across different solutions, rather than closing & opening separate programs located on your computer.

If you want to be able to update your inventory, view your whole supply chain, create custom reports and alerts, enjoy Ecommerce and Shipping integration, and gain some peace of mind.. a migration to the cloud is the right fit for your business.

Enjoy these features and more, start a Free Trial of Order Time!

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