Does a merchandise management system make sense for your web shop?

There are a few reasons to have an enterprise resource planning (ERP) system. But before we get to that, let's take a look at your processes without an ERP. What does it mean not to have a WaWi? Effort and costs increase due to a higher need for coordination between employees from purchasing, warehouse and sales. Transparency about the flow of goods is not given as soon as several departments and employees are involved. An enterprise resource planning system can provide a remedy.

Which processes does an enterprise resource planning system cover?

An enterprise resource planning system is software that maps the processes of purchasing, warehousing and shipping. It focuses on all of the company's flows of goods between suppliers, warehouses and customers. With the WaWi, relationships with suppliers, goods receipts, warehouse movements, shipments and returns can be designed and optimized.

What advantages do enterprise resource planning systems offer?

The transparency of processes and data are an important competitive advantage. Data is available to all users in real time. The number of products in the warehouse can be viewed at any time and can be displayed in the web store in real time. Overselling can be avoided.

With a WaWi you can design your processes efficiently. You have a reduced effort and a higher data quality due to the central maintenance of the product data. The goods processes are automated. This reduces time expenditures as well as the error rate.

With transparent and efficient processes, you set the course for greater growth.

Which software providers are there?

There are countless providers of enterprise resource planning systems. The following selection shows some of the software providers:

Pickware Vario Tricoma Signum Pixi Oxid ERP Which software fits your company? To find the right software for your company, the following questions can help you:

Can my processes be mapped with the software without high implementation costs? What is the user-friendliness? Which system integrates best with my eCommerce system? Which interfaces do I need and which are available? Which reports do I need and which are available by default? What are the acquisition and maintenance costs? How is support ensured?

When is the right time for an enterprise resource planning system?

There are opinions that say that it is already worthwhile to integrate a WaWi in the founding phase of the webshop. This offers the advantage of not having to migrate data later on. The store operator can focus on growth right from the start.

Other opinions say, as soon as the online store has a certain size, a WaWi should be used. But when does the store have this certain size? Clues can be for you:

You are a fullfilment eCommerce provider. You have your own warehouse. You employ warehouse staff. There are storage and delivery issues that are hindering your growth. You ship more than 20 packages per day.

What costs should I expect?

When it comes to inventory management systems, as with store systems, there are rental, paid and open source systems. Software providers such as Vario offer free entry-level packages. The price is therefore not necessarily an argument against the use of a WaWi. Of course, it is important that the employees are well trained and can operate the WaWi. The prices vary therefore very strongly after offerer.

Conclusion

The use of an enterprise resource planning system is recommended as soon as you have a warehouse. The manual processes described at the beginning should not prevent the webshop operator to expand his store and to concentrate on other important focus areas: Optimizing processes, expanding the store, developing new customer segments and markets, and adding new products to the store.

It makes sense to use the system right from the start to avoid later migration efforts. All goods processes are digitalized and completely transparent with a WaWi. Your customer receives the information he needs about availability, shipment and time. This can significantly increase customer loyalty.