In 2018, United States shoppers spent $126 BILLION on online holiday shopping! That was a 19.1% increase from the 2017 holiday season. With this volume in such a short timespan, it is very easy for things to get disorganized. There are additional things being stocked on the shelves and many more items being shipped out. With all the hullabaloo going on, you may lose sight of one of the most important things in inventory management - organization! A messy warehouse is an inefficient warehouse. Inefficiency will result in loss of sales and revenue.
In a utopian world, everything is always where it should be. Employees are expert at finding stock items without searching the shelves. Orders are shipped out in a timely manner. However, it is extremely difficult to achieve this manner of organization with the old pen and paper system. There is too much possibility for human error. Especially during the holiday season, with so much more going on, it is very easy for things to get disorganized. When things are disorganized, it is difficult to keep an accurate record of inventory quantities.
Still using pen and paper?
The best way to achieve perfect organization is to have some sort of inventory/warehouse management software in place. Once the warehouse is computerized, entering a new item into inventory is as simple as scanning a barcode or QR code. The scanned item is assigned a physical location in the warehouse. No more flipping through inventory sheets and manually writing down stock numbers. No more randomly placing things in the warehouse and hoping you remember where they were placed. There is a proper accounting of what was loaded into the warehouse, and location assignment is consistent and precise. This way everything ends up where it should be the first time, with less chance of human error. Knowledge of what you have and where you have it helps you maintain proper inventory levels.
Already using order management software?
Perhaps you have already bit the bullet and have computerized your inventory/warehouse management. However, you find that come holiday season, when things get busy, your software is unable to keep up with the increased orders and possible workflow changes that occur. This is where SkuNexus can help. SkuNexus is fully scalable and customizable. We are able to help you stay organized and accurately maintain inventory records no matter how big or small your business. Whether you have inventory consolidated in one warehouse or spread out in a hundred different locations, SkuNexus will always be able to help you maintain proper organization, even during peak season.
Click here to see how we can help you remain organized during the holiday season.