Stocktaking software for retail
Counting a store’s stock, comparing it with what your software believes it has, and producing a variance report: here is what a stocktaking tool has to be able to do, and what to check before choosing one.
How stores count today
Pen and paper
Free, and nobody needs training. But every line has to be keyed in afterwards, handwriting is open to argument, and two counters can do the same aisle without knowing it.
The shared spreadsheet
It is clear and it calculates. It does not say who counted what, does not catch an item entered twice, and a barcode loses its leading zeros the moment the file opens.
The provider’s terminals
Accurate and rugged. They have to be rented, received, charged and returned — and the cost follows the number of devices, not what the store actually needs.
An app on the team’s phones
The device is already in their pocket, scanning reads the barcode, and the report builds as the count goes. This is how Quantinvo was built.
What stocktaking software has to be able to do
Six things that show on counting day, not in a brochure.
Splitting the store into zones
Without named zones, each opened and then closed in turn, nothing guarantees an aisle was not missed — or counted twice by two people.
A second count, and variances settled
A figure counted once is a hypothesis. The second pass checks it, and the variance between the two is settled before the team leaves.
Working without a network
A stockroom, a basement, a steel-clad warehouse: the signal drops. The count has to carry on and sync by itself when the network returns.
An import that takes your files
Your item list comes out of your point-of-sale or management software in whatever format it likes. It is the stocktaking tool’s job to adapt, not yours to reformat.
A variance report you can use
In units and in value, item by item, exportable to a spreadsheet. A report nobody can open in Excel does not travel through the company.
Separate roles
Counting and supervising are not the same job. A seasonal worker should not be able to close a stocktake.
Six questions to ask before you choose
Ask them of every supplier, us included. The answers fit in one sentence, and they are what separates two quotes at the same price.
- What is the price based on? Per store, per user, per device, per item counted? That is what separates two quotes of the same order of magnitude.
- Do we have to buy or rent hardware? And if the answer is no, does the app run on the phones your teams already carry?
- What happens without a network? Ask what has already been counted when the signal comes back — not whether “it works offline”.
- Who sees progress during the count? Waiting until the next day to learn an aisle was skipped costs a second evening.
- How does the data come out? A spreadsheet export, with no help from the supplier, is the difference between your data and theirs.
- Where is it hosted? In the European Union or elsewhere, and for how long it is kept.
Quantinvo, in one sentence
Teams count with their phones, the supervisor follows progress live from a computer, and the variance report exports to a spreadsheet. One licence per store, from 89 € a month.
The questions we get asked
What is stocktaking software?
A tool that organises the physical count of your stock, then compares it with the book stock in your point-of-sale or management software. It splits the store into zones, records every item scanned and produces the variance report.
How is it different from stock management software?
Stock management software keeps the book stock day to day: it records deliveries and sales. Stocktaking software is there to check that book stock by counting what is really on the shelves. The two complement each other; neither replaces the other.
Do we need a barcode scanner or a dedicated terminal?
No. A phone camera reads barcodes. A Bluetooth scanner is still useful when counting for hours on end, but it is not a requirement.
Can you do a stocktake with just a spreadsheet?
Yes, and many stores do. The limits show up with volume: re-keying takes hours, nobody knows who counted what, and a barcode loses its leading zeros when the file opens.
How much does stocktaking software cost?
It depends on what is being billed — store, user, device or item. At Quantinvo it is one licence per store from 89 € a month, based on how many devices count at the same time.
How long does it take to set up?
The time it takes to import your item list and your book stock, then split the store into zones. There is nothing to install on the phones beyond the app itself.
Make your stock reliable with Quantinvo
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