Simple Inventory Tracking for a Small Shop

Most small shops either track nothing and run out of their best sellers, or try a complicated system and give up after a week. The sweet spot is a simple method you will really keep up. You only need to know three things: what you have, what is selling, and when to reorder.

Track what matters, not everything

Not every item deserves a stock count. Focus on:

• Your best sellers, because running out costs you sales.
• Expensive items, because mistakes cost more.
• Items with a long delivery time, because you need to order early.

Leave out things you never count, such as a service, a very cheap item you restock constantly, or anything you make to order. Tracking too much is the main reason people stop.

Keep one list

Use a single list with one row per product: name, price, how many you have, and the level at which you reorder. Whether it lives in an app or a notebook, there should be exactly one version of the truth, not three.

Set a reorder point

A reorder point is the stock level that tells you "order now". A simple way to set it:

1. Estimate how many you sell in a typical week.
2. Estimate how many weeks your supplier takes to deliver.
3. Multiply the two, then add a small cushion.

If you sell 10 a week and delivery takes two weeks, reorder when you reach about 25. Adjust after a few weeks, once you see how it feels in practice.

Count by sight once a week

Even if your system updates itself, things go missing, get damaged or are miscounted. Once a week, walk the shelves for your best sellers, compare with your list and correct any difference. It takes ten minutes, and it catches problems while you can still remember what happened.

Handle sizes and variants

If you sell one product in several sizes, colours or lengths, each version needs its own count. A small shop can run out of one size while holding plenty of another, and a single total hides that.

Record every sale

Stock only stays right if every sale reduces it. The easiest way is to record sales as they happen rather than at the end of the day, when you will forget half of them.

In EzInvoice you add a product once with its price, and you can add a stock count if you want it tracked. Leave the stock blank for things you do not count. When you record a sale with Quick Sale, the stock goes down automatically and the sale is saved as a paid invoice. A product with several sizes can be set up as variants, each with its own stock and price.

Use your sales to guide ordering

Look at what actually sells each month. Slow items tie up cash on the shelf; fast items deserve a higher reorder point. Over a few months, your numbers will tell you what to stock more of.

A quick checklist

1. Track only your best sellers and your costly items.
2. Keep a single list with a reorder point for each.
3. Record every sale straight away.
4. Count your top items by sight once a week.
5. Give each size or colour its own count.
6. Review sales monthly and adjust.