How to effectively manage goods and prevent loss and limit inventory? Read the following article to know the causes of goods loss and effective ways to manage goods!
How to effectively manage goods to avoid loss for shops
1. Causes of goods loss
There is a saying "weed must be uprooted". This statement is not wrong. In order to effectively deal with the loss of goods, we must find the cause and root of it, thereby offering timely solutions to prevent unwanted negative consequences.
In fact, the loss of goods in general includes two groups of basic causes, which are internal and external causes.
1.1. The group of internal causes
Because the goods management process and the way to decentralize management rights to employees are not specific and clear, it leads to the situation:
Inaccurate inventory
Paste the wrong barcode, price stamp between products
Arrange and display items in a messy manner without any sequence or logic, making it difficult to display, search, and store.
Loosening control leads to a shortage of goods from the store itself
Loss of products due to employees taking advantage of promotions and customer cards for profit
Theft due to dishonest employees taking money from customers without returning the company
1.2. Group of external causes
Customers enter the counter to steal (usually for products and accessories that are small, easy to pocket, hidden in person).
Customers use the spot for instant items in the store without paying.
Customers intentionally peel and stick the price stamp of cheaper products on the items they need to buy to cover their eyes, causing employees to calculate the wrong price.
The cause of the loss of goods, more than half of which happens internally. The theft of customers is also partly due to the lax observation of the staff, which makes customers take advantage of the opportunity to commit fraud.
From that, it can be seen that in order to overcome this situation, we must find a method to build and manage internal systems in a systematic and sufficient manner so that they are really enthusiastic and dedicated to their work and responsibility. assigned.
How to effectively manage goods to avoid loss for shops
2. How to effectively manage goods against loss
After knowing the causes of loss, let's quickly think and start dealing with specific causes for each cause.
2.1. Handling loss due to objective reasons
Install a camera observe store activities
Don't be afraid to spend a few hundred thousand to several million to buy surveillance cameras because installing cameras in the corners of the store, especially at the cashier counter will help shop owners cover all the activities of the buyer as well as employee work attitude.
Don't forget:
- Determine the number of cameras installed for the store.
- Determining the location of the camera: Sapo suggests that you should install the camera at the cashier counter, door and store merchandise area, especially the display area for small, easy-to-pocket products, or dark corners where high chance of being stolen.
- Shops and shops have many hidden corners and the area is not very wide, so choose cameras with 3.6 lenses for a wider viewing angle.
- Choose an infrared camera, which can work both day and night, without being caught in color because the goods displayed at the store often have many colors.
Manage products with barcodes
With all items after being barcoded and stamped, in order to avoid the phenomenon of fraudulent buyers peeling off stamps for exchange, you should use broken stamps, then it is difficult for them to perform their fraudulent behavior. I can. At the same time, barcode management of goods also makes inventory and management of goods much easier in the future.
In addition, you can use anti-theft stamp stick on high-value items so that any buyer who intends to take the goods away without paying, the alarm system will come into play.
The use of security stamps or hard nails, so the items of great value will make it impossible for customers to peel, steal, avoid losses due to external factors.
For small items, you should display them at one counter, should be placed next to the cashier counter and have supervisors on duty to be more effective.
2.2. Fix subjective causes
Manage goods with Excel files
The first step in "stock management" for shops and small and medium-sized businesses is to inventory and digitize all information related to products, suppliers, and inventory. You can use a notebook, or a spreadsheet, or Excel if you only sell on the spot, don't sell online on Facebook or other e-commerce platforms.
But don't forget, at the end of the day, all of these numbers need to be entered in the calculation file and added and subtracted to match the cash sales. And this amount needs to match the amount of goods sold, to calculate the amount of inventory at the shop or store.
The method Excel warehouse management will definitely help you manage your goods effectively and prevent loss. It's just that it takes a lot of time and energy to implement, and is prone to errors due to incorrect input or formulas.
Goods management form with excel file
The information that needs to be displayed in the warehouse management form using an Excel file includes:
- Product's name
- Your SKU or internal product code: You can code your goods out of habit or use the product code printed on the stamp/label by the manufacturer.
Read more: What is SKU? How to set SKU codes to help manage goods effectively
- Unit: pcs/piece/set/box… This is essential for products that are not retail or sold in sets, avoiding misunderstandings by staff when selling.
- Wholesale prices.
- Retail price.
- Product features: Color or size, material.
- Vendor or manufacturer name.
- Inventory number.
- Number of warehouse receipts.
- Product images: Many business people are often subjective about product photography, and this is a mistake. Granted, sales in stores do not need an image file for marketing like selling on the website or selling on Facebook or e-commerce platforms, but you really need it when designing brochures or quotes.
Manage goods with warehouse management software
If your quantity of goods is large, you want to track inventory larger, faster, then 1 warehouse management software will be a great assistant to help you prevent loss of goods.
Illustrate Sapo's visual inventory sorting and reporting
As for any business model, from small stores to large stores that are operating today, and encountering a loss of goods, it is necessary to immediately take the following steps:
Step 1: Open temporary warehouse to check goods
Step 2: Conduct inventory in the temporary warehouse and paste the barcode
Step 3: Enter data into the software and close the data at the time of inventory
Then, the management on your software will be very easy. Details to each branch, each item,…
Inventory report on sales management software Sapo
When managing by software, the inventory will be continuously updated to help you easily track inventory. In addition to goods management, sales management software can also manage orders, transportation, avoiding the case of missing or wrong delivery. In addition, this is also an effective tool in customer management, employee management and detailed statistical reports to help you sell as light as possible.
If you have established a long-term business, you should use inventory management technology to help you. Owners who keep clinging to a notebook or excel file every day to measure goods, add and subtract, do not have time to worry about big things. Moreover, from only $0.6/month you already have Sapo POS warehouse management software to use!
Accurate purchase invoices
Store business - the profession of bringing "coins and coins to collect silver coins", so if the accounting for daily purchase/bill invoices is not standard, the risk of shops facing loss, inventory stock sound is very high. Here is how Sapo POS accounts for purchase invoices for your shop:
All information related to buying and selling transactions such as: customer's full name, quantity of goods, customer code, transaction date, payment, etc. will be saved in the system. Even employees can't forge invoices, steal merchandise, or commit other fraud.
Hopefully with the above methods, you can effectively manage your goods thereby avoiding losses, reducing inventory and increasing revenue!
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