PSK18/01: Justifying Cloud Based WMS for Retail (17 October 2019)

Issue Date: 17 October 2019
Ref: PSK18/01

Justifying Cloud Based WMS for Retail

Many successful start-ups and growing online retailers offer exceptional customer experiences but struggle to manage their stock effectively. They face the dilemma of introducing warehouse management processes that support responsiveness and competitiveness without being time-consuming, cumbersome and expensive. Until recently even the most basic entry-level systems were probably beyond the reach of many but the advent of cloud-based solutions offers a different approach. The simplicity and relatively low implementation burdens of applications such as ProSKU make it far easier to justify the investment and realise a return earlier.

Inaccurate stock information and failure to identify where items are located in the warehouse can limit a retailer’s ability to provide customers with stock availability details or fully meet order demands on request. It can also cost money because of wasted time, inefficient processes, poor productivity, failed deliveries, product returns or wasteful corrective actions. Stock levels may be too high, leading to inefficient use of space and hidden cost, or too low, leading to missed opportunities. 

Retailers facing these and other issues will often benefit from a warehouse management system. The true cost of inaccurate stock information is often higher than initially apparent but this means net gains and returns on investment in a new WMS can be bigger and realised more quickly than originally expected. But this is just one aspect of using a WMS and not the only justification for doing so. Many retailers ultimately realise many more benefits than expected, rendering the monthly system cost largely irrelevant.

A cloud hosted solution with a simple monthly pricing model, ProSKU supports all essential warehouse stock management functions including receipt and putaway, picking and despatch, stock management, and reporting. It integrates quickly and easily with all popular e-commerce platforms including eBay, Amazon, Woo Commerce, Magento and Shopify, as well as traditional CRM solutions such as Sage.