10 Tips for Reducing Stockouts and Preventing Deadstock for Retail and E-Commerce Businesses

Look, we get it #retailfam. Are you tired of constantly running out of stock or overstocking your shelves? Say no more! We’ve got some hot tips for inventory planning that will have you feeling like a retail ninja.

1. Inventory Management: The Key to Retail Success

Let’s be real, inventory management is not the sexiest part of retail. But, it’s essential to keep your business running smoothly. When you have a clear picture of what’s in stock and what you need to reorder, you’ll be able to avoid stockouts, overstocking, and deadstock.

2. Supply Chain Optimization: Streamline Your Processes

Optimizing your supply chain can save you a lot of time, money, and headaches. By analyzing your processes and identifying areas for improvement, you can reduce lead times and stockouts. For example, let’s say you’re a clothing retailer, and you’re constantly running out of a popular style of jeans. By working with your suppliers to reduce lead times, you can ensure that you always have enough stock on hand to meet customer demand.

3. Stock Control: Keep a Tight Rein on Your Inventory

Having too much or too little stock is a recipe for disaster. Stock control helps you strike the perfect balance. One way to achieve this is by using demand forecasting tools that take into account historical sales data, seasonal trends, and other factors to estimate how much inventory you’ll need. For instance, if you’re a candy retailer, you can use demand forecasting to predict how many bags of candy corn you’ll sell during Halloween.

4. Reorder Point: Stay Ahead of the Game

Knowing when to reorder is crucial. Reorder point is the inventory level at which you need to place an order to avoid stockouts. By calculating your reorder point, you can ensure that you always have enough stock on hand to meet customer demand without overstocking. Let’s say you’re a shoe retailer, and you know that it takes three weeks to receive a shipment of sneakers from your supplier. If you sell 20 pairs of sneakers per week, your reorder point would be 60 pairs.

5. Safety Stock: Plan for the Unexpected

No matter how well you plan, unexpected events can still occur, like supplier delays, weather-related disruptions, or unexpected spikes in demand. Safety stock is the extra inventory you keep on hand to prevent stockouts during these events. By calculating your safety stock, you can ensure that you’re prepared for the unexpected. For example, if you’re a pet supply retailer, you might keep extra bags of dog food on hand during the winter months when snowstorms can delay shipments.

6. Lead Time: Time is Money

Lead time is the amount of time it takes for a supplier to deliver inventory once you place an order. By reducing lead times, you can ensure that you receive inventory faster and avoid stockouts. One way to reduce lead times is by working with suppliers who are located closer to your store. For example, if you’re a beauty retailer in New York, working with a supplier based in New Jersey can reduce lead times and ensure faster delivery of your products.

7. Stock Turnover: Keep Your Inventory Fresh

Stock turnover is the number of times you sell and replace your inventory during a given period. High stock turnover means that you’re selling inventory quickly and efficiently. Low stock turnover, on the other hand, means that you’re holding onto inventory for too long, which can lead to deadstock and cash flow problems. By monitoring your stock turnover and taking action to move slow-moving inventory, you can keep your inventory fresh and avoid deadstock.

8. Inventory Analysis: Dig into the Data

Inventory analysis is the process of analyzing your inventory data to identify trends, opportunities for improvement, and areas of inefficiency. By looking at your inventory data, you can identify which products are selling well and which ones aren’t. For example, if you’re a tech retailer, you might notice that a particular laptop model isn’t selling well. By analyzing the data, you might discover that the price is too high compared to similar models, leading to poor sales. Adjusting the price can help you move more inventory and improve your bottom line.

9. Stock Replenishment: Keep Your Shelves Full

Stock replenishment is the process of restocking your shelves with inventory as it sells. By restocking quickly and efficiently, you can ensure that your shelves are always full, and your customers are always happy. For example, if you’re a grocery retailer, you might use AI-powered inventory replenishment planning software that triggers restocking when inventory levels fall below a certain threshold. This can help you avoid stockouts and keep your customers coming back.

10. SKU Optimization: Optimize Your Product Lineup

SKU optimization is the process of optimizing your product lineup to focus on high-performing products while reducing or eliminating low-performing ones. By focusing on your best-performing products, you can increase sales and improve your bottom line. For example, if you’re a sportswear retailer, you might notice that a particular shoe style isn’t selling well. By eliminating that style and focusing on your best-performing styles, you can optimize your lineup and improve your sales.

So, there you have it, folks! These ten tips will have you well on your way to becoming an inventory planning pro. But, we get it, it can be overwhelming to implement all these tips manually. That’s where retail inventory planning software comes in. With an AI-powered solution, you can automate demand forecasting, stock replenishment, and more, making inventory planning a breeze.

Are you ready to take your inventory planning to the next level? Check out our retail inventory planning software to learn more!