# Stock Control & Warehousing

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### Set up Min, Max and Ideal Stock Levels for products

Manage your stock effectively by setting up Minimum, Maximum, and Ideal **Stock Level Settings** for each product.

<table><thead><tr><th width="270">Data</th><th>Purpose</th></tr></thead><tbody><tr><td><strong>Minimum Stock Level (Min)</strong></td><td>Defines the minimum quantity of stock that should be maintained. This triggers replenishment actions to prevent stockouts and ensure product availability.</td></tr><tr><td><strong>Maximum Stock Level (Max)</strong></td><td>Defines the maximum quantity of stock you can hold. This prevents overstocking and helps manage storage space efficiently.</td></tr><tr><td><strong>Ideal Stock Level (Ideal)</strong></td><td>Optional: Defines the optimum stock level for each product. This helps maintain a balanced inventory, ensuring enough stock to meet demand without overstocking.</td></tr></tbody></table>

If you have multiple warehouses or retail stores, Stock Level Settings can be controlled and configured for each product by individual Location.

For example, due to increased demand, your Ideal Stock Level for a product may be higher for one retail store than another.

Our Supplier Replenishment Tool uses these settings, current Stock Levels, and open Purchase Orders to provide recommended replenishment quantities for new Purchase Orders.

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#### Automate the management of your Stock Level Settings

Venditan Commerce can automatically calculate and adjust your Stock Level Settings based on current sales figures.

This can be extended to work with other datasets, allowing for dynamic adjustments based on changing sales patterns, seasonal trends, and other relevant factors.
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### Structure your stock management with Locations, Stores and Bins

A ‘**Location, Store and Bin**’ structure manages stock arrangement across your business.

<table><thead><tr><th width="134">Tier</th><th width="395">Purpose</th><th>Examples</th></tr></thead><tbody><tr><td><strong>Location</strong></td><td>Establishes a premises you use to store stock.</td><td>Warehouses, Retail Stores</td></tr><tr><td><strong>Store</strong></td><td>Segments the Location into manageable areas, making it easier to locate and manage Bins.</td><td>Holding, Returns, Shop Sections</td></tr><tr><td><strong>Bin</strong></td><td>Segments the Store into individual storage containers.</td><td>Usually numbered or coded to your conventions.</td></tr></tbody></table>

Evert individual product you have is designated to a Bin, facilitating accurate, real-time stock tracking and efficient receiving, putaway, transfer and fulfilment processes.

{% hint style="success" %}
Bins are barcoded and Venditan Commerce supports the printing of shelf edge labels.
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### Support for Warehouse Mapping

We can map the layout of your warehouse location into Venditan Commerce to visualise the layout of Stores and Bins based on their size, shape, and orientation.

This visualisation helps Venditan Commerce to understand and optimise the storage space and is used in our Guided Putaway and Directed Order Picking features.

{% hint style="success" %}
**Workshopped in detail during your switch to us**

We workshop with you to determine the best setup for your needs. Whether you have multiple warehouses to map or a single shop storeroom, we will configure this for you and advise on best practices.
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***

### Transfer stock from one Location to another

Transferring stock between stores is a common requirement to fulfil orders when stock isn’t immediately available.

Transfers can be initiated manually or automatically proposed.

* **Manual**: Users can initiate a transfer from Venditan Commerce or our [EPOS system](/docs/in-store-epos.md). They specify the source Location, target Location, each item to be transferred and their respective quantities. The specified details create an **Internal Stock Transfer** that remains pending until the stock is picked and dispatched from the source Location.
* **Automatic**: Venditan Commerce can automatically propose Internal Stock Transfers based on stock availability across Locations. For example, if an order is placed and the store lacks sufficient stock, but another has the required stock, Venditan Commerce automatically suggests an stock transfer.

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### Transfer stock from one Bin to another

Transferring stock between Bins is crucial for reorganising or consolidating warehouse space.

This process can be efficiently managed using the '**Bin Transfer**' feature.

Using our handheld scanners, the user scans the source Bin, then each item and inputs the quantities to be moved.

Next, they transport the items to the target Bin, scan them, and drop them off.

Venditan Commerce automatically updates Stock Levels to reflect the new locations of the items.

{% hint style="warning" %}
This process is built into our handhelds, but it can also be initiated directly from Venditan Commerce, with barcode details manually entered instead of using the devices.
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***

### Assess your current Stock Levels

There are numerous ways to assess the Stock Levels across your business.

<table><thead><tr><th width="271">Method</th><th>Summary</th></tr></thead><tbody><tr><td><strong>Supplier Replenishment Tool</strong></td><td>Evaluate Stock Levels for a filtered subset of products and generate a Purchase Order for the depleted inventory.</td></tr><tr><td><strong>Bin Stock Take</strong></td><td>Evaluate the stock contained within a Bin against the expected Stock Levels held in Venditan Commerce.</td></tr><tr><td><strong>Stock Take Report</strong></td><td>Evaluate Stock Levels for your entire inventory or a filtered subset of products.</td></tr><tr><td><strong>Manual Stock Take</strong></td><td>Physically count stock and input the collected data into Venditan Commerce.</td></tr></tbody></table>

#### Supplier Replenishment Tool

The Supplier Replenishment Tool allows you to filter a set of products, and then evaluate Stock Levels and raise a Purchase Order by:

* Specifying the Departments, Categories, or Manufacturers/Brands.
* Choosing the Supplier you are ordering from.
* Choosing the Location you are ordering for.

The tool will then provide you with current Stock Levels, along with recommended replenishment quantities based on your Minimum, Maximum and Ideal Stock Level Settings.

{% hint style="info" %}
Learn more: [Supplier Replenishment Tool](/docs/stock-warehouse-management-wms/suppliers-and-purchasing.md#use-the-supplier-replenishment-tool-to-generate-purchase-orders)
{% endhint %}

#### Bin Stock Take

Conduct annual or more frequent stock takes efficiently using our handheld devices.&#x20;

This allows you to perform precise stock takes for individual Bins, ensuring accurate inventory records and reconciliation.

You use Venditan Commerce to create a **Stock Snapshot** for a specific Bin. The snapshot records the Bin's known Stock Levels.

You can:

* **Name the Snapshot**
* **Filter Stock**: Choose to include only specific stock items within the Bin or exclude items with zero stock.
* **Preview Report**: Review the snapshot before finalising it to ensure it meets your requirements.
* **Download as CSV**: Export the snapshot as a CSV file to assist with stock-taking.

Once the Stock Snapshot has been generated, you can use the handheld device to count the stock quantities within the Bin and input the counted quantities.

Finally, return to Venditan Commerce to compare the scanned quantities with the Stock Snapshot and decide whether to write off discrepancies or create new stock records to adjust for any differences.

#### Stock Take Report

Run a **Stock Take Report** to get a comprehensive overview of the stock within your business.&#x20;

You can filter the report by criteria such as Brand, Department, Category, Location, Store, Bin, or Supplier.

Once your filters are applied, the report can be generated and downloaded as a CSV file, or reviewed in-platform using a spreadsheet-style interface.

{% hint style="info" %}
Learn more: [Stock/Inventory Reporting](/docs/reports-and-analytics/stock-inventory.md)
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#### Manual Stock Take

The platform supports a fully manual stock-take process. With this method, you physically count the stock and then input the collected data into the platform.&#x20;

This can be done in real-time as you count each item or by gathering the data and updating the stock levels within the platform.

This manual approach provides flexibility for those who prefer not to use scanning technology or when scanners are unavailable.

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### Support for serialised products

Track and manage individual products by assigning and recording serial numbers as unique identifiers.

Monitor the movement of serialised products throughout the inventory lifecycle, including receipt, storage, and dispatch.

Link serial numbers to warranty records and service history, simplifying the process of handling returns and repairs and reducing fraud.


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