Recommending Stocktake Methods
Before Stocktake
During the EOFY the most common questions we receive will be from people scrambling to complete a Stocktake.
Before advising to proceed with a Stocktake, always recommend that the client looks at other avenues first, as the Stocktake itself is the LAST step in the chain of EOFY processes.
Items that need to be addressed before proceeding with a Stocktake include:
| Complete all Fulfilments |
The client needs to confirm that everything that has physically left the premises has been fulfilled in Retail Express - Laybys or Deliveries, etc.
This is the cause of the largest number of incorrect Stock Adjustments during a Stocktake.
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| Process Stock Receipts |
Process and complete all Stock Receipts for goods that have arrived in, but have not been received into the system.
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| Process Transfers |
Process and complete ALL Transfers between any Outlets or Warehouse locations.
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| Create Supplier Returns |
Create all Supplier Returns for Products being sent back to Suppliers. This will remove their stock quantity from Available or Faulty status. These Products cannot be counted as they will not be included in the Stocktake expected qty.
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Best practice is that the above items are minimised or stopped entirely once the Stocktake count starts, as they can affect Stock Adjustments at completion.
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Questions to ask
From a Support point of view we need to be able to both recommend the most appropriate method to use based on the client's situation, and provide directions on how to approach that method.
Common questions to consider when receiving calls or emails are listed below with examples:
Are they counting Available Stock or Stock On Hand?
This needs to be decided at the beginning, as the decision needs to be selected before any Stocktake files are generated.
| Available |
Available means that only units in Available status will be included in the Stocktake
All Allocated unfulfilled goods (Layby, Warehouse Pickup, Delivery) need to be ignored, or the Stock Adjustments created once the Stocktake is completed will be incorrect.
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| Stock on Hand | SOH means that everything must be counted as the expected quantities will be including every Product in Available AND Allocated status. |
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How are they counting the store?
Clarify if they are doing 1 count of the entire store, or breaking it up into small sections at a time.
Do they have offsite locations holding stock that may need to be included?
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How have they previously performed Stocktakes?
Often a client will have been performing Stocktakes before using Retail Express and want recommendations on how to best continue the same methods, but using the tools we have available.
Get a brief rundown of the steps they normally take and advise what they can improve or automate from Retail Express.
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How many people are counting?
Do they have small teams with dedicated Stocktake scanners, or large teams writing counts on print-outs? The number of people counting will change which Stocktake methods they can use.
- Single staff - A Browser Stocktake or Advanced Excel Stocktake will only allow 1 person to scan at a time.
- Multiple staff - Mobile Device or PDA will allow multiple people to scan and count files at the same time. Those Count files can be combined at the end in the Excel Scan Tool to record the total counts.
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Are they trading or closing while the Stocktake count is performed?
This can dramatically change the amount of work they will need to do after the count and upload. It will also change the accuracy of the stock adjustments created by the system.
- No trade - If they are closed from start to finish they can upload using the Absolute method for the highest level of accuracy (the stock in the system matches the stock on the floor).
- Trading - When the business is trading during a count they will most often need to upload using the Variance method, which takes into account some, but not all Sales during the count. This will often require manual intervention after the count and upload to make sure adjustments are accurate.
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What Hardware is the client using to count?
Links to recommended hardware suppliers:
Common equipment that can be used for counting:
| Barcode Scanners (Wired or Wireless) |
These will be the same as the Barcode Scanners used to scan Products at the register when making a Sale in POS.
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| Mobile Phones, PDAs or Tablets |
Modern mobile devices can be used to enter counts using the Mobile Stocktake App viewed in a browser on the device.
To be able to scan with these devices the client will need a physical scanner attachment (the internal camera will not work as a barcode scanner)
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| Dedicated Stocktake Scanners | These are mobile devices designed to record counts in a number of formats, then send the data to a PC to collate at the end. |
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Flow Charts
Below are two different flow charts that can guide you to the best Stocktake method advice:
Hardware
Stocktake
This interactive walk-through will help you to determine which Stocktake method will be the most appropriate for your business needs. We also recommend you read Stocktake Overview to make yourself familiar with the terms used and methods available.
To get started, the first thing we need to know is how many Line Items you'll be counting i.e. the different types of products (not the quantity). For example, if you had three of Product A and two of Product B, you would be counting two line items (A and B).
The Browser Stocktake method is limited to 5000 results, so you will need to ensure your Stocktake Filters are used to target less than 5000 products. Search filters include:
- Product Type
- Brand
- Season
- Product Attributes (Size, Colour, Custom Attributes)
- and more...