BigCommerce stands out as one of the top e-commerce platforms available today. It offers a wide range of features that help businesses succeed, including inventory management tools. However, there are many BigCommerce users that find themselves struggling to manage their inventory effectively. This can lead to stockouts, overselling, and other problems that can negatively impact businesses of any size.
In this article, we'll take a close look at how to manage inventory on BigCommerce and provide you with hands-on tips to improve your inventory processes.
Let's dive right in, shall we?
Setting up your inventory on BigCommerce
Optimizing your inventory management in BigCommerce is crucial for ensuring smooth operations and maximizing profits. Here are the steps to get started:
Add products
Utilize BigCommerce’s user-friendly product catalog to effortlessly add new products to your inventory. Remember to assign a unique SKU to each product for easy identification and tracking.
Configure pricing
Set competitive prices by looking into market trends and checking out what your rivals charge. This helps make sure your products are priced right for your target customers. Also, think about running special deals or discounts to attract new buyers and keep old ones coming back. You could do things like seasonal sales, package deals, or rewards for loyal customers. These kinds of promos can get customers more involved and boost your sales.
How to utilize BigCommerce’s inventory management tools
BigCommerce's inventory tools allow you to fine-tune and customize various settings related to inventory management on your online store. Once you have added your products, you can make use of BigCommerce's inventory settings to further control and enhance the customer experience.
Inventory settings
Customize inventory settings to manage out-of-stock situations better. Pick when you want stock levels to change – when an order comes in or when it's shipped out. You can suggest other products, let shoppers know when items are back in stock, or hide stuff that's not available. Your inventory can also adjust itself when there are refunds or cancellations.
Stock levels
Another inventory tool that BigCommerce offers is the ability to hide products or display an out-of-stock message when a product is out of stock. Being transparent about your inventory helps prevent frustrating experiences for your customers.
Additionally, BigCommerce's Inventory Functionality allows you to display stock levels beneath your products. This feature can be particularly effective in driving sales, as customers are often motivated to purchase when they see that there is limited stock available (the psychological principle of scarcity can drive customers to purchase because they fear missing out.) Therefore, the sense of urgency created by showcasing low stock numbers can create a greater desire to buy.
Low stock notifications
BigCommerce also allows you to set up notifications to be sent to a preferred email address whenever a product is out of stock or running low on inventory. This feature helps you stay informed about your stock levels, allowing you to take prompt action such as restocking or adjusting your marketing strategies accordingly.
Overall, BigCommerce's inventory tools empower you to customize and optimize your inventory management strategies. By utilizing the inventory settings, you can ensure that your online store's inventory is effectively managed, providing a seamless and engaging shopping experience for your customers.
⚡ Powering up your inventory management with BigCommerce apps
BigCommerce’s inventory management tools are powerful, offering businesses the necessary features to effectively manage their inventory. However, it is important to understand that these tools may have some limitations that may not meet your specific needs 100%. Here are some reasons why businesses opt to engage third-party inventory management tools to supplement their BigCommerce experience:
Omnichannel management
One area where BigCommerce may have limitations is in omni-channel management. While it does support updating stock levels on the BigCommerce store through CSV imports, it does not provide real-time updates and automation for changes in other marketplaces. A third-party inventory management tool would be a better solution if you require more real-time and automated stock updates across multiple channels.
Shipping & fulfillment
Another aspect that businesses should consider a third-party solution is when it comes to shipping and fulfillment. BigCommerce's inventory management tools excel in managing inventory, but the support could be more robust when it comes to order fulfillment and shipping. Third-party inventory management systems often offer additional functionalities like batch label printing, automated courier rate shopping, and even shipping discounts.
While BigCommerce's inventory management tools provide useful features, they might only meet some of your specific needs. Therefore, adding third-party inventory management tools to BigCommerce can help you improve your inventory management processes, keep inventory levels in sync across multiple channels, stop overselling, and boost sales opportunities.
Inventory management software can also simplify shipping for your online store and help you save money with shipping discounts. For instance, when you use an inventory management tool like Zenventory to ship your USPS packages, you can save up to 89% thanks to Zenventory's pre-negotiated discounts!
Learn more about how Zenventory can take your BigCommerce store to the next level. Book a product tour today!
FAQs
Finally, to arm you with as much information as possible, here are some frequently asked questions about BigCommerce inventory management.
How can BigCommerce users address the need for better inventory management?
BigCommerce users can address the need for better inventory management by exploring third-party integrations that offer advanced inventory management features. These integrations can provide the required oomph to track different inventory types effectively, meet legal requirements, and manage sales and manufacturing side-by-side. By leveraging the right tools, BigCommerce users can optimize their inventory management processes and ensure smooth operations for their businesses.
What challenges can arise if inventory management is not effectively handled in BigCommerce?
If inventory management is not effectively handled in BigCommerce, several challenges can arise. These include stockouts, overselling, inaccurate product availability information, and difficulties in managing perishable inventory. These issues can negatively impact customer satisfaction, lead to lost sales opportunities, and potentially result in legal compliance issues for industries with specific inventory tracking requirements.
How can barcode scanning benefit BigCommerce inventory management and how can it be implemented?
Barcode scanning is a valuable tool for effective inventory management, offering numerous benefits while being relatively easy to implement. By utilizing a barcode scanner app, merchants can streamline their inventory management processes and gain greater control over their stock.
The benefits of barcode scanning in inventory management are numerous. Firstly, it significantly reduces human errors often associated with manual data entry, resulting in more accurate and reliable inventory records. With barcode scanning, the risk of misplacing or miscounting items is minimized, ensuring that the quantities recorded are an accurate reflection of the actual stock levels.
Furthermore, barcode scanning enables faster and more efficient inventory management. Instead of manually searching for products and manually updating stock levels, merchants can simply scan the barcodes attached to each item, instantly updating inventory records. This saves time and effort, allowing merchants to focus on other critical aspects of their business.
Implementing barcode scanning in your inventory management system is relatively straightforward, especially when using a barcode scanner app. First, ensure that your products are each assigned a unique barcode. Once the barcodes are attached to the respective products, integrate the barcode scanner app with your BigCommerce store. This will allow you to scan each item's barcode, automatically updating the inventory records in real-time.
To ensure the smooth implementation of barcode scanning, it is essential to train your staff on how to effectively utilize the barcode scanner app. This includes familiarizing them with the scanning process, understanding the importance of scanning accurately, and providing guidance on handling exceptions or discrepancies that may arise.
In conclusion, barcode scanning offers several advantages for inventory management, including increased accuracy, efficiency, and productivity. By implementing a barcode scanner app, merchants can enhance their inventory control and streamline their operations, ultimately leading to improved customer satisfaction and business success.
How do BigCommerce manufacturers manage their sales and manufacturing side-by-side?
BigCommerce manufacturers often rely on third-party integrations to manage their sales and manufacturing side-by-side. These integrations provide the necessary tools and features to track and manage different inventory types effectively. By using third-party solutions, manufacturers can ensure seamless coordination between their sales and manufacturing processes, optimizing efficiency and compliance.
Why do manufacturers need additional inventory management features when using BigCommerce?
Manufacturers need additional inventory management features when using BigCommerce because tracking different inventory types is essential. In industries that deal with perishable inventory, it may even be a legal requirement. Managing sales and manufacturing side-by-side is crucial for manufacturers, and BigCommerce's built-in inventory management tools may not provide the necessary capabilities. Therefore, many BigCommerce manufacturers turn to third-party integrations to meet their inventory management needs.
How can I identify the top-selling products in my store?
To effectively identify the top-selling products in your store, there is a helpful guideline known as the 80/20 rule that can be applied. This principle suggests that roughly 20% of your products will contribute to 80% of your sales. By understanding and implementing this rule, you can pinpoint the products that generate the highest revenue and focus your efforts on promoting them to new visitors.
To begin, it is crucial to conduct a thorough analysis of your sales data. By examining the sales figures and customer feedback, you can identify the products that consistently perform well and attract a significant portion of your customer base. These are the products that fall under the 20% category.
Furthermore, you can leverage various analytics tools that provide insights into your website's performance. These tools can track user interactions, monitor conversion rates, and offer valuable data on which products are driving the most sales. With this information, you can prioritize these top-selling products and enhance their visibility on your website.
In addition to sales data and analytics tools, customer feedback plays a crucial role in identifying the top-selling products in your store. Engaging with your customers through surveys, reviews, and social media platforms can provide valuable insights into their preferences and buying habits. By actively listening to your customers, you can gather feedback on their favorite products and use this information to make data-driven decisions.
By consistently analyzing sales data, utilizing analytics tools, and actively listening to customer feedback, you can accurately identify the top-selling products in your store. This understanding will allow you to tailor your marketing efforts towards promoting these products to new visitors, ultimately enhancing customer satisfaction and improving the overall user experience on your website.
How to seamlessly integrate a robust inventory management tool with BigCommerce
Zenventory’s mission is to make it easier to run an e-commerce operation and solve all operational challenges standing in the way of your growth, from inventory to order management and shipping.
As a proud partner of BigCommerce, our one-click integration process is simple and we have an exceptional support team that will lend a hand to ensure your success.
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