Inventory management systems track goods through the entire supply chain or the portion of it a business operates in. That covers everything from production to retail, warehousing to shipping, and all the movements of stock and parts between.

Practically, it means a business can see all the small moving parts of its operations, allowing it to make better decisions and investments. Different inventory managers focus on different parts of the supply chain—though small businesses are usually more interested in the ordering and sales end of the chain.

• Barcoding
• Reporting tools
• Inventory forecasting
• Inventory alerts
• Accounting tools or tie-ins
• Materials tracking
• Inventory levels for parts and finish products
• Automatic reordering
• Integrations with ERP or maintenance software