The types of inventory management software are usually listed by industry or by size, which tells a small chain nothing about which one it needs. Sorted by the job they do there are four: the point-of-sale ledger that counts stock down as it sells, the count-and-reconcile tool that turns a count into shrink and turns, the replenishment tool that works pars and reorders, and the multi-store or multi-entity layer that works the transfers between stores and the consolidation between companies. This page sorts them that way, and the free sheets on this site do the last three jobs from the owner's own figures, with no account.
The ledger, the count, the reorder
The point of sale keeps the running ledger and is the thing the stock reconciles against; the multi-store point-of-sale guide on this site says what it has to carry per store. The count-and-reconcile job is the convenience store count sheet and the c-store inventory turnover sheet: shrink, turns, days on hand and gross margin return on inventory. The reorder job is the liquor store par sheet: the par and the cases to order. Each is free on this site.
The multi-store and multi-entity layer
The job the general products leave out is the arithmetic between stores and between companies: the transfer that levels two stores' cover and the reorder after it, and the consolidation with the intercompany sales eliminated and the minority share split out. The multi-store stock transfer sheet and the multi-entity consolidation schedule on this site are that layer, free, and the paid plan keeps the stores, the entities and the transfers against each other.
Choosing by the job, not the label
A small chain needs the count, the reorder and the between-stores layer; it already has the ledger in its point of sale. Software sold as enterprise, ERP or warehouse management does the ledger job at a scale the chain does not have and prices it accordingly. Take the sheets on this site to any demo as the specification: a product that computes the same figures from its own record is a candidate, whatever its label.
Questions people ask about types of inventory management software
What types of inventory management software are there?
By the job: the point-of-sale ledger, the count-and-reconcile tool, the replenishment tool and the multi-store or multi-entity layer. The free sheets on this site do the last three from the owner's own figures.
Which type does a small chain need?
The count, the reorder and the between-stores arithmetic; the ledger is already in the point of sale. The sheets on this site are those three, and the paid plan keeps their record per store.
Is Rollupvo an ERP?
No. It is the record and the arithmetic between stores and entities at one flat price; it runs no register and publishes no accounting rule.