As e-commerce footprint increases, integrating warehouse management software for small businesses is becoming more important than ever.
WMS is an online tool that enables businesses to efficiently manage inventory, order fulfilment, packing and shipping, staffing, and more.
It is also essential that you choose a warehouse management system that is the most viable fit for your needs. Our analysts have identified these four solutions as the best WMS for small businesses.
Let's dive in.
Oracle NetSuite
Key Features:
1. Mobile receiving and defined putaway strategies to ensure that items are stored in a way that best utilizes warehouse space
2. Wave release and intelligent pick-and-pack strategies for both single- and multi-order picking
3. Mobile warehouse management to manage receiving, putaway, picking and packing directly from a mobile device
4. Mobile picking functionality to reduce the overhead of managing bins across warehouse locations
5. Cycle counting solution to automate inventory counts without freezing transactions in the entire location
Benefits:
1. Real-time tracking of inventory movement and stock levels
2. Accurate capturing of item, lot and serial numbers as goods are received
3. Optimized space utilization in warehouses
4. Increased labour productivity using mobile warehouse management
5. Higher customer satisfaction with improved order fill rates and accuracy
SAP Extended Warehouse Management (EWM)
Key Features:
1. Inbound processing and management: receiving, preparation and putaway planning, storage, and loading
2. Direct storage and internal processing: labour management, kit-to-stock, kit-to-order, repackaging, labelling, and more
3. Outbound warehouse processes: wave planning, RF and voice-based picking, packing and staging, loading, etc.
4. Built-in material flow system technology, warehouse analytics and monitoring
Benefits:
1. Optimization of warehouse operating costs, including inventory and labour
2. Enhanced customer service with better flexibility and scalability
3. Improved productivity and accuracy
4. Transparency across stock, processes, labour, and warehouse automation
5. Enhanced compliance for international trade and sustainability
6. Make your warehouse more risk-resilient and flexible
Zoho Inventory
Key Features:
1. Manage multiple warehouses at multiple locations, dispatch and track orders, and generate reports
2. Inventory control features to monitor stock levels, track product expiries, and determine reorder points from chosen suppliers
3. Multi-channel selling and trading in multiple currencies
4. Auto-generated packing slips, shipping labels, real-time rates, and post-shipment updates to support the order fulfilment process
5. Generate purchase and sales reports to get insights on products, payments, customers and stock details to make well-informed decisions
Benefits:
1. First In, First Out (FIFO) tracking to value stock and automatically clear old stock
2. Common dashboard to view sales orders and orders that are invoiced, pending, packaged, and delivered
3. Set up customer accounts and integrate them with payment accounts to facilitate online payments
4. Manage transportation costs by dispatching orders from the nearest warehouse
5. Serial number tracking (label items in inventory) to manage inventory from purchase to sale
Microsoft D365 Supply Chain Management
Key Features:
1. Automated warehouse management processes and intelligent fulfilment
2. Planning, forecasting, and stock management features to eliminate stockouts and optimize stock placement
3. Insights and automation to streamline procurement and sourcing
4. Manufacturing and shop floor management features to enhance the visibility of the production floor and simplify production accounting
5. Intelligent order management and centralized pricing with real-time data
6. Proactive or predictive asset management and equipment maintenance
Benefits:
1. Streamline warehouse operations, improve service levels, and ensure maximum on-time and in full deliveries
2. Improve shop-floor efficiency and unify data to create intelligent warehousing and manufacturing processes
3. Optimize asset utilization and increase overall equipment effectiveness
4. Reduce ramp-up time for new workers and minimize travel time within the warehouse
5. Meet growing e-commerce needs with a resilient and predictive supply chain
Warehouse Management Software Comparison Table
Choosing The Right Warehouse Management Software
As customer demands continue to rise, more businesses are switching to digital supply chains. This means that warehouse and logistics managers must know how to select a warehouse management system to help their business thrive.
If you want to get the most out of your investment, you need to choose the right WMS system.
Here are a few tips for choosing a WMS system to give you the best return on investment and improve your business operations.
1. Identify your challenges and requirements: Understand and analyze your existing business applications, including any WMS module. Find out what you expect precisely from a WMS vendor.
2. Functions: The WMS should be able to manage the maximum number of warehousing operations with minimum need for human intervention.
3. Calculate ROI: Set a budget for the WMS. When choosing a supplier, focus on the functional must-haves instead of nice-to-have features.
4. Ease of use: Find out if the WMS can be set up within less time if the stakeholders can easily adapt to it, and whether your employees can start using it quickly without undergoing any exhaustive training.
5. Size of the warehouse: Consider the future growth and expansion of your warehouse facilities and connectivity requirements when choosing a WMS. Factor in the ability of the WMS to scale up based on your growing needs.
6. Inventory management: If your inventory data is inaccurate and not updated in real-time, your customer service abilities will suffer. Choose a WMS solution that helps in making your inventory more manageable.
7. Evaluate and shortlist potential vendors: Compare the features, benefits, terms & conditions, and pricing of each WMS vendor, analyze their market reputation and understand how they have solved the challenges of other customers. Try to learn more about each vendor so you can shortlist three to five WMS suppliers.
8. Ask for more information: Prepare a short request for information (RFI) document and send a copy to all the shortlisted vendors. Describe in broad terms what you want to achieve with the WMS. Ask the vendor for budget costs, implementation time frames, and anything you want to know about the vendor and their solution.
9. Cost of the WMS: Decide how much money you can spend without compromising WMS quality. Find a balance between the functions needed and the cost involved before finalizing the right WMS.
10. Make your final choice: Choose the most appropriate WMS supplier for your warehouse. Utilize a decision matrix, considering the various criteria you have evaluated before finalizing your choice.
Final Words
If your distribution or fulfilment centre is growing and you need warehouse management software to bolster the growth, it may be time to invest in a WMS system.
At Cargoz, we are happy to discuss your current operations and show you how we can assist you in enhancing your business model.
Give us a call, and let us talk to you about how we can make your job easier – all the while boosting your customer satisfaction.