Do You Need a Warehouse Management System?

A warehouse management system is probably a good idea for anyone who sells more than a few products on more than a few channels. Consumers today are spoiled. They have been catered to so well that they have grown to expect a great deal from online sellers. People are no longer impressed by two-day shipping because almost everyone offers it. In fact, if you don’t, they tend to get upset. This means that even small online stores need to step up their eCommerce logistics game to provide fulfilment that can meet customer demands. This often means streamlined operations, which is what a warehouse management system provides.

To make matters worse, warehouses across the globe are getting bigger. This is because eCommerce keeps getting more popular. This means that locating stock inside a warehouse becomes more difficult. If you sell or fulfil exclusively through a large marketplace, you’re probably covered. Amazon warehousing, for example, uses warehouse management software that keeps everything organized. They have to so that they can offer same day shipment. If you maintain your own large quantities of stock, however, you may need warehouse software to keep track of a variety of items.

A warehouse management system is a piece of software that streamlines storage and distribution. The software design itself aims to optimise the entire process to support fast and accurate fulfilment. With this kind of automated technology, retailers can let go of a lot of manual planning and controlling and may even be able to streamline staffing as well. WMD software basically helps you make the best use of whatever available resources you have across the supply chain. In a nutshell, WMS software is your window into all the moving parts of your warehousing and distribution operations.

WMS Software Benefits

Your warehouse management system should offer you the benefits of easier returns, logistics, integrations, and data management, at the very least.

eCommerce businesses generally deal with a high number of product returns. Instead of creating a bunch of additional work for your team, warehouse management software can log returns back into the system seamlessly. It may not be fully automated, but it takes care of most of the time-consuming manual tasks. Logistics is almost fully automated with WMS software because you can program in all the workflows.

If you use other software, you want a warehouse management system that works well with what you already have in place so you don’t have to do any unnecessary manual input work. This includes inventory tools like radio-frequency identification (RFID) tagging and barcode systems.

Reporting and forecasting is also super easy with almost any warehouse management system. Everything is logged in so you can see sell-by dates, low stock, supplier lead times, etc. It monitors inventory levels, tracks order entry, and the like, all in real time so you always know what’s moving.

WMS Software Components

The key features of a warehouse management system include:

• warehouse design systems for highly efficient workflows
• workforce management for efficient labor allocation and performance monitoring
• organisation for picking and packing methods and areas.
• labelling and advanced shipping management to remain compliant with marketplace rules and customer expectations
• streamlined incoming inventory management, including quality control
• organised yard and dock management to avoid confusion in delivery locations

You might also want to have access to additional features. If you run a medium to large business, being able to scale with your enterprise resource planning system is a big help. Advanced reporting capabilities are also very useful if you want detailed analytics for all your processes. For your convenience, a mobile-friendly dashboard can extend your freedom and keep you in control, even if you’re on vacation. These options are there for you to choose from, depending on what’s most important to you.

Standalone WMS

Standalone WMS software normally lives on a business’s own network, and usually in the warehouse itself. This system is very basic, offering warehouse management features only. This includes barcode scanning, expiration date tracking, cycle counting, order picking and packing, receiving, shipping, and cross-docking. This gives you full control of your inventory.

Because it offers the bare minimum, this is the most affordable warehouse management system available. Do not expect to have any integrated software capabilities or additional supply chain functions with this tool. You can, however, use other solutions alongside them. As is, it can work very well for small or mid-sized businesses who have limited budgets or simply need help with inventory management.

Enterprise Resource Planning

You can easily and quickly improve your eCommerce logistics with a pairing up of a warehouse management system and another robust tool like enterprise resource planning software. If you can afford to upgrade your software on this larger scale, the combination can help you achieve a greater competitive advantage and improve your ROI.

Enterprise resource planning tools help businesses manage resources by giving them an overview of what’s available and how it’s being used. This software allows you to take a look at all your running software applications so you can streamline operations. With certain types, you get built-in WMS software. Then you can view warehousing systems alongside sales and marketing, human resources, finance and accounting, and customer relationship management. Centralising logistics by using a single piece of software means even more time and energy savings in the long run.

Supply Chain Management

A supply chain management tools gives you many more capabilities than either an integrated or standalone warehouse management system. It focuses on supply chain management, of course, but usually includes warehouse management features. You will want this if your needs revolve around more easily managing multiple aspects of the supply chain. With this tool, you can look into warehouse operations, much like with standalone WMS software. What’s different is that you also get full supply chain management functions.

This tool is your best bet if what you need is supply chain automation. This includes inventory monitoring, product sourcing and cycles, supplier relationship management, and the like. Supply chain management software is costly because of its added features and scalability. Before you dive in, make sure you can afford the installation and maintenance costs and that it integrates with any existing SaaS solution and other existing systems.