Dare you let your software manage your purchasing?

Mark Steggall, Head of Product Management at Kerridge Commercial Systems (KCS), explains the benefits of using a computer system with a flexible, integrated forecasting and purchasing module.

Having just enough stock to meet customer demand is a challenge many companies feel can’t be met without human intervention. Today, fortunately, there are flexible ERP systems that can be configured to forecast and purchase automatically in the way you like to do it – but with options to interfere when you need to!

An integrated system will already know your stock levels, and will apply mathematical calculations based on your historical sales data, seasonality, suppliers’ minimum order values, lead times and the space you have available.

• Record ‘dates of demand’ as well as dates of sale to help prevent lost sales in the future

• Record other types of lost sale, such as those down to price

• Distinguish between stock being ordered for the shelf and stock scheduled for immediate delivery

• Let you park purchase orders for your review and amend if required

• Generate internal as well as external purchase orders

• Manage high value products on a supplier inventory basis

If you choose a system that allows you to define as many forecasting methods as you want – and to tweak them when you need to, you’ll always be ready to meet the demand for changes in fashion, spells of extreme weather or a product promotion.

Our fully integrated trading and business management solutions are already used widely in the merchant industry. Our software combines a suite of integrated modules including; sales order processing, finance, stock control, business intelligence, rebate management, electronic proof of delivery and a highly flexible forecasting and purchasing module.