One stock file for the shop and the website. Is that realistic?

One stock file for the shop and the website. Is that realistic?Yes, and it should be the only arrangement any retailer accepts.

The trap is running two businesses. Stock managed in the shop, stock managed again online, and the two drifting apart. Something sells overnight and the shelf does not know. A price rises in store and the website quietly keeps the old one. Descriptions and images are maintained twice, so eventually they are maintained once and the website goes stale.

Our bTower Systems software for produce / stockfeed / farm supply businesses integrates with Shopify, WooCommerce and BigCommerce. Product descriptions, pricing and images synchronise from the software to the site. Online sales flow back in, so inventory stays precise and the sale sits in the same reporting as everything else.

The important word is direction. The Tower Systems software for produce / stockfeed / farm supply businesses is the single source of truth and the website reflects it. One place to maintain, one stock file, one set of numbers at the end of the month.

For produce and farm supply businesses there are some specific opportunities here.

Bagged feed, animal health and pet lines travel well online with local pickup. Nothing needs to be shipped by the tonne for a website to earn its place.

Account customers can order online against their account rather than by phone, which takes work off the counter without losing the relationship.

And the best customers often want a repeat order to be two clicks, not a conversation.

One caution. A website is a channel, not a strategy. Untidy stock data becomes visible to the world once there is an online store. Getting the stock file right comes first, and it also happens to be the thing that makes everything else in the business work.

Let’s see if we can help you here. Explain your businesses in fully – physical retail, and online – and we will let you know what we can help with.l If, based on your needs, we think we may not be a good fit, we will say so, for sure.

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Contact us: sales@towersystems.com.au or 1300 662 957 or research us: www.towersystems.com.au. Locally made. Locally supported.