--- layout: default_v3 language: default permalink: i18n_link: 4350 updated: 2026-02-11 #--- article key-values ---# collection: default_articles category: restaurant-operations tags: point of sale and technology, plum pos, inventory tracking system, ITS type: article page_id: 4350 hreflang_id: 4350 date_published: 2021-10-20 date_modified: 2026-02-11 #--- javascript schema ---# javascript_schema: - script: jquery_3_2_0_min - script: bootstrap_min - script: article_infinite_scroll - script: article_mix_infinitescroll - script: article_mix - script: article_mix_faq - script: article_mix_toc #--- section schema ---# section_schema: - section: nav-main_menu - section: nav_submenu_iconview_v2 - section: article_body_v2 - section: footer - section: schedule_demo_cta #--- page key-values ---# meta_tags: t_meta_title: How to Create a Simple Inventory Tracking System That Works t_meta_description: Inventory tracking can seem complicated, but it doesn't have to be. In this post, I'll show you how to create a simple inventory tracking system that actually works. t_meta_abstract: Inventory tracking can seem complicated, but it doesn't have to be. In this post, I'll show you how to create a simple inventory tracking system that actually works. i_meta_image: og_how-to-create-a-simple-inventory-tracking-system-that-works.png article_body: json-ld_article: v_date_published: 2021-10-20 v_date_modified: 2026-02-11 author: p_author_id: 171 t_author: Sanminder Kaur p_author_url: sanminder-kaur.html i_author: 171.png t_author_description: Sanminder Is A Professional Writer With A Diverse Experience And Versatile Writing Style. She Has Been In The Media Industry For Over 9 Years And Has Worked For News, Lifestyle, Technology, Travel, Publications Etc. Her Interest In Fitness And Travel Takes Her To Different Places Around The Country And Some Day She Aims To Compile Her Travel Experiences Into A Digital Blog Or A Book. One Of Her Favourite Quotes Is- 'You Are What You Do, Not What You Say You'll Do'. p_author_facebook: p_author_twitter: https://twitter.com/ p_author_linkedin: p_author_instagram: podcast_section: v_links: podcast_links: - t_title: Iheart Radio v_url: i_icon: iheart_radio_icon.png - t_title: Amazon Music v_url: i_icon: amazon_music_icon.png - t_title: Youtube Music v_url: i_icon: youtube_music_icon.png - t_title: Spotify v_url: i_icon: spotify_icon.png feature_snippet: p_type: text t_title: What is an Inventory Tracking System? t_description: An inventory tracking system is a system you use to keep track of your inventory, both what you have in stock and what you need to order. If you've never created an inventory tracking system, don't worry. It's easier than it sounds. content: heading: t_title: How to Create a Simple Inventory Tracking System That Works t_description: Inventory tracking can seem complicated, but it doesn't have to be. In this post, I'll show you how to create a simple inventory tracking system that actually works. image: i_image: how-to-create-a-simple-inventory-tracking-system-that-works-1634753928-2041.png t_image_description: v_image_attribution: v_image_license: v_video: paragraphs: - t_headline: What is an Inventory Tracking System? t_text: Inventory management is an important business function. You need to know what you have, what you need, and what you don't need. This is where an inventory management system comes in. An inventory tracking system is a system for tracking inventory items.

There are many types of inventory tracking systems. Some systems keep track of inventory by location, while others keep track of inventory by the vendor. You can use an inventory tracking system to track inventory in your restaurantusing restaurant management software.

p_headline_type: h2 image: i_image: t_description: v_attribution: v_license: callout_text: - t_headline: Why is an Inventory Tracking System Important? t_text: You've probably had a few moments of panic when you couldn't find something you need, whether it's a screwdriver, a computer cable, or an important letter. It's difficult to keep track of all your inventory. You might have some items that you don't want to keep on hand for various reasons, and this makes it even more difficult to remember where you put what. That's why it's important to have an inventory tracking system. An Inventory Control system will help you remember where you put what and allow you to track what you have on hand.

An inventory tracking system is a necessary part of running a business. Inventory tracking systems or management software are a great way to keep track of your inventory levels. With a system, you can tell what you have, where it is, and what you need. Without a system, you may not know what to order or how much to order. You may also lose track of what you have and eventually run out of inventory completely. An effective inventory system can be as simple as a spreadsheet and as complex as a computerized inventory system. Irrespective of the method you choose, to keep track of the inventory across several outlets efficiently you might need to follow a few steps listed below.
p_headline_type: h2 image: i_image: t_description: v_attribution: v_license: video: v_video: sl5zEPRkp0U v_video_language: en t_name: What Is Inventory Management? - Whiteboard Wednesday t_description: Get Your Free Inventory Management Guide- //www.fishbowlinventory.com/inventory-management-guide/. What is inventory management? It could quite possibly be the most important aspect of any business because it affects every area of operations from sales to accounting to management to customer service.Fishbowl CMO Kirk Tanner takes the enormous concept of inventory management and explains how it all works, including the receiving, shipping, accounting, and distribution processes. As a bonus, he compares a manual inventory management system and an automated inventory management system to see what the pros and cons of each are.Fishbowl's Whiteboard Wednesday covers complicated inventory management topics in fairly simple terms that fit on a whiteboard. Fishbowl Inventory is the most requested inventory management solution for QuickBooks users. v_url: //youtu.be/sl5zEPRkp0U i_thumbnail: //i.ytimg.com/vi/sl5zEPRkp0U/default.jpg i_thumbnail_1x1: //i.ytimg.com/vi/sl5zEPRkp0U/default.jpg i_thumbnail_4x3: //i.ytimg.com/vi/sl5zEPRkp0U/mqdefault.jpg i_thumbnail_16x9: //i.ytimg.com/vi/sl5zEPRkp0U/sddefault.jpg v_upload_date: 10-16-2013 v_length_minutes: 3 v_length_seconds: 49 v_view_count: 362096 callout_text: - t_title: Why an inventory management is important? t_text: 1. It helps track the stock you have

2. It allows you to easily locate products for purchase and shipment
3. Re-ordering becomes simple and convenient
call_to_action: p_type: signup t_title: Managing inventory is a pain, especially when you have a lot of products. t_text: Inventory management systems are expensive and time-consuming to set up. t_button_text: Schedule a demo p_button_url: p_button_color: ff7a59 v_form_id: 138 v_product: plum-pos background: type: image i_image: https://wp.altametrics.com/assets/images/cta/24-Download_Your_Free_E-book!_copy.png p_video: p_color: - t_headline: 1. Organize Your Locations t_text: Organization is very essential in an inventory management system, both for a small business and a large one. First, decide on a workable plan to organize your products and then start with labeling your items. Labeling becomes one of the important management features because without mentioning the name and location of your product you won't be able to track it.

Label each and every place in your store or warehouse, every aisle, row, column, and shelf. You may want to use the alphabet or numeric or a combination of both to understand which the exact location is. For example, if your store has five aisles with 10 shelves in each and each shelf has 5 columns, then you may use alphabets to label the aisles from A to E, numbers to label the shelves from 1 to 10, and again alphabets to label the shelves from A to E. This way you will have an exact location for each purchase order or product.

Plus, having sequential labeling will be easy for any new staff member to adapt to as well.
The next step after labeling is creating physical labels to highlight and distinguish each storage space. The offline organization makes the online organization much easier to follow.
p_headline_type: h3 image: i_image: 1-organize-your-locations-1634753928-2153.png t_description: //pixabay.com/photos/port-pier-cargo-containers-crate-1845350/ v_attribution: //pixabay.com/photos/port-pier-cargo-containers-crate-1845350/ v_license: Creative Commons Zero callout_text: - t_headline: 2. Describe Your Items t_text: Once your labeling system is completely ready you would have to come up with a labeling system for your products as well. Now if you deal with selling products to the customers then you surely have a lot of products in number as well as in their variety. It may sound time consuming but is not.

In order to identify the products individually, make sure of accurate inventory and that each description is unique to the item of sale. Separate your item labels based on their size, color, and type. To identify the products easily and to remember the labels without worrying you may want to match the labels with the descriptions mentioned on the product itself. This is a way of simple supply chain management in your business.

By following such a system your staff will also be able to track the products without much confusion. For instance, if your warehouse management stock contains Mom's Magic Peanut Cookies, then you can have codes for the brand name, the product type and the flavor too. This product can be labeled as MMPC1.
p_headline_type: h3 image: i_image: 2-describe-your-items-1634753928-8996.png t_description: //pixabay.com/photos/supermarket-shopping-sales-store-435452/ v_attribution: //pixabay.com/photos/supermarket-shopping-sales-store-435452/ v_license: Creative Commons Zero callout_text: - t_headline: 3. Number Your Items t_text: There's one more way of tracking your products easily. Just number all the items present in your stock. This method is slightly faster and narrows your product search significantly. You can easily distinguish the size, color, and other product details.

If you run a store with your own product line, then this number management system will make Inventory Management far easier. You can simply continue with a similar kind of labeling process to avoid any confusion and to get rid of the hassle of coming up with new label types. When creating a number system for your labels it is highly important to have a crystal clear guide to make available for anyone who handles the inventory management system. This way you can save the time inventory training takes up for all the staff members when taking orders or tracking shipment.
p_headline_type: h3 image: i_image: t_description: v_attribution: v_license: callout_text: - t_title: Steps to create an inventory management system t_text: 1. Organize your locations

2. Describe your items
3. Number your items
4. Measurements matter
5. Count your stock levels
call_to_action: p_type: signup t_title: If you run a business, chances are you need to keep track of your inventory. t_text: It’s hard to find an inventory management system that is easy to use and doesn’t cost a lot of money. t_button_text: Schedule a demo p_button_url: p_button_color: ff7a59 v_form_id: 138 v_product: plum-pos background: type: image i_image: https://wp.altametrics.com/assets/images/cta/24-Download_Your_Free_E-book!_copy.png p_video: p_color: - t_headline: 4. Measurements Matter t_text: Labeling and defining the measurements of all the products you have in your stock is important. The measurements may change depending on the kind of product you're shipping and the way it is packed. You may have a number system to label the measurements of the products but still you will need a numbering system for the containers in which the items have been stacked. An example, if you are packing 200 ml bottles of a product in a container then don't forget to mention how many of them you put in a box.
p_headline_type: h3 image: i_image: 4-measurements-matter-1634753928-4872.png t_description: //pixabay.com/photos/high-level-rack-warehouse-range-408222/ v_attribution: //pixabay.com/photos/high-level-rack-warehouse-range-408222/ v_license: Creative Commons Zero callout_text: - t_headline: 5. Count Your Stock Levels t_text: Once done with the organization and the labeling process, next comes the task of creating a system of keeping a count of your stock levels too. This last and final step completes your inventory management tracking system. You must follow all these steps once more to keep a detailed account on a spreadsheet or any management software for barcode scanning or keeping a real time track of your products. Put a count for all the items you enter in your data system and verify them closely. This makes your system workable and accurate right from the beginning leaving no room for human error at all. You will also be able to manage the Inventory Forecasting well with this system.

After you finish with these steps, you will realize how much the time spent with tracking methods saves so much more for business owners in future. Most Pos Systems like Plum POS come with best inventory management tools as an included feature while others provide this as an add-on. Some point sale systems also offer free trials of their software.
p_headline_type: h3 image: i_image: 5-count-your-stock-levels-1634753929-9998.png t_description: //pixabay.com/photos/calculator-hand-calculate-to-count-428294/ v_attribution: //pixabay.com/photos/calculator-hand-calculate-to-count-428294/ v_license: Creative Commons Zero callout_text: call_to_action: p_type: signup t_title: Inventory tracking can be complicated. t_text: There are so many different ways to go about it, and no one seems to agree on the best way. t_button_text: Schedule a demo p_button_url: https://altametrics.com/schedule-demo.html?utm_source=plumpos.com%2F.html&utm_medium=cta&utm_campaign=Inventory+tracking+can+be+complicated.&utm_term=inventory+tracking+system&utm_article=18281 p_button_color: ff7a59 v_form_id: 138 v_product: plum-pos background: type: image i_image: https://wp.altametrics.com/assets/images/cta/24-Download_Your_Free_E-book!_copy.png p_video: p_color: event_body: json-ld_event: t_name: Employee Scheduling for Restaurant Managers t_description: Attendees will learn how create excellent schedules. The class teaches managers how to estimate the number of employees they need to staff their locations; how to accurately forecast their customer demand; how to quickly and accuaratly write and communicate schedules to employees; and how to evaluate the accuracy and optimization of their schedules to make adjustments. v_start_date: 2022-08-08 i_image: p_location_name: Altametrics Online Webinar Course p_address: webinar.altametrics.com?site=altametrics v_price: 10.00 t_offer_description: Priority Registration v_registration_url: webinar.altametrics.com?site=altametrics faq: t_faq_title: Frequently Asked Questions faq_ask: - t_question: How do I keep track of my inventory? t_answer: In order to know what to buy, you first need to know what you have on hand. It's not enough to make a list of what you need. You also need to know what you have and what you've sold. With that information, you can plan your purchases and not buy more than you need. - t_question: What is the best software to track inventory? t_answer: Inventory management can be a nightmare for any small business owner. Thankfully, there are apps that make it easier than ever to keep track of your inventory. There are a lot of great inventory tracking apps out there so you can choose what works the best for you. Plum POS is a POS system that offers inventory management as an inclusive feature along with many other task unburdening add-ons. - t_question: What is the easiest way to track inventory? t_answer: Tracking inventory is essential for any successful business. When you have inventory tracking software, you can monitor your inventory levels, manage your supply chain, and maximize your profits. It can be done using many steps like labeling, number system and using designated apps and softwares. - t_question: How does inventory tracking software work? t_answer: Inventory tracking software has many benefits. It can help companies save time, money, and increase profits. But how does it work? It depends on the software you use. Some track inventory by barcode while others by serial number. ---