Mobile Applications for Inventory Management: Selection Criteria

The market for mobile applications for inventory management is booming.

Unfortunately, as the supply for these applications increases, not many are being developed with small and medium sized businesses in mind. There are few mobile applications that are responsive to their needs and budget and amongst these options, it is important to learn how to identify the best one for you.

Here is a list of the criteria to follow to find the right application if you are a small business with inventory to manage.

1-Time of the transmission of data
In terms of inventory management, not all of the mobile applications out on the market offer optimum speed of data transmission. However, more than in any other division, storage requires a minimized transmission time. Ideally, you should opt for an application that has a transmission time of 850 milliseconds.

2-Type of technology used
A number of products appear to use the latest technology when in reality they are not. Before making your decision, check with an IT expert on mobile applications for the ones that use the most advanced technologies.

3-Ease of use
The introduction of an inventory management mobile application to a company should not take too long. The right system is one whose features are simple enough to be mastered by any employee requiring minimal training, which can therefore reduce costs.

4-Warehouse Management & multiple locations
Companies with large distribution networks require tools for managing warehouses and branches often spread over large areas. To ensure effective management of their inventories, they need portable applications that provide multi-location and multi-warehouse management.

5-Inventory Verification
Mobile applications must be able to check inventory by location, stock unit (SKU) and lot. They must also ensure that the verification of inventory data is accessible from various locations without delay. It is essential that your mobile application have these inventory verification features.

6-Reduced Operating Costs
One of the most basic qualities of an inventory management mobile application is that it should reduce your operating costs. Consider another option if employees are still required to enter data manually, as delays will ensue and costs will increase. The mobile application should increase productivity and efficiency.

7-Customer Service
The most efficient mobile applications for inventory management help to improve the quality of customer service due to the fact they reduce shipping times. Comparing all the different options out on the market can help you find the ones with the best shipping times.

8-Traffic inventory
The most appropriate mobile applications are those that promote an accelerated flow of inventory. It is essential to look for mobile applications that guarantee to move inventory quickly and efficiently. You want to avoid large amounts of inventory items stored in your warehouse as this creates inefficiencies and insufficient use of storage space.

9-Flexibility
The best mobile applications used in inventory management are those that can adapt to changes in the rules and the business needs of an industry or sector.
If the application you have in mind cannot be updated, you’ll need to eventually replace it with a more up-to-date one, wasting more time and money.

10-Access to data from a mobile phone
With the widespread use of cell phones over the years, the new phenomenon is now the use of ‘portable’ applications in inventory management. These allow any employee at any time to access their inventory data via a mobile phone. Any application that provides access from a cellphone should hold your attention when looking at your options.

So, what’s the best choice? WIMS 2.0

WIMS 2.0 was developed by our Namtek team to meet the specific needs of SMEs that manage warehouses. Bringing together all the features and capabilities as mentioned in the list above, we have ensured that this mobile application is exactly what businesses need and want. It guarantees accurate data in real time, quick integration with your current system as well as any other information and ERP system of a business.
Our newest and improved version 2.0 brings with it many more features.

So why not choose this option?