Best Shopify Inventory Management Apps to Accelerate Growth

In the ever-evolving world of e-commerce, having a Shopify store is just the beginning. To truly accelerate growth and stay ahead of the competition, efficient inventory management is crucial. With countless options available, selecting the right app to streamline your operations can be overwhelming. That’s why we’ve done the legwork for you. In this article, we’ll explore the best Shopify inventory management apps designed to help you optimize your store, reduce errors, and ultimately drive your business to new heights.

Whether you’re a small business owner or a seasoned e-commerce veteran, these tools will empower you to manage your inventory like a pro and unlock the full potential of your Shopify store.

So, let’s dive in and discover the apps that will take your business to the next level.

Ready to save time by automating inventory updates? Install MESA to add workflows that reduce the everyday tasks of running your Shopify store.

What is Inventory Management?

Inventory management is a process for obtaining, keeping, and selling inventory—both raw materials and finished goods.

When it comes to a company’s inventory, you must have correct inventory data.

It’s better to have no inventory data than to have it be inaccurate.

It’s critical to know the correct amount of goods, at the right time, in the right location, and at the right cost. Many aspects of a company’s supply chain have to be managed, and inventory is one of them.

For example, Max wants to start a table-making business. He needs different sizes of wood for each table he builds. A ten-pack of each size he needs is purchased from his supplier. All of this is now part of his company’s inventory management tool. Max’s inventory levels will change as he transforms raw materials into tables and sells them.

All of this is inventory management.

Inventory management means keeping track of what is being shipped out, returned, and what is how much stock you currently have on hand.

Every Shopify online business relies on effective inventory management to keep its Shopify store stocked with the right products at the right time. However, as the business grows, inventory management becomes more difficult. The best inventory management apps connect every supplier that is part of your supply chain to your multiple sales channels so the order data all flows well.

As a result, successful inventory management strategies strikes a careful balance between having too little and too much inventory.

Why is inventory management important to merchants?

The old-school, pen-and-paper technique becomes obsolete quickly. As a result, it increases the risk of human error which are costly mistakes. This works for simple brands selling single products from a single location. But, that’s it.

Growing businesses on Shopify need to use inventory management techniques to help keep track of goods. A robust inventory management system offers features like stock notifications, automatic purchase orders, year-end inventory records, inventory flow reports, user permissions, and more fulfillment performance metrics.

Ideally, you get control and visibility into inventory movement from suppliers across multiple locations to customers and everywhere in between. There should not be any black-box moments where you don’t know what is going on. If you can’t provide a status update to your customer if they ever have a question, it will eventually become a problem you’ll need to solve.

The best Shopify inventory management software syncs data in real-time when things are received, sold, returned, or exchanged on your Shopify store or in a physical store. As a result, you get a clear inventory picture at all times.

Inventory management has many benefits, such as:

Decreases inventory costs

It’s easy to determine demand forecasting if you know the number of goods on hand and how much you need. Simply, this reduces storage and transportation expenses.

Minimize out-of-stocks

Don’t upset shoppers or miss out on sales by running out of stock. Shopify inventory management systems help determine how many goods are needed without going over or under the “just right” amount. Respond quickly to sales and stock information by restocking, shifting products from another location, or drop-shipping to the consumer.

Limit spoilage and obsolescence

Don’t let products expire or become outdated. Cosmetics and food items, which have a relatively short shelf life, are examples of perishables. Proper inventory management helps mitigate loss from products sitting on shelves too long and reaching a sell-by date. Keep everyone aware of what products need to move and when.

Improves order fulfillment

Monitor accurate inventory counts across sales channels such as retail locations, websites, and third-party merchants. As a result, customers get their orders faster.

Increase productivity

As sales increase, Shopify inventory management improves the efficiency of your systems. Order fulfillment runs more smoothly, reducing mistakes, consumer complaints, and staff stress.

Reduce shrinkage

Inventory turnover due to theft, product damage, vendor errors or fraud, staff theft, and administrative blunders is known as shrinkage. Subsequently, better retail inventory control can cut shrinkage in half.

Increase customer satisfaction

Specifically, faster delivery times and fewer product out-of-stocks lead to increased customer satisfaction.

Accurate demand forecasting

Look at past sales performance and existing inventories to predict future sales, growth, and capital requirements. Budgeting for marketing campaigns, product development, and staff are all guided by these projections being accurate.

The Best Shopify Inventory management apps

With the correct Shopify inventory management apps, you can manage sales channels and make precise predictions about supply and demand. Additionally, track inventory management details and plan for seasonal shifts in the market and across your supply chain.

Let’s take a closer look at a few of them.

1. QuickBooks Commerce

Shopify Inventory Management App - Quickbooks Commerce

QuickBooks Commerce gives a single source of truth for all your Shopify inventory management needs. Keep track of sold items, manage customer data, estimate future sales, and sync orders across all sales channels.

Shopify inventory management options allow you to keep tabs on your stock levels and avoid running out of products. When you use QuickBooks Commerce, your stock levels are automatically updated, and purchases across numerous locations and warehouses are tracked.

Additionally, QuickBooks Commerce will make it easier to maintain the stock level of warehouse space for your ecommerce business. As a result, you can move goods between warehouses and send or receive orders to specific warehouses.

Lastly, QuickBooks Commerce is also ideal for wholesale businesses. Accept batch order processing, and provide customers with quotations or invoices via email. You can even create your own self-service ordering system.

Pricing: Plans start at $15/mo.

2. SKUSavvy

skusavvy interface

SKUSavvy is a comprehensive warehouse management system designed specifically for direct-to-consumer (DTC) brands on Shopify. With its user-friendly visual map of your warehouse, SKUSavvy streamlines your inventory control, put-away, picking, and cycle counts to increase efficiency and save you time.

When you connect Shopify to SKUSavvy, you can easily manage your entire inventory and order fulfillment process from a single platform. This includes all your locations, products, vendors, inventory, orders, and customers. SKUSavvy’s dual sync for orders enables real-time updates and cancellations, as well as order status & shipping updates for your customers. With enhanced order fulfillment features like split order fulfillment, back orders, returns management, and all-in-one shipping across your carriers, you won’t need any other apps for your entire inventory and fulfillment process.

One of the biggest advantages of SKUSavvy is its modern interface, which makes it easy to get up and running quickly. Additionally, SKUSavvy provides all core inventory management best practices, including barcoding, bin labeling, lots and expiration dates, units of measure, kitting, cycle counting, automated bin replenishment, and cross-docking.

For companies looking to make their own platform integrations or customized workflows, SKUSavvy provides a full open GraphQL API. This makes it easy to build connections, produce reports, and enhance capabilities through any means possible.

Pricing: Free up to 50 orders, and then just $0.19 – $0.04 per order thereafter

3. Skubana

Inventory Management App - Skubana

Skubana is a back-end inventory management solution for synchronizing data on orders, fulfillments, cost, and profitability reporting.

Get profit forecasts based on product sales velocity and trends. Stop second-guessing if the information you’re working with is correct and maintain optimal inventory levels.

Alternatively, narrow your focus to certain sales channels, product, or listing to see how it is performing. Discover the best and worst-selling products. Or, predict when you’ll run out of stock for a product.

The best part, Skubana is a Shopify inventory management system built by sellers, for sellers. You’ll find everything you need to monitor your company’s success in one place. Incoming stock, fulfillment performance data, and low-stock levels are available through the Skubana dashboard.

Additionally, Skubana’s customer service is excellent. Their customer service department is set up so that you’ll have a single point of contact for all of your inquiries.

Pricing: Starts at $1000 for up to 1000 orders per month.

4. Sellbrite

Shopify Inventory Management App - Sellbrite

Sellbrite is a robust Shopify inventory management app that integrates into the checkout process of online marketplaces such as Etsy, Amazon, and eBay. People that use Shopify get assistance from Sellbrite to sell items on some of the top online marketplaces in the world.

Businesses get a centralized interface for order fulfillment. And, when you combine your company with Amazon’s Fulfillment service, you get access to several warehouses.

This is a good inventory management app that provides a comprehensive view of your business’s sales.

Then, you can effortlessly list your new goods in all of your customers’ favorite shopping sites. Sellbrite even does automatic inventory updating to prevent overselling goods.

Pricing: Free plan available (up to 30 orders/mo). The next next starts at $29/mo.

5. Order Tagger

Order Tagger Shopify App

If you’re looking for a way to cut down on the tedious work of organizing and completing orders, you’ll want to look automated purchase orders.

With Order Tagger, you can create an infinite number of workflows that compare orders to predefined standards and criteria.

As a result, order tagging is an excellent approach for a stock management system.

When an order is abandoned, made, partially completed, fulfilled, or canceled, a workflow runs to help the fulfillment process. Additionally, you can manage purchase orders tagged as special-needs orders so they can be handled differently by your staff, fulfillment partners, or shipping suppliers.

MESA can help perform these tasks too. Your auto-tagging game will soar to new heights with the inclusion of automated workflows from MESA’s customizable templates.

So, to add Shopify order tags, simply use triggers like ‘order generated’ or ‘refund created.’ Next, use MESA’s built-in tools like Email, SMS, and Approval, to make unique experiences for customers that cancel orders or haven’t bought in a month or more.

Instead of going through each and every order, you and your staff can manage all orders from a single list.

In another flow, you can automate repetitive order fulfillment tasks, highlight orders, filter pre-orders, flag orders of a given weight, and check order status. Additionally, use tags to arrange your purchases depending on the delivery date, zip code, and more. Tags are a powerful way to manage your Shopify data so, use them to reveal the right inventory management system as you grow.

Pricing: Free plan available for 10 automation per month. Next plan starts at $15.99/mo.

6. ShipBob

ShipBob - Inventory Management App

ShipBob is the global leader in inventory management solutions, trusted by 7K+ customers to manage orders from anywhere. They offer personalized and memorable unboxing experiences as well as faster shipping rates so they can meet customer expectations everywhere!

What sets ShipBob apart is their ability to provide 2-day shipping across the entire continental US, regardless if you use multiple warehouse locations. This allows you to keep your brand, sales data, and customer experience intact, while still being able to offer competitive delivery times. Additionally, their 2-day shipping badges and estimated delivery dates can be displayed on your online store to help increase conversions and sales.

Pricing: Contact sales for a personalized quote.

7. Katana

Katana - inventory management system

Katana understands that manufacturing is complex. There are a lot of moving parts, and it can be difficult to keep detailed inventory tracking accurate. Katana provides total visibility and control over your in-house and outsourced production process. You can see exactly what’s going on at every stage of the manufacturing process. And if there are any problems, you can address them immediately.

With Katana, you can streamline your manufacturing process and focus on what’s important: making great products. 

Katana, you’ll be able to maintain inventory tracking of your materials and stock products in real-time, set reorder points to prevent stock-outs, and manage inventory across multiple warehouses. Plus, their barcode system makes it easy to receive and count stock, and their stock sync feature will help you find and eliminate discrepancies in your stock levels. 

No matter how you sell your products, it’s important to have a unified inventory management solution for managing your sales orders. This ensures that your orders are fulfilled in the most efficient way possible.

Katana provides a platform that gives you all the tools you need to manage your sales orders, no matter how many sales channels you sell through.

Pricing: Starts at $129/mo/

8. Stocky

Stocky Shopify App

Any brick and mortar business owner knows that effective inventory management is key to manage cash flow. Whether you have a corner store or a large department store, being able to determine demand forecasting of your inventory management needs can mean the difference between success and failure.

Unfortunately, it can be difficult to strike the right balance. Selling out of in-demand products can be harmful to your cash flow, but keeping too much inventory on hand can drain your resources. Fortunately, a good inventory management system can help you optimize your inventory decisions: Stocky by Shopify.

By leveraging the power of artificial intelligence, Stocky can help with demand forecasting your future inventory management needs and make recommendations on what products to purchase. As a result, you’ll spend less time worrying about how much stock you need and more time maximizing your profits.

Pricing: Free with a required Shopify POS account.

9. Brightpearl

Brightpearl - inventory management system

As a retailer, you know that streamlining your operations is key to success. That’s why you need Brightpearl, the leading inventory management system for retailers requiring an ERP (enterprise resource planning software). With Brightpearl, you’ll have everything you need to manage your inventory, orders, warehousing, fulfillment, shipping, purchasing, accounting and retail BI – all in one place. And because Brightpearl is designed to automate your entire business, you’ll be able to save time and make data-driven decisions that help you achieve your goals. So if you’re looking for a way to simplify and streamline your retail operations, Brightpearl is the only solution you need.

Brightpearl is a cloud-based inventory management software that helps merchants streamline their operations and grow their businesses. The platform integrates with leading e-commerce platforms such as Shopify, BigCommerce, and Magento, and provides users with a single view of their inventory, orders, customers, and finances. Brightpearl also offers built-in CRM and accounting capabilities, as well as robust reporting and analytics tools. And because Brightpearl is a cloud-based platform, it can be accessed from anywhere in the world, 24/7.

Pricing: Contact sales for a personalized quote.

10. ShipHero

ShipHero - Inventory Management App

This is one of the few Shopify inventory management apps that offers fulfillment services and an end-to-end warehouse management system.

ShipHero delivers orders in 3.5 days, which is quicker than other 3PLs. And, because they own and operate their warehouses, they can optimize your inventory management processes. Simply send your products to a single warehouse and their fulfillment experts can take it from there. You’ll get real-time updates on your inventory and orders throughout the day, with info pushed to the warehouse the moment the order happens. They’re a 3PL that can deliver quick and cost-effective results.

eCommerce sales are only going to continue to grow in the coming years. That’s why it’s more important than ever to have a warehouse management system (WMS) in place that can help you keep up with the demand. ShipHero’s WMS is designed to simplify the picking, packing and shipping process, so you can do more in less time. It also includes one-click integrations with leading eCommerce platforms like Shopify and Returnly, which makes managing orders and returns a breeze. And because ShipHero is constantly communicating with your sales channel, you can be confident that your inventory will always be accurate. 

Pricing: Fulfillment Services requires contacting Sales. Warehouse management plans start at $1,850/mo.

11. Stock Sync

Stock Sync App

Stock Sync is a tool that lets businesses update their Shopify inventory using a variety of connection methods, including FTP/SFTP, Google Sheet, Download Link, Dropbox, and many more. With Stock Sync, businesses can save time and money by automatically updating their inventory, ensuring that their customers always have access to the products they need.

Staying on top of your inventory can be a full-time job in and of itself. If you’re manually tracking inventory levels, receiving updates from multiple suppliers, and trying to keep track of changes in a spreadsheet, it’s easy to see how things can start to slip through the cracks. Fortunately, there are a number of inventory management software platforms that can help to automate inventory management, freeing up your time to focus on other aspects of your business. 

Supplier inventory management systems allow you to track stock levels in real-time, while warehouse management systems can help you to optimize your storage space and fulfill orders more efficiently. Dropshippers inventory systems can also be a valuable tool, providing visibility into the stock levels of your suppliers and automating the ordering process. By investing in an automated inventory management system, you can save yourself time, money, and a whole lot of headaches.

Pricing: Free plan available. Next plan starts at $5/mo.

12. Trunk

Trunk - Inventory Management App

Trunk is inventory management software that helps businesses sell through multiple channels. It provides a simple, streamlined interface that makes it easy to manage inventory and orders.

Imagine never having to oversell a product to a customer again. With Trunk, it’s a reality. Your inventory control will always keep you stock sync accurately, even during the biggest sales of the year. That way, you can focus on providing the best customer experience possible without worrying about whether or not you have stock sync problems. Trunk is a dependable real-time stock level syncing solution.

Connect all your sales channels and Trunk will build its own centralized inventory tracking from your orders. Those that share the same SKU will automatically be linked to each other. And like good inventory management software, Trunk will continually monitor your sales channels for any new, updated, or removed purchase orders so that everything on your online store is always up-to-date.

Pricing: Plans start at $35/mo.

Choose The Right Shopify Inventory Management App

When searching for the ideal inventory management software for managing inventory on your Shopify store, you should consider other factors such as whether or not it offers a direct integration with other applications (e.g. accounting tools, advanced reporting). Additionally, if your company has both an offline and online presence, a POS integration may be beneficial.

So, what's next?

  1. Add MESA from the Shopify App Store. Enjoy a 7-day free trial to start.
  2. Ask the experts if you need help personalizing any workflow, or ask us to build one for you. We're happy to help!
  3. Discover pre-made, customizeable automation templates.
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