How-To Guides
Practical, step-by-step guides for inventory setup, workflows, and best practices. Written for small teams who need clear advice without enterprise complexity.
Understand the key differences between inventory systems and which is right for your business.
Calculate reorder points and safety stock to prevent stockouts without overstocking.
The safety stock formula, the z-score service-level method, and rules of thumb for sizing your buffer.
The simplest replenishment system that actually works — how to set min and max stock levels.
Step-by-step guide to implementing barcode scanning for inventory tracking.
Maintain inventory accuracy with scheduled counts instead of annual shutdowns.
What causes inventory shrinkage, the shrinkage-rate formula, and how small businesses reduce it.
When and how to use QR codes for asset tracking and inventory management.
The 4-step planning cycle, demand vs. inventory planning, and a worked safety-stock formula for small business.
Moving average, exponential smoothing, and seasonal decomposition explained with real numeric examples.
The 8 inventory KPIs that matter for small business, with formulas and what good looks like.
How RFID works, the real cost for a 500-asset SMB, and when passive UHF actually beats barcodes.
StockZip inventory management software helps you apply these concepts with barcode scanning, low-stock alerts, and real-time tracking. Start free, upgrade when you are ready.
Straight answers about spreadsheets, scanners, offline work, existing systems, and the free period.
Start by listing all items in a spreadsheet or CSV, then import into inventory software like StockZip. Add barcodes to each item, assign locations such as shelf, van, or warehouse, set reorder points, and train your team on the scan-in and scan-out workflow. The whole process takes less than a day for most small businesses.