Stock management at Monta: smart, fast and efficient
Stock management determines whether you can deliver on time and keep your costs under control. Too much stock costs space and capital, too little stock costs revenue and customers. That calls for precise insight into stock levels, locations and replenishment moments, whether you’re just starting out or scaling up fast. With our stock management software, Monta helps webshops find that balance and maintain it, whether you outsource your stock to us or manage it yourself in your own warehouse.
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Without stock management software, you regularly let customers down
Why is stock management important?
Without good stock management, webshops keep running into the same problems: no up-to-date overview of what’s in stock, uncertainty about where products are located, and the risk that a customer can’t order the one product they want. On the flip side, it costs unnecessary space and money to hold on to items that simply don’t sell fast enough.
Effective stock management prevents these problems and delivers concrete benefits:
Cost efficiency
Keeping stock in balance saves on storage costs and prevents capital from being tied up in products that don’t sell. With the right stock management method, such as ABC analysis, you can see exactly where you can save.
Better order fulfilment
Stock that’s matched to demand means faster, more accurate deliveries, especially during peak moments such as seasonal changes. Stock management software gives you continuous insight into what’s in stock and where it’s located.
Higher customer satisfaction
Customers expect that products they see online are also available to buy. Reliable stock management prevents disappointment and contributes to repeat purchases and customer loyalty.
Room to grow
A scalable stock management system becomes essential as soon as you add more products, channels or markets. With the right methodology, such as FIFO or just-in-time, combined with the right stock management software, growth stays manageable.
The best way to approach stock management depends on how you’ve set up your logistics. If you take Fulfilment from Monta, we take it off your hands. If you choose our WMS software, you manage your stock yourself.
Stock management with Monta Fulfilment
If you take Fulfilment from Monta, we take stock management off your hands entirely. Your stock sits in one of our own fulfilment centres, where we track and manage every product from goods receipt right through to shipping. That means, among other things:
Automatic registration of incoming goods, so your stock is sellable right away.
Real-time synchronisation of stock levels with all your sales channels, thanks to more than 35 integrations with platforms, marketplaces, carriers and ERP systems.
Data-driven forecasts of seasonal peaks and demand, so we can adjust in good time.
Full visibility via MontaPortal, even though you’re not managing the stock yourself.
If you use Monta’s WMS software, you manage your stock yourself, with tools built from real-world practice. Monta also uses MontaWMS in its own 20+ fulfilment warehouses, so we know exactly what’s needed. That translates into:
Real-time insight into stock quantities and locations in your own warehouse.
Smart Stock, which automatically flags products that aren’t selling or are barely selling.
Stock forecasts that automatically predict the stock you’ll need based on sales trends, including automatically generated purchase orders.
A Warehouse Viewer with a complete top-down view of your warehouse, including walking routes based on turnover speed.
From goods receipt to returns processing, stock management at Monta becomes part of one continuous process.
How Monta manages your stock within Fulfilment
If you outsource Fulfilment to Monta, stock management becomes part of one continuous process, from the moment your products arrive to the moment a return is back in stock. Below, you can see what that looks like step by step.
Goods receipt
As soon as your products arrive at one of our fulfilment centres, we register them in the system straight away. That way, your stock is immediately visible and sellable, without delay.
Storage
We store your stock in an organised way, spread across the right locations within the warehouse. Fast-selling products are placed closer to the picking zones, so processes run smoothly.
Order picking
When picking orders, we take turnover speed and walking routes into account, so orders are put together quickly and accurately.
Shipping
Before a parcel leaves the building, we automatically check that everything is correct. That way, we prevent mistakes and make sure the right products reach your customer on time.
Returns processing
If a product comes back, we register it straight away. We either book it back into stock or set it aside for second-chance sales, so your stock figures always stay accurate.
Our systems link these steps directly to the rest of your supply chain, so we can respond quickly as soon as demand changes. You're never on your own with this either: a dedicated account team actively helps you work out how to organise your stock as efficiently as possible.
Even though we take returns processing off your hands, you always keep full visibility through MontaPortal. In the portal, you can see in real time which returns are coming in, what the status is and which products come back most often, without having to keep track of any of it yourself. Below are the key features:
No management of your own, yet full visibility of your stock: that's the strength of MontaPortal.
What customers say about us
"Since we started working with Monta, our logistics reliability has improved considerably, and you can see that directly in customer satisfaction. They take care of everything for us for both B2B and B2C fulfilment, respond quickly and communicate clearly. For us, they're a partner that genuinely moves with us and keeps improving.”
Suzanne van’t Land | Logistics Coordinator
"MontaWMS is the Rolls Royce of WMS systems. They have a fitting answerfor every logistics question, which sets them apart from other suppliers. It's no surprise that more than 3,000 webshops already trust this one solution."
Rogier Goed | Managing Partner
"Our customers are especially happy with the good communication. They want to know how long it will take before their parcel arrives. Thanks to the clear track & trace emails via MontaTracking, they know exactly where their parcel is."
The impact of stock management software on your warehouse
If you run your own warehouse, MontaWMS's stock management software puts you in control of every process yourself, from the moment goods arrive to the processing of returns. You decide how your warehouse is set up, and the software makes sure every process within it runs smoothly and without errors.
Goods receipt
Register incoming goods in the system straight away, so your stock is immediately up to date and sellable.
Order picking
Place products based on turnover speed and shorten walking routes in your own warehouse as a result.
Outbound
Automatic checks make sure every order is put together without errors before it leaves the building.
Returns processing
Returns are also flagged in MontaWMS, booked straight back into stock or set aside in a dedicated spot in the warehouse for second-chance sales.
That way, you stay in control of every process in your own warehouse, with software that thinks along with you
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Exclusive tools developed from 20+ years of hands-on experience, with innovation every single day
Exclusive stock management tools from MontaWMS
Because we also use our own WMS in Monta's 20+ fulfilment sites, we know exactly what you run into day to day. At Monta, we call that software for & by the industry. We've already developed the following exclusive tools for our stock management software:
Smart Stock
Which products aren't selling, are barely selling, or are costing you a lot due to their high storage value? The innovative Smart Stock tool tells you. Based on real-time data, you can see at a glance where you can optimise, and therefore save.
Warehouse Viewer
A top-down view of your warehouse gives you a literal overview of your stock. You can quickly see where stock is stored, how much stock of a product sits at a given location, and which zones are set up for dangerous goods. Using the ABC analysis in this tool, you link sales data to the walking route and set up your warehouse as efficiently as possible to shorten walking routes.
Stock forecasting
Based on your sales trends, MontaWMS predicts the stock you'll need for the coming period. There's no need for error-prone guesswork, you rely on reliable data that's generated automatically. In a few clicks, you turn the forecast into a purchase order that you send effortlessly from MontaWMS to various suppliers.
What is good stock management? What should you watch out for?
To keep good track of your stock, you need to bear the following points in mind:
Visibility into your sales. Know your top sellers and slow movers.
Set priorities. Use your sales figures to determine which stock deserves your attention.
Add structure. A clear order or method for where products are placed gives you an overview of how goods are stored in the warehouse.
Choose a method. Let your product range and product type determine which system suits your warehouse best.
Check periodically. Carry out regular stock checks and take stock of the balance.
What are the stock management methods?
There are several ways to manage your stock. Below, we explain a few of them:
Last In First Out (LIFO) The newest stock is sold first, handy for products that don't quickly lose value.
First In First Out (FIFO) The oldest stock leaves the warehouse first, ideal for products with a use-by date or changing packaging.
First Expired First Out (FEFO) Products with the shortest shelf life are sold first, particularly suited to food and supplements.
Just in Time (JIT) Stock is only replenished when it's genuinely needed, so you hold minimal stock, but your supply chain needs to be perfectly aligned.
MontaWMS can support every one of these methods.
Why do you need to count stock?
Counting stock is necessary for proper bookkeeping, but it also gives you insight into stock problems such as theft, illogical processes or product performance. The more often you count your stock, the more accurately you work. In MontaWMS, counts are carried out continuously in the background while you put stock away and pick orders. That way, you're working on optimisation and maximising profit 24/7.
Why is having too much stock not a good idea?
Having too much stock isn't wise, for several reasons:
Destroying products Once a product's use-by date has passed, it can no longer be sold and the surplus stock has to be destroyed.
Tying up liquidity Products that don't sell tie up money that can't be put into other investments.
Taking up space Stock that doesn't sell takes up a lot of room in the warehouse, which can limit your ability to expand with new products or lead to higher storage rental costs.
How do you spot trends and patterns in your stock?
Data reveals trends and patterns in your stock management. To be able to spot these, it's essential that stock data is recorded accurately in the first place. With MontaWMS, this happens automatically while you work, with no more manual effort required. With smart analysis tools, you can gain insights from this data and visualise it in charts and tables. Based on this information, you make well-informed decisions and are no longer caught out by changes in demand for products.
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