Inventory management is a direct factor in how well an ecommerce business operates. Overstocking ties up capital, while stockouts lead to lost sales and frustrated customers. BigCommerce offers a comprehensive suite of inventory management tools, but success depends on how effectively merchants use them. This guide explores the built-in features, third-party integrations, and best practices that can transform BigCommerce management from a logistical headache into a competitive advantage.
Built-In Tools for BigCommerce Inventory Management
BigCommerce provides merchants with a robust selection of built-in inventory tools that make stock management more intuitive and data-driven. Understanding how to leverage these features can help businesses maintain accurate stock levels, minimize losses, and streamline fulfillment.
One essential feature is stock level tracking, which allows businesses to monitor inventory in real time. Merchants can enable automatic tracking per product or variant, set low-stock notifications, and determine whether to hide out-of-stock items or enable backorders. These capabilities prevent overselling while giving customers an accurate representation of available inventory.
For businesses managing a large catalog, bulk inventory editing is a game-changer. Instead of manually adjusting stock for each item, sellers can modify multiple SKUs at once through the BigCommerce admin panel or by uploading a CSV file. This reduces time spent on inventory updates and ensures consistency across product listings.
Another invaluable tool is automated purchase order generation, which helps businesses replenish stock efficiently. Merchants can set reorder thresholds that automatically generate purchase orders when inventory levels fall below a specified amount. This automation reduces the risk of stockouts and improves supply chain efficiency.
BigCommerce also provides detailed inventory reporting and analytics, offering insights into product performance, inventory turnover, and sales velocity. By analyzing these reports, businesses can refine their stock management strategies, phase out underperforming products, and optimize reorder frequencies.
For businesses with multiple warehouses or retail locations, multi-location inventory tracking enables merchants to segment stock by fulfillment center. This ensures efficient order routing, reduces shipping times, and improves the accuracy of available stock levels displayed to customers.
Third-Party Integrations for BigCommerce Inventory Management
While BigCommerce’s built-in tools provide a strong foundation, many businesses enhance their inventory capabilities through third-party integrations. These solutions extend functionality, improve forecasting, and streamline complex supply chain logistics.
Inventory Management Systems (IMS) centralize inventory data, ensuring that product availability is synchronized in real time, whether selling on BigCommerce, Amazon, eBay, or retail locations.
For merchants dealing with high inventory volumes, Warehouse Management Systems (WMS) improve warehouse efficiency by reducing picking errors and optimizing storage space.
Larger enterprises often integrate Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) Systems like SAP, Microsoft Dynamics, or Oracle to unify inventory management with financial, operational, and supply chain data. ERP integration ensures that stock levels are automatically reflected in accounting and procurement workflows.
Shipping and fulfillment integrations streamline order fulfillment by automating shipping label creation, rate calculation, and carrier selection. These platforms improve shipping efficiency while providing customers with real-time tracking updates.
BigCommerce Inventory Management Best Practices
Mastering inventory management requires more than just using the right tools. By implementing best practices, businesses can avoid common pitfalls, reduce costs, and improve operational efficiency.
Maintain Accurate Stock Levels
Inventory discrepancies can lead to costly fulfillment errors. Regular cycle counting—where a portion of stock is counted periodically—help businesses verify inventory accuracy without disrupting daily operations. Automated tracking and barcode scanning also improve accuracy and reduce manual errors.
Synchronize Inventory in Real Time
Omnichannel fulfillment requires a centralized inventory system to prevent overselling. Integrating BigCommerce with an IMS ensures that stock levels are updated in real time across all sales channels, providing customers with accurate product availability information.
Implement Safety Stock Strategies
Relying on just-in-time inventory can leave businesses vulnerable to unexpected demand spikes or supplier delays. Maintaining safety stock—a buffer of extra inventory—helps businesses fulfill orders consistently without running out of stock.
Use Data Analytics for Demand Forecasting
BigCommerce’s reporting tools allow businesses to analyze sales patterns, seasonality, and peak demand periods. By leveraging this data, merchants can optimize inventory replenishment schedules, ensuring they stock the right products at the right time.
Optimize Product Bundling and Kitting
Bundling complementary products can increase average order value while helping move excess stock. However, businesses should ensure that inventory management software accurately tracks bundled components to prevent discrepancies.
Automate Reordering and Supplier Communication
Setting automated reorder triggers minimizes the risk of stockouts and keeps fulfillment operations running smoothly. Businesses that integrate supplier communication tools can expedite restocking and negotiate better terms based on real-time demand data.
Improve Warehouse Efficiency
Optimizing warehouse layouts based on product demand frequency reduces picking and packing times. Implementing barcode scanning further increases efficiency, reduces human errors, and speeds up the fulfillment process.
BigCommerce Inventory Management Made Easy By Shipfusion
Managing inventory efficiently is key to delivering fast, reliable service to customers. But as businesses scale, manually handling inventory across multiple channels and warehouses becomes increasingly complex.
Shipfusion provides ecommerce businesses with advanced inventory management solutions and an integration for BigCommerce. With real-time stock tracking, automated order processing, and seamless multi-channel integration, we can help you maintain accurate inventory levels without unnecessary complexity.
Get a quote from a fulfillment specialist today.
