Managing inventory effectively stands as one of the most critical success factors for any eCommerce business. For retailers operating on BigCommerce, implementing proper inventory management practices can mean the difference between operational excellence and costly stockouts. This comprehensive guide explores how to master BigCommerce inventory management while leveraging advanced features and best practices that drive retail success.
Summary
This guide covers essential aspects of BigCommerce inventory management for retail businesses:
- Understanding core BigCommerce inventory management features and how they streamline retail operations
- Exploring advanced tools and third-party integrations that enhance inventory control across multiple channels
- Learning best practices for demand forecasting, warehouse management, and inventory optimization
- Implementing automation strategies that reduce manual errors and save valuable time
- Discovering how to prevent stockouts, manage backorders, and improve customer satisfaction through better inventory visibility
Why BigCommerce Inventory Management Matters for Retail Success
Effective inventory management directly impacts your bottom line. Research shows that businesses implementing proper inventory management systems can reduce carrying costs by up to 30% while simultaneously improving customer satisfaction rates. For BigCommerce retailers, this translates to better cash flow, fewer stockouts, and enhanced operational efficiency.
The BigCommerce platform provides native inventory tracking capabilities that form the foundation of successful retail operations. However, understanding how to leverage these features while integrating complementary tools creates a competitive advantage in today’s fast-paced eCommerce landscape.
Poor inventory management creates cascading problems throughout your business. Overstocking ties up capital that could fuel growth initiatives, while understocking leads to lost sales and disappointed customers. The right approach to BigCommerce inventory management helps you maintain that crucial balance between having enough stock to meet demand without excessive capital investment.
Core BigCommerce Retail Inventory Management Features
BigCommerce offers robust native inventory tracking capabilities designed specifically for online retailers. Understanding these core features provides the foundation for building an efficient inventory management system.
Real-Time Inventory Tracking
The platform’s real-time tracking capability ensures you always know your current stock levels. When a customer completes a purchase, inventory counts automatically update across your entire store. This automatic synchronization prevents overselling and reduces the manual work required to keep inventory data accurate.
Real-time visibility becomes particularly valuable when managing multiple product variants. BigCommerce tracks inventory at both the product and variant level, allowing precise control over sizes, colors, and other attributes that make up your catalog.
Stock Level Alerts and Low Inventory Notifications
Proactive inventory management requires knowing when stock levels reach critical thresholds. BigCommerce inventory management features include customizable low stock alerts that notify you when products approach depletion. Setting appropriate reorder points ensures you can replenish inventory before stockouts occur.
These notifications work especially well when integrated with your supplier relationships. Forward-thinking retailers use these alerts to trigger automated reordering processes, reducing the time between identifying a stock shortage and placing replenishment orders.
Product Availability Controls
Managing product availability gives you granular control over what customers can purchase. The platform allows you to set products as available for sale, hidden from search, or completely unavailable. This flexibility proves valuable during seasonal transitions, product launches, or when managing limited inventory situations.
You can also configure how the platform handles out-of-stock items. Options include hiding products entirely, showing them as unavailable, or allowing backorders. Each approach serves different business models and customer expectations.
Advanced BigCommerce Inventory Management Features for Growing Retailers
As your business scales, basic inventory tracking evolves into a more complex operation requiring sophisticated tools and strategies. Advanced features help growing retailers maintain control while expanding their product catalog and sales channels.
Multi-Channel Inventory Synchronization
Modern retailers rarely sell through a single channel. BigCommerce inventory systems can synchronize stock levels across your online store, marketplaces, social commerce platforms, and even physical retail locations. This multi-channel approach ensures consistent inventory data regardless of where customers discover and purchase your products.
Effective multi-channel synchronization prevents the common problem of overselling when the same product appears across multiple platforms. When inventory updates in one location, those changes propagate automatically to all connected channels.
Bulk Inventory Management
Managing large product catalogs one item at a time proves inefficient and error-prone. BigCommerce provides bulk editing capabilities that allow you to update inventory levels, pricing, and product details for multiple items simultaneously. This feature becomes essential when conducting physical inventory counts, adjusting prices seasonally, or making widespread catalog changes.
The platform’s CSV import and export functionality further streamlines bulk operations. You can download your entire inventory, make necessary changes in a spreadsheet, and upload the updated data back to your store.
Variant-Level Stock Control
Complex products with multiple variants require precise inventory management at the individual variant level. BigCommerce retail inventory management features support this granularity, allowing you to track separate stock counts for each product variation.
This capability proves particularly important for apparel retailers managing multiple sizes and colors. Rather than treating a shirt as a single product, you can track inventory for every size-color combination independently, providing accurate availability information to customers and preventing confusion about which variants remain in stock.
Essential Third-Party Inventory Management Solutions for BigCommerce
While BigCommerce provides solid native functionality, many growing retailers benefit from integrating specialized inventory management software that offers advanced capabilities.
Warehouse Management Systems
Warehouse management systems (WMS) integrate with BigCommerce to optimize physical inventory storage and fulfillment operations. These solutions provide bin location tracking, pick path optimization, and advanced receiving capabilities. Leading WMS platforms designed for BigCommerce include Cin7 Omni and SKULabs.
Multi-Location Inventory Solutions
Retailers operating multiple warehouses, distribution centers, or retail stores need sophisticated multi-location inventory management. Specialized solutions track inventory levels at each location separately while providing consolidated reporting and intelligent order routing based on proximity to customers, inventory availability, and shipping costs.
Demand Forecasting Tools
Advanced inventory management extends beyond tracking current stock to predicting future demand. Demand forecasting tools analyze historical sales data, seasonal trends, and market conditions to generate accurate purchase recommendations. Platforms like Brightpearl and Linnworks incorporate predictive analytics that help maintain optimal stock levels.
Automated Reordering Systems
Automation transforms reactive inventory management into a proactive process. Automated reordering systems monitor stock levels continuously and generate purchase orders when inventory reaches predetermined thresholds, ensuring consistent product availability while reducing manual effort required to manage replenishment.
Best Practices for BigCommerce Inventory Management
Implementing effective inventory management extends beyond selecting the right tools. Following proven best practices maximizes efficiency while avoiding common pitfalls.
Establish Accurate Reorder Points
Setting appropriate reorder points requires balancing multiple factors including lead times, sales velocity, and acceptable stock risk levels. Calculate reorder points by analyzing your average daily sales rate and supplier lead time, then adding safety stock to account for demand variability. Review and adjust reorder points regularly based on seasonal fluctuations and market trends.
Implement Cycle Counting Programs
Physical inventory counts consume significant time and often require temporary business closures. Cycle counting offers a more efficient alternative by dividing your inventory into segments and counting different sections on a rotating schedule. High-value or fast-moving items receive more frequent counts, while slower-moving products can be verified less often.
Optimize Safety Stock Levels
Safety stock acts as insurance against unexpected demand spikes or supply chain disruptions. Calculate safety stock requirements based on demand variability, lead time variability, and your desired service level. Products with unpredictable demand patterns require higher safety stock than consistent sellers.
Leverage ABC Analysis for Inventory Prioritization
ABC analysis categorizes inventory based on value and importance. “A” items represent high-value products requiring careful management and frequent monitoring. “B” items fall in the middle, while “C” items have lower value and require less intensive oversight. Apply different management strategies to each category to focus attention where it delivers greatest impact.
Monitor Inventory Turnover Ratios
Inventory turnover measures how quickly you sell and replace stock. Calculate turnover by dividing your cost of goods sold by average inventory value. Low turnover suggests overstocking or poor product selection, while high turnover might indicate understocking or missed sales opportunities.
Managing Backorders and Pre-Orders Through BigCommerce
Backorders and pre-orders provide alternatives when products are temporarily unavailable, maintaining sales momentum while setting appropriate customer expectations.
Configuring Backorder Settings
BigCommerce allows you to continue selling products even when inventory reaches zero. Enable this feature selectively for products where you can reliably fulfill delayed orders. Communicate expected availability dates clearly to manage customer expectations and reduce support inquiries.
Implementing Pre-Order Campaigns
Pre-orders generate revenue before product availability, providing valuable cash flow for inventory purchases. Configure pre-order products with clear ship dates and distinct messaging that differentiates them from in-stock items. Track pre-order quantities carefully to ensure you order sufficient inventory.
Communicating Stock Status Clearly
Transparency about inventory availability builds customer trust. Use clear messaging throughout the shopping experience to inform customers about current stock status, expected ship dates, and any potential delays. Configure your store to display real-time stock levels or qualitative indicators like “In Stock,” “Low Stock,” or “Out of Stock.”
Integrating BigCommerce Inventory With Order Fulfillment
Seamless integration between inventory management and order fulfillment creates operational efficiency and improves customer satisfaction through faster, more accurate order processing.
Connecting With 3PL Providers
Third-party logistics (3PL) providers handle warehousing and fulfillment operations on behalf of retailers. Integration between BigCommerce inventory systems and 3PL platforms ensures accurate inventory visibility regardless of where products are physically stored.
When customers place orders, the 3PL receives fulfillment instructions automatically. As orders ship, tracking information flows back to BigCommerce and customers receive automatic updates. This integration creates a seamless experience while allowing retailers to leverage specialized fulfillment expertise.
Many retailers find success implementing similar strategies across different platforms. For those managing multiple eCommerce channels, understanding how Shopify handles inventory management compared to BigCommerce can inform your multi-platform strategy.
Optimizing Pick, Pack, and Ship Processes
Efficient warehouse operations depend on optimized picking processes. Organize inventory strategically, placing fast-moving items in easily accessible locations. Use barcode scanning throughout the fulfillment process to ensure accuracy and track inventory movement in real time.
Batch processing similar orders together improves picking efficiency. Group orders by destination, product type, or shipping method to minimize warehouse travel time and accelerate fulfillment.
Managing Split Shipments
Sometimes fulfilling orders requires shipping products from multiple locations. Configure your inventory system to handle split shipments intelligently, determining optimal fulfillment locations for each order item while managing customer communication about multiple deliveries.
Consider the customer experience impact of split shipments. While they enable faster fulfillment by using inventory from multiple locations, they also create additional shipping costs and potential confusion. Establish clear policies about when split shipments make business sense.
Scaling Inventory Management as Your BigCommerce Store Grows
As your business expands, inventory management complexity increases. Understanding how to scale your systems prevents growing pains from disrupting operations.
Transitioning From Manual to Automated Systems
Many retailers start with spreadsheets before graduating to automated solutions. Warning signs for transition include frequent stockouts, increasing data entry errors, and excessive time spent on inventory management rather than strategic activities.
Begin by documenting current processes and identifying pain points. Select software that matches your current needs while offering room to grow.
Managing Increased SKU Complexity
Product catalog expansion creates challenges. More SKUs mean more purchase orders to manage, more warehouse space to organize, and more data to analyze. Implement a logical SKU naming convention that encodes product information consistently.
Similar to how businesses approach selling without inventory on Shopify through dropshipping, BigCommerce retailers can leverage third-party fulfillment to manage expanding catalogs efficiently.
Building an Inventory Management Team
Growing businesses eventually require dedicated inventory management personnel. Start by assigning clear ownership of inventory responsibilities. As you scale, consider specialized roles including inventory planners who focus on demand forecasting, warehouse managers who oversee physical operations, and inventory analysts who generate insights from data.
Inventory Management Across Different Retail Verticals
Different retail categories face unique inventory management challenges that require tailored approaches.
Fashion and Apparel Retail
Fashion retailers manage highly seasonal inventory with limited shelf life. Trends change rapidly, creating risk that today’s hot seller becomes tomorrow’s clearance item. Effective fashion inventory management requires aggressive sales velocity monitoring and willingness to mark down slow-moving styles before they lose all value.
Sizing complexity multiplies SKU counts dramatically. Each style may come in multiple sizes and colors. Invest in tools that provide variant-level visibility and help identify which size-color combinations sell fastest within each style.
Electronics and Technology Retail
Technology products face rapid obsolescence as new models supersede previous generations. Monitor manufacturer product lifecycles closely and adjust purchasing as product refresh cycles approach. Build relationships with suppliers that allow flexible returns or exchanges when new models arrive unexpectedly.
Health and Beauty Products
Health and beauty retailers must track expiration dates carefully to prevent selling expired products. Implement first-in-first-out (FIFO) inventory rotation and regular expiration date checks. Configure alerts that flag products approaching expiration.
If you’re operating across multiple platforms, studying how different eCommerce systems work together, from Shopify payments to BigCommerce integrations, can inform your approach to unified financial and inventory management.
Advanced Inventory Optimization Techniques
Once you’ve mastered basic inventory management, advanced optimization techniques unlock additional efficiency and profitability.
Economic Order Quantity (EOQ) Calculations
EOQ determines the optimal order quantity that minimizes total inventory costs including ordering costs, holding costs, and stockout costs. While EOQ provides a theoretical optimum, practical considerations like supplier minimum order quantities, volume discounts, and warehouse capacity constraints influence actual order quantities.
Just-In-Time Inventory Strategies
Just-in-time (JIT) inventory minimizes holding costs by ordering products shortly before they’re needed. This approach reduces capital tied up in inventory but requires reliable suppliers and accurate demand forecasting. JIT works best for products with predictable demand and short supplier lead times.
Vendor-Managed Inventory Programs
VMI transfers inventory management responsibility to your suppliers. The vendor monitors your stock levels and automatically replenishes inventory based on agreed-upon parameters. This arrangement shifts inventory carrying costs upstream while ensuring consistent product availability. Select VMI partners carefully and establish clear performance metrics.
For retailers managing operations across platforms, resources about strategies like transferring Shopify domains offer insights into managing technical aspects of multi-platform eCommerce operations.
Technology Stack Recommendations for BigCommerce Inventory Management
Building an effective inventory management technology stack requires selecting complementary tools that integrate seamlessly with BigCommerce.
Core Inventory Management Software Selection
Choose inventory management software based on your business size, complexity, and growth trajectory. Small retailers may find native BigCommerce capabilities sufficient, while larger operations benefit from dedicated inventory management platforms offering advanced features like demand forecasting and multi-warehouse management.
Evaluate software based on integration capabilities, scalability, reporting functionality, and user interface. Schedule demonstrations with shortlisted providers and involve team members who will use the system daily in the selection process. Understanding platform ecosystems across different solutions, such as learning how Shopify Teachable integration works, can inform your approach to building integrated systems.
Barcode and RFID Technology Integration
Barcode scanning dramatically improves inventory accuracy and accelerates warehouse processes. Invest in commercial-grade barcode scanners that integrate with your inventory management software. Generate barcodes for all products and implement scanning checkpoints throughout receiving, putaway, picking, and shipping processes.
RFID technology offers touchless inventory tracking for high-volume operations. While more expensive than barcodes, RFID enables faster cycle counts and improved inventory visibility. Evaluate RFID for warehouses handling thousands of SKUs or requiring frequent, detailed inventory counts.
Preventing Common BigCommerce Inventory Management Mistakes
Even experienced retailers fall into common inventory management traps. Awareness of these pitfalls helps you avoid costly mistakes that impact profitability and customer satisfaction.
Avoiding Overselling Situations
Overselling occurs when you accept orders for products without sufficient inventory. This situation creates frustrated customers and requires time-consuming resolution. Prevent overselling through accurate real-time inventory tracking and appropriate safety margins in your stock levels.
Configure inventory buffers that hold back a small quantity of stock to account for in-process orders or system synchronization delays. This buffer prevents accepting orders during the brief period between purchase initiation and inventory deduction.
Preventing Stockouts of Popular Items
Stockouts of best-selling products damage revenue and customer loyalty. Monitor fast-moving items closely and maintain higher safety stock levels for these critical products. Implement automated alerts that notify you when popular items approach reorder thresholds.
Analyze historical demand patterns to anticipate seasonal spikes or promotional impacts on inventory velocity. Increase stock levels proactively before high-demand periods rather than reacting to stockouts after they occur.
Managing Slow-Moving Inventory
Products that sell slowly tie up capital and warehouse space that could generate better returns elsewhere. Identify slow-moving inventory through regular analysis and implement strategies to move this stock.
Promotional campaigns, bundling with popular items, or strategic discounting can accelerate sales of slow movers. Sometimes accepting slightly lower margins proves preferable to continuing to carry excess inventory that generates no return.
Leveraging Reporting and Analytics for Better Inventory Decisions
Data-driven inventory management outperforms intuition-based approaches. BigCommerce and integrated inventory solutions provide powerful reporting capabilities that illuminate inventory performance and highlight improvement opportunities.
Essential Inventory Reports to Monitor
Track key metrics including inventory turnover, stock aging, and sell-through rates. These reports reveal which products perform well and which consume resources without adequate returns. Generate these reports regularly to identify trends before they create problems.
Sales forecasting reports predict future demand based on historical patterns. Use these projections to inform purchasing decisions and ensure adequate stock availability during peak periods.
Using Data to Optimize Stock Levels
Analyze sales velocity data to determine optimal stock quantities for each product. This analysis should consider factors like sales volume, variability, supplier lead times, and capital constraints.
Compare actual performance against targets regularly. Products consistently requiring emergency reorders indicate insufficient stock levels or reorder points set too low. Conversely, products sitting in inventory for extended periods suggest overstocking.
Identifying Trends and Seasonal Patterns
Historical sales data reveals seasonal patterns that impact inventory requirements. Identify which products sell primarily during specific seasons and adjust stocking strategies accordingly.
Build seasonal demand into your purchasing calendar. Begin increasing inventory levels before peak seasons arrive, ensuring adequate stock when demand spikes. Similarly, reduce orders for seasonal items as their peak period concludes to minimize carrying slow-moving inventory during off-seasons.
Key Takeaways
- Implement real-time inventory tracking to prevent overselling and maintain accurate stock visibility across all sales channels
- Leverage automated reordering systems and demand forecasting tools to optimize inventory levels and reduce manual management overhead
- Establish clear reorder points and safety stock levels based on sales velocity, lead times, and demand variability
- Use ABC analysis to prioritize inventory management efforts on high-value products that generate the greatest business impact
- Monitor inventory turnover ratios and stock aging reports to identify slow-moving inventory and optimize working capital allocation
Conclusion
Mastering BigCommerce inventory management requires combining platform capabilities with strategic best practices and, when appropriate, specialized third-party tools. The investment in proper inventory management systems and processes pays dividends through improved cash flow, reduced stockouts, and enhanced customer satisfaction.
Whether you’re just starting with basic inventory tracking or scaling to enterprise-level complexity, the principles remain consistent: maintain accurate real-time data, automate repetitive processes where possible, and make data-driven decisions about inventory investment. By implementing the strategies and best practices outlined in this guide, you’ll build an inventory management foundation that supports sustainable retail growth.
Ready to transform your BigCommerce inventory management and drive retail success? Contact our team today to discuss how we can help you implement these best practices and optimize your operations for maximum efficiency and profitability.
FAQ
1. How do I track inventory in BigCommerce?
BigCommerce provides built-in inventory management tools that allow you to track stock levels, set low-stock alerts, and automatically update product availability across your store. You can manage inventory for individual products or product variants and integrate with third-party apps for enhanced features like barcode scanning, stock syncing, and advanced reporting.
2. What are the 4 types of inventory management?
The four types of inventory management are:
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Just-in-Time (JIT): Products are ordered and received just before they are needed, reducing storage costs.
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FIFO (First In, First Out): The first items purchased are the first to be sold or used.
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LIFO (Last In, First Out): The most recently purchased items are sold first.
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Reorder Point System: Inventory is restocked when it reaches a specific threshold or reorder point to avoid running out of stock.
3. What happened to BigCommerce?
BigCommerce has continued to grow as a leading eCommerce platform. The company went public in 2020 and has made several key updates to its platform, including expanded integrations with major marketplaces and advanced eCommerce tools. BigCommerce is focusing on providing enterprise-level solutions for businesses looking to scale with multi-channel selling, customizable storefronts, and robust analytics.
4. What software is best for inventory management?
The best software for inventory management depends on your business needs. Some popular options include:
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TradeGecko (QuickBooks Commerce): Best for small to medium-sized businesses with advanced features for inventory tracking, order management, and reporting.
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Cin7: A comprehensive solution for retailers and wholesalers that need inventory management and point-of-sale integration.
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Odoo: A flexible, open-source ERP system that includes inventory management, sales, and accounting features.
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Shopify POS: Ideal for businesses already using Shopify that want to integrate inventory management with their sales platform seamlessly.
