Retailers operating physical stores and one or more warehouses need an ERP that treats inventory as the operational engine:
store replenishment, inter-branch transfers, warehouse execution, and
accurate availability across POS and ecommerce.
Stok.ly is an inventory-centric cloud ERP designed for this operating model — with
WMS, Stok.ly POS and Shopify POS, and built-in AI for planning.
Who this is for ·
Why many systems fail ·
What you need ·
What “good” looks like ·
How Stok.ly fits ·
Related pages ·
FAQs
If you have stores and a warehouse, your ERP must excel at replenishment and warehouse execution,
not just transactions. The operational win is simple: fewer stockouts, faster fulfilment, less manual planning, and one view of inventory across channels.
If you are still comparing vendors, start with Inventory-Centric ERP
and the comparisons hub.
This guide is for retailers with physical stores and one or more warehouses (or a warehouse + stores-to-follow) where inventory availability is a commercial lever.
It is also relevant if you run ecommerce and stores from a shared stock pool.
Stores + warehouse is the point where operational complexity becomes real: demand is location-specific, stock moves constantly, and fulfilment is a workflow—not a report.
The most common failure mode is an ERP or POS-first platform that cannot run replenishment and execution without spreadsheets.
POS tools often track stock for sales, but store replenishment, allocation and transfer automation is usually limited.
Teams end up building manual “store order” spreadsheets.
Accounting platforms excel at posting and reporting. They rarely provide warehouse execution depth, scanning discipline,
binning, pick-face replenishment and exception handling.
Broad ERPs can work, but the outcome depends on modules and operating model design.
Inventory-led workflows often take time to assemble, test and operationalise.
Forecasting, purchasing and transfers frequently move to spreadsheets because the system lacks guidance.
AI-supported planning can materially reduce workload (see: AI Functionality).
See: AI Demand Forecasting and AI Functionality.
See: Sell It, Shopify, ePOS & Shopify, and Shopify order management.
| Requirement | What to validate in demos | Why it matters |
|---|---|---|
| Store replenishment | Can the system propose replenishment by store using policies and demand signals? | Reduces stockouts and manual ordering time. |
| Inter-branch transfers | Can you create, approve, pick, ship, receive and reconcile transfers with full traceability? | Transfers become “daily operations,” not ad-hoc events. |
| Warehouse scanning | Receiving, putaway, picking, packing and despatch with barcode flows and exceptions. | Increases throughput and reduces errors at scale. |
| Inventory accuracy | Location-level availability, adjustments, cycle counts, audit trails. | AI and replenishment are only as good as inventory integrity. |
| POS + ecommerce alignment | Does POS consume the same stock truth? How are online orders allocated and fulfilled? | Prevents overselling and “phantom stock.” |
| Planning and automation | Forecasting, PO generation, transfer suggestions, balancing rules, constraints. | Turns planning into a repeatable process, not heroics. |
The common trap is selecting a system that can do each item “in theory,” but not in a single operational flow across stores and warehouses.
Inventory-centric ERP is designed specifically to make these workflows feel native (see: Inventory-Centric ERP).
Stok.ly is an inventory-centric cloud ERP built for businesses where stores and warehouses must operate as one system.
It connects inventory control, replenishment, warehouse execution, fulfilment, POS alignment and multi-channel ecommerce into a single operational platform.
If you want to validate fit quickly, map your real-world flows (receiving, replenishment, transfers, picking, despatch and returns)
and test them end-to-end in a demo. Book a demo.
Replenishment discipline and execution. Once you have stores and a warehouse, inventory must move continuously:
purchase orders, receipts, putaway, transfers, store replenishment, picking and despatch. The system must support these operational flows end-to-end.
If your warehouse is doing meaningful volume, you typically need WMS-grade execution (scanning, bins, pick/pack, replenishment and exceptions).
Some ERPs provide this natively, while others require a separate WMS. See: Warehouse Management System (WMS).
The key is one inventory truth with location-level availability. POS and ecommerce should consume accurate availability and push transactions into the same operational inventory system,
so replenishment and planning remain consistent. See: Sell It and ePOS & Shopify.
Yes—AI forecasting and planning can reduce manual work and improve availability by informing purchasing, transfer proposals and stock balancing under real constraints (lead times, service levels, and location priorities).
See: AI Demand Forecasting and AI Functionality.
Start with operating model fit (stores, warehouses, replenishment complexity, scanning workflows and channels), then validate end-to-end flows in demos.
If you’re comparing vendors, use the comparisons hub.