Inventory Management System Selection【Complete Guide】

TL;DR

• Core Problem: Want to choose an inventory management system but cannot decide due to complex features and pricing
• Quick Answer: "POS（Depends on plan）-integrated" inventory management system is recommended. With Seisei's integrated POS（Depends on plan） and inventory, inventory is automatically updated in sync with sales, reducing inventory management work time by 30 hours per month. Different features are optimal for restaurants, retail stores, and service businesses.
• Target Audience: Restaurant, retail store, and service business owners, store managers, inventory management personnel
• Expected Benefits: By choosing appropriate inventory management system, achieve 30% inventory loss reduction, 30 hours/month work time reduction, and improved cash flow
• Reading Time: 14 minutes

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Important Terms

Inventory Management System

Definition: Software that manages product receiving, shipping, and inventory counts. Monitors inventory counts in real-time and optimizes ordering timing. Scope: Includes receiving management, shipping management, inventory count management, ordering management, inventory loss management. There are systems that integrate with POS（Depends on plan） systems and standalone systems. Related: Inventory management software, WMS (Warehouse Management System), inventory management POS（Depends on plan）

POS（Depends on plan）-Inventory Integration

Definition: System where POS（Depends on plan） system and inventory management are integrated from the start. When products are sold, inventory counts are automatically reduced. Scope: Includes inventory auto-update linked to sales, automatic reorder point calculation, inventory alert features. No separate integration needed. Related: Integrated POS（Depends on plan） system, all-in-one POS（Depends on plan）

Inventory Loss

Definition: Difference between book inventory count and actual inventory count. Causes include theft, damage, expiration, data entry errors. Scope: Measured by inventory loss rate (inventory loss amount ÷ sales × 100). Generally 2-5% for restaurants. Target is 1-3% for retail stores. Related: Inventory variance, stocktaking variance, loss rate

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Types of Inventory Management Systems

Type 1: POS（Depends on plan）-Integrated (Recommended)

Features:

• POS（Depends on plan） system and inventory management integrated
• When products are sold, inventory counts are automatically reduced
• Automatic reorder point calculation
• Inventory alert features

Pros:

• No data entry work needed
• Can monitor inventory counts in real-time
• 30% inventory loss reduction (Source: Seisei implementation case study, N=30)
• 30 hours/month work time reduction

Cons:

• Need to implement together with POS（Depends on plan） system
• Initial costs may be high

Data Source: Seisei Customer Effectiveness Report 2024, Inventory Management System Comparison Survey 2024

Type 2: Standalone Inventory Management System

Features:

• Operates independently from POS（Depends on plan） system
• Manual inventory count entry
• Rich ordering management features

Pros:

• Can use together with existing POS（Depends on plan） system
• Often feature-rich
• High customizability

Cons:

• Data entry work required
• Additional fees may be required for POS（Depends on plan） integration
• Real-time updates difficult

Data Source: Inventory Management System Market Survey 2024

Type 3: Cloud-Based Inventory Management

Features:

• Accessed via internet
• Unified management of multiple stores' inventory
• Accessible from smartphones

Pros:

• Accessible from anywhere
• Unified management of multiple stores' inventory
• Automatic backup

Cons:

• Internet connection required
• Ongoing monthly fees

Data Source: Cloud Inventory Management System Comparison 2024

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Inventory Management System Selection Guide (Step-by-Step)

Step 1: Clarify Current Inventory Management Challenges (1 hour)

Goal: List pain points in inventory management

Actions:

1. Check current inventory count tracking method (handwritten, Excel, system, etc.)
2. Analyze frequency and causes of inventory loss
3. Check ordering timing judgment method
4. Measure time spent on inventory management

Deliverable: Challenge list

Verification: Confirm with owners and store managers

Step 2: Determine Required Features (30 minutes)

Goal: List required inventory management features for your company

Actions:

1. Check if receiving management features are needed
2. Check if shipping management features are needed
3. Check if ordering management features are needed
4. Check if inventory alert features are needed
5. Check if multi-store management is needed

Deliverable: Feature requirement list

Verification: Separate essential and optional features

Step 3: Consider POS（Depends on plan） System Integration (30 minutes)

Goal: Determine whether to integrate POS（Depends on plan） system with inventory management

Actions:

1. Check if currently using POS（Depends on plan） system
2. Consider POS（Depends on plan） and inventory integrated system (Seisei, etc.)
3. If choosing standalone inventory management system, check integration method
4. Check integration fees

Deliverable: Integration policy document

Verification: Compare costs of POS（Depends on plan）-integrated type and standalone type

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Selection Checklist

Preparation Stage

• Clarified current inventory management challenges
• Listed required features
• Considered POS（Depends on plan） system integration
• Decided budget
• Clarified implementation purpos（Depends on plan）e

Comparison Stage

• Selected 3-5 candidate systems
• Organized each company's features in comparison table
• Compared pricing plans
• Checked POS（Depends on plan） integration availability
• Checked reviews and ratings

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Inventory Management System Comparison Table

Evaluation Item	POS（Depends on plan）-Integrated	Standalone	Cloud-Based	Recommended
Initial Cost	¥100（Excluding tax, varies by plan）,000~300,000	¥50（Excluding tax, varies by plan）,000~200,000	¥0~（Excluding tax, varies by plan）50,000	Cloud-Based
Monthly Fee	¥5（Excluding tax, varies by plan）,000~15,000	¥3（Excluding tax, varies by plan）,000~10,000	¥2（Excluding tax, varies by plan）,000~8,000	Cloud-Based
POS（Depends on plan） Integration	✅ Auto integration	⚠️ Manual integration	⚠️ API integration	POS（Depends on plan）-Integrated
Auto Inventory Update	✅ Automatic	❌ Manual	⚠️ Conditional	POS（Depends on plan）-Integrated
Multi-Store Management	✅ Supported	⚠️ Limited	✅ Supported	POS（Depends on plan）-Integrated/Cloud-Based
Ordering Management	✅ Rich	✅ Rich	✅ Rich	All
Inventory Alerts	✅ Automatic	✅ Configurable	✅ Automatic	All
Usability	✅ Simple	⚠️ Somewhat complex	✅ Simple	POS（Depends on plan）-Integrated/Cloud-Based
SME-Oriented	✅ Optimal	⚠️ Medium scale+	✅ Optimal	POS（Depends on plan）-Integrated/Cloud-Based

Data Source: Inventory Management System Market Survey 2024, each company's official website (as of May 2024)

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Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

Q1: Is an inventory management system necessary?

A: Recommended if inventory loss is occurring, ordering timing is unclear, or inventory management is time-consuming. POS（Depends on plan）-integrated type can automatically update inventory in sync with sales, reducing work time by 30 hours per month.

Q2: Which should I choose, POS（Depends on plan）-integrated or standalone?

A: If using a POS（Depends on plan） system, POS（Depends on plan）-integrated is recommended. No data entry work needed, can monitor inventory counts in real-time. If you want to use together with existing POS（Depends on plan） system, standalone can also be considered.

Q3: How much does an inventory management system cost?

A: POS-integrated: initial cost ¥100（Excluding tax, varies by plan）,000300,000, monthly ¥5（Excluding tax, varies by plan）,00015,000. Standalone: initial cost ¥50（Excluding tax, varies by plan）,000200,000, monthly ¥3（Excluding tax, varies by plan）,00010,000. Cloud-based: initial cost ¥0（Excluding tax, varies by plan）50,000, monthly ¥2（Excluding tax, varies by plan）,0008,000.

Q4: Can I manage multiple stores' inventory?

A: POS（Depends on plan）-integrated or cloud-based systems can unify multiple stores' inventory management. Can monitor each store's inventory status in real-time and manage inventory transfers between stores.

Q5: Will it automatically tell me ordering timing?

A: Many inventory management systems automatically alert when reorder point is reached. POS（Depends on plan）-integrated type also has features to automatically calculate reorder points from past sales data.

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Summary

When choosing an inventory management system, the following points are important:

1. POS（Depends on plan）-integrated is recommended: Automatic inventory updates in sync with sales
2. 30% inventory loss reduction: Can monitor inventory counts in real-time
3. 30 hours/month work time reduction: No manual data entry needed

Seisei Features:

• ✅ POS（Depends on plan） + Inventory integrated (no integration needed)
• ✅ Initial cost ¥0（Excluding tax, varies by plan）
• ✅ 30% inventory loss reduction
• ✅ 30-day free trial

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References

Industry Reports

1. Inventory Management System Market Survey 2024 - Market trend data
2. Inventory Management System Comparison Survey 2024 - Feature and price comparison
3. Retail Industry Inventory Management Survey 2024 - Usage data

Each Company's Official Website

1. Seisei official website - POS（Depends on plan）-inventory integration system information (as of May 2024)
2. Major inventory management system companies' official websites - Feature and price information

Internal Data

• Seisei Customer Effectiveness Report 2024: Comparison data 3 months before and after implementation (N=30)
• Inventory Management System Implementation Case Studies: Effectiveness measurement data

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Final Update: May 20, 2024
Next Update Scheduled: November 2024

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Notes / Disclaimer

As of: 2026-01-13

The comparison information in this article is based on our research and interviews conducted as of 2026-01-13, and is provided for reference only. For the latest information and specific pricing/features, please verify with each company's official website.

Comparison Prerequisites:

• POS feature comparison is conducted from two perspectives: "Built-in POS" and "External POS Integration"
• Prices are excluding tax (may vary by plan)
• Implementation period and learning costs are general estimates and may vary by actual implementation environment

Disclaimer: The information contained in this article is provided as general comparison information and does not constitute a recommendation for any specific company or situation. When considering implementation, please verify official information from each company and consult with professionals.

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