Use Multichannel Management Analytics & Reordering to Make Data-Driven Decisions
Every decision counts in the business world, and it’s important to have the information you need to make the right choices for your business. This is particularly true in the world of eCommerce, where budget management and demand planning are so crucial.
Multichannel inventory management analytics and reordering tools and solutions can help you make the best decisions for your business, providing real data and insight into your performance and customer behavior. This guide will show you how to choose the right tools for the job.
How We Ranked the Best Multichannel Management Analytics & Reordering
With so many inventory management solutions out there, it can take time to figure out where to begin. To provide accurate recommendations of which tools to use, our experts first looked at the top-rated tools and read through reviews for each one.
Our team then looked at each of the best options in more detail, consulting feature lists, functions, demo versions, pricing, and so on, evaluating the pros and cons of every multichannel inventory management system to produce a fair and accurate ranking.
What Is Multichannel Management Analytics & Reordering?
So, what exactly are multichannel inventory management analytics and reordering tools, and what can they do? Before we look at the unique features and functions of these apps and how they can help your business, we need to first focus on the basics of analytics and reordering in the world of eCommerce.
The concept of analytics has been around for some time but has grown in significance in recent years with the rise of powerful technology like machine learning and artificial intelligence. It uses statistics and data to find patterns, trends, and insights that businesses can use to make the best decisions.
This is particularly important in the world of eCommerce, where businesses often rely heavily on forecasting in supply chain management to decide which products to sell and what prices to apply to their listings. They will also learn how to manage their sales channels and the best ways to generate new leads and gain more paying customers.
Multichannel inventory management software and reordering tools aim to help with analytics for eCommerce companies. Such tools can sift through huge sets of data, making use of smart algorithms and systems to aid businesses with decision-making, forecasting, inventory replenishment, and supply chain management.
How Do Multichannel Management Analytics & Reordering Tools Work
In general, the main way inventory management programs work is by scanning through huge amounts of data in very short amounts of time, far faster than any human or manual method. This process is known as supply chain forecasting (looking at past data about product demand) or demand forecasting in the supply chain.
By automating and streamlining the data analysis process, these tools can help you gain insights to optimize your business in no time at all. And with such benefits, it’s no surprise that many of the world’s most famous eCommerce stores and brands use analytics and reordering systems daily.
In addition, many of the best multichannel management analytics and reordering offer additional features and functionalities, such as automatic report generation, business forecasting, and even order automation, meaning that the best tools can use data to determine which products you need and order the right quantities automatically.
Aspects of Multichannel Management Analytics
The table below provides additional information about how multichannel analytics work and the core components of the process. This can help you decide if multichannel management analytics and reordering tools are necessary for your eCommerce company.
| Aspect | Description |
|---|---|
 Sales Analysis | One of the main ways in which eCommerce analytics works is by analyzing sales trends and figures. A sales forecasting software can sift through your sales data to evaluate which products sell the most, which sell the least, optimum prices, sales times, the optimal order quantity, and so on. |
| Customer Analysis | Analytics tools and programs are also invaluable for learning more about customer expectations and target audience. They can track and monitor customer behavior and make predictions about how your buyers might behave in the future. |
| Trends Analysis | The eCommerce landscape is ever-changing, with various trends and patterns emerging and fading over time. You may not be able to spot such patterns with the naked eye, but analytics tools can look through the data sets to find them for you. |
| Inventory Analysis | Analytics and reordering programs are also really useful for keeping track of your inventory data. They can monitor how your stock levels change over time and make accurate predictions or forecasts about which items you may need to reorder. Use the optimal order quantity formula to determine the optimal order quantity of a product that minimizes the total cost of inventory. |
| Channel Analysis | When managing a multichannel eCommerce business, you need to gather data from multiple channels and adjust your approach accordingly. The right apps can analyze how well your business is performing on a range of channels. |
How Multichannel Management Analytics & Reordering Can Help You
Running an eCommerce business isn’t easy. There are lots of challenges that will inevitably arise along the way, as well as problems to solve and big decisions that you’ll have to make to help your business grow and evolve.
Analytics can help with this, in more ways than one. When faced with a problem or decision, you may not know which way to turn or what to do, but the best business forecasting software can give you the information you need to make the right choice.
Below, we’ll take a look at some of the key ways in which the right inventory management software can assist you, highlighting common pitfalls that inventory management tools can help you overcome.
Lost Sales
One of the worst situations for any business is when you can’t meet the levels of customer demand, so you miss out on multiple sales and profits. Multichannel management analytics and reordering apps ensure that you’ve always got the right business forecast to find the socially optimal quantity of goods.
Poor Stock Management
If you rely purely on manual analysis and traditional methods of stock management, you may make poor decisions, investing in items that won’t sell and failing to restock items that are heavily desired by your costumers. Analytics apps give you real data to make smart stock decisions.
Budget Mismanagement
Managing your budget is also a critical aspect of running your eCommerce business, especially if your company specializes in expensive or luxury items that cost a lot of money. Analytics programs can provide the key insights you require to maximize the return on every investment while spending your money in the smartest way.
Complicated Spreadsheets
Some businesses try to do data analysis themselves or make use of old-fashioned tools and systems to sort through reams of sales data. The problem with this is that many traditional spreadsheets and analytics systems are very confusing and complex. Modern analytics apps are much simpler, requiring less training and expertise to understand.
Damaged Reputation
If your business often has stock-outs and similar issues, this could affect your reputation. Customers may complain about items never being in stock, which could lead to bad reviews and so on. Analytics apps should help you to continue meeting your customers’ needs.
| Problem | How Multichannel Management Analytics & Reordering Help |
|---|---|
| Missing Out on Sales | Keep items in stock to maximize sales |
| Stock Problems | Improve your inventory management |
| Incorrect Spending | Invest capital in the right places |
| Complex and Time-Consuming Methods | Simplify the process of data analysis |
| Unhappy Customers | Please your audience with always in-stock items |
Multichannel Management Analytics & Reordering Meaning
Multichannel management analytics and reordering programs are apps and tools that are designed to help eCommerce businesses with their multichannel strategies by analyzing data and providing reordering insights, as well as automation and other features.
Main Features of Multichannel Management Analytics & Reordering
It’s clear that multichannel inventory management tools can offer a wide range of benefits to any user, but before you start using one of these apps, systems or software, you might want to know more about what they can do.
Depending on which program or tool you use, you might find various functions and features, like demand forecasting and inventory management. Some will be purely based around analyzing data, for example, to discover insights and identify trends.
Other apps may be more fully-featured, offering additional functions like automatic reordering, report generation, data imports and exports, scalability, and integrations with other applications. The table below shows some of the most common features that may interest you.
| Feature | Description |
|---|---|
| Data Analysis | Of course, one of the main features of any analysis app or tool is to analyze data. These programs are capable of taking very large and complex data-sets and then breaking them down to find trends and patterns. |
| Reports | Many of the best analytics and reordering apps for eCommerce businesses also offer report generation. So, as well as analyzing your data, they’ll also create reports you can read through to learn more about it. |
| Automated Reordering | When running an eCommerce business, it can be crucial to place orders at the right time to ensure that you’ve always got sufficient stock of your most popular items. Reordering apps can place orders as needed automatically. |
| Forecasting in Business | A lot of the best multichannel management analytics and reordering apps are also capable of forecasting, or making use of data and identified trends to predict what might happen in the future for your business. A forecasting software is sure to help you run business processes smoothly. |
| Inventory Management | Another key feature of many of the top-rated analysis apps is their ability to automatically manage your business’s inventory. They can keep track of stock levels across all channels and reduce the risk of stock-outs. |
| Demand Planning | Last but not least, analytics apps can also aid with demand planning. They can use data to see when your store is most likely to see higher levels of demand, giving you the info you need to plan and prepare ahead of time. |
Benefits of Using Multichannel Management Analytics & Reordering
| Pros | Cons |
|---|---|
 Gain insights and analysis |  These apps cost money |
| Simplify the analytics process | You still have to make the big decisions |
| Make smarter decisions for your business | |
| Save hours of time | |
| Optimize your brand’s growth |
So, is a multichannel inventory management tool right for you? In this section, we’ll help you find out more about what kinds of unique benefits you can expect to enjoy when using one of these tools.
Identify Trends and Gain Knowledge
Perhaps the most important benefit of analytics tools is how they can be used to identify trends and patterns in your sales data. Without such tools, you might not notice certain trends that could prove useful or valuable for your brand.
We can derive so much useful knowledge from sets of data, and you can put that knowledge to good use to build your business, increase your profits, and build better relationships with your customers in the future.
An Easy Way to Analyze Data
It’s clear to see that data is invaluable to any modern business, but if you try to analyze it by yourself or make use of the wrong tools, you might find that the process of data analysis, especially from multiple channels, is immensely complicated.
Many business owners simply give up on data analysis after looking at too many complicated charts and confusing spreadsheets. Analytics apps make the whole process much simpler and easier for you to understand.
Make the Best Choices
As a business owner and entrepreneur, it’s up to you to make the right decisions for your business. You have to choose which products to buy and sell, how much stock to purchase, how best to market your products, and so on.
These decisions can make or break your business’s prospects, which is why it’s so important to get as much information as possible before you make them. Analytics apps provide you with that information, getting you better prepared to make the right calls.
Time-Saving and Efficient
Efficiency is another crucial aspect of running a successful eCommerce business. Too often, businesses in this field end up wasting time or lacking efficiency, which can negatively affect their profits and chances of success.
You have to make every second count, using technological tools and solutions to optimize every step of your day-to-day operations. Analytics apps for multichannel brands can save you so much time through automation.
Build Your Brand
Every business owner has aspirations and ideas for the future, and many want to see their brands grow and evolve over time. If you hope to build up your brand into a real success story, you need to use the right tools to get there.
The most successful eCommerce brands all make use of analytics apps and leverage sales data to fuel growth. If you hope to compete alongside them or even surpass them, then you’ll need to do the same by investing in good quality analytics software.
Who Should Use Multichannel Management Analytics & Reordering
Some businesses can get more use and benefits out of analytics apps than others. So, what kinds of businesses are best served by this multichannel inventory management software? Here are just some examples of eCommerce companies that should seriously consider using analytics and reordering apps.
Small Businesses
If you’re running a small eCommerce business, it’s recommended to use the right technological tools to help compensate for your limited budget and resources. Analytics apps can help you compete with your rivals and plant the foundations for future growth and development.
Retail Networks
If you’re running a retail network, it’s vital to maintain the delicate balance of supply and demand between suppliers, warehouses, stores, and more. Analytics and reordering apps should help to ensure that your stores always have the right items in stock.
Businesses with High-Cost Products
Businesses that specialize in high-end or luxury items, like jewelry, for instance, can also benefit from analytics and reordering apps. These apps will help you to optimize your luxury item collections for maximum profits.
Businesses Selling Perishable Goods
If you sell perishable goods, like food items, it’s really important to get your ordering correct so as not to buy too much food and have it go to waste, while also ensuring that you have sufficient supplies to meet demand.
What Do Multichannel Management Analytics & Reordering Cost?
Price is one of the most important factors for many businesses, especially smaller companies with restricted budgets, to think about before buying or using any new software. So, how much will you have to spend on analytics and reordering apps?
- Simple analytics apps can cost as low as $50 to $100 a year
- Mid-tier analytics services may cost in excess of $250
- High-end analytics for big companies can cost thousands of dollars a month
Overall, the cost of such services will depend on a range of factors, like the type of business you have, what kinds of resources you require, and how large your business is.
Trends in Multichannel Management Analytics & Reordering
The eCommerce industry is changing all the time, and shrewd business owners are always informed on the latest trends so that they know what steps to take and how to respond in order to ensure that their brands remain relevant and successful. Here are some trends that should be on your radar when it comes to eCommerce analytics.
- AI Powered eCommerce – It’s clear that artificial intelligence is one of the most exciting technologies of modern times, and it has countless possible uses in the eCommerce space. Experts believe that AI will become increasingly important and relied upon to provide better shopping experiences and stronger sales.
- The Power of Personalization – Many customer surveys have come to the same conclusion: customers like it when brands show that they care through personalized messaging and branding. Big data can power your company’s efforts to provide a more personal touch for every shopper.
- An Expanding Empire – Statistics conclusively show that the eCommerce industry is growing bigger all the time, and it shows no signs of slowing down. With more platforms, more shoppers, and more competition than ever before, it’s vital to use all tech tools at your disposal to keep up with your rivals.
- Mobile Expansion – Not only is the eCommerce industry getting bigger, but the number of people using mobile devices, like smartphones, to buy items online is really starting to rise. It’s therefore going to be important for brands to adapt to mobile users and gather data on how they behave to formulate smart selling strategies.
Which Is the Best Multichannel Management Analytics & Reordering App?
The right analytics and reordering app could enhance your business in more ways than one, but which is the best one to choose? Well, the right option for you will depend on your business’ size, products, and other factors. Therefore, we encourage you to try a few different options from our list and compare them.
How to Choose the Right Multichannel Management Analytics & Reordering
With a multichannel management analytics app, you can give your business more data, more insight, and more information to make the smartest and most sensible decisions to build and grow your brand.
If you’re not sure how to get started, we recommend looking at your current business situation, especially in regard to analytics, and try to identify possible areas of improvement or aspects of your business that could be better.
Maybe your current analytics system isn’t paying off, for example, or maybe you want to know more about your customers and target audience so that you can connect them with on a deeper level than before.
Either way, once you identify some of those aforementioned areas of improvement, you can more easily pick an analytics solution to help you. Again, we recommend trying more than one app to compare them and see what gets the best results, rather than restricting yourself to only one option.
Summary
Overall, if you want to grow a successful eCommerce brand, analytics and reordering tools can make a huge difference. Not only do these apps provide vital insight and data, but they can also offer automation features to save you and your staff hours of time.
We hope that this guide has given you the right knowledge you need to not only understand how analytics apps can help, but also to make the right choice when selecting one to use for your brand.