Inventory7 min readUpdated By the StockỌja team
How to choose inventory management software
Short answer
Choose software that fits how you actually sell: it should handle your product variants, every location you keep stock in, and a till that updates stock automatically. Then check online selling, staff permissions, the devices you have, the payment methods your customers use, the real monthly cost, and whether you can export your data if you leave.
Start from your week, not a feature list
Write down what a normal week looks like: how many products you carry, whether they come in sizes or colours, how many places stock sits, who sells, how customers pay and whether you sell online. The right software makes that week easier; anything else is a distraction.
The checklist
| Question | Why it matters |
|---|---|
| Does it handle variants properly? | Sizes and colours should be options of one product, each with its own stock and code. |
| Does the till reduce stock automatically? | If sales and stock are separate, the stock will drift. |
| Can it track more than one location? | A store room or second shop needs its own quantities and transfers. |
| Does it sell online from the same stock? | Separate online and shop stock leads to overselling. |
| Can I control what staff see and do? | Cashiers should sell without being able to change prices or delete history. |
| Does it run on devices I own? | A phone and browser is cheaper than special hardware. |
| Does it keep selling without internet? | Networks drop. The till should save sales on the device and sync them later, without duplicates. |
| Does it fit how customers pay? | Cash, transfer, card on a terminal, and splits between them. |
| What will it really cost? | Monthly price, limits on products, staff and stores, and what happens when you grow. |
| Can I get my data out? | Exports (for example CSV) protect you if you ever switch. |
| Can I reach a person? | Support on the channels you actually use, such as WhatsApp or email. |
Red flags
- You have to update stock separately after each sale.
- Every size or colour has to be a separate product.
- Deleting is allowed for sales or stock movements, with no record of who did it.
- Prices are only in another currency, or the plan you need is far above the free tier with nothing in between.
- There is no way to try it with your own products before paying.
- The till stops working the moment the internet does.
Try it on a real day
- 1
Import or add 20 real products
Include ones with variants and your most awkward item.
- 2
Make real sales
Cash, transfer, card and a split payment. Check the stock moved.
- 3
Receive a delivery and do a count
See how corrections and history are recorded.
- 4
Give a staff member access
Check what they can and cannot do.
- 5
Look at the dashboard after a day
Could you answer "how did we do?" in seconds?
How StockỌja answers the checklist
We built StockỌja around these questions: variants with their own stock and codes, a POS that reduces stock as you sell and keeps selling offline, branches and transfers, an online store on the same stock, roles and an activity log, a browser app for any device, cash, card, transfer and split payments, naira pricing with a free Hustle plan, and CSV exports on paid plans. See pricing for plan limits.
Where StockỌja fits
- ProductInventory management Stock levels per branch, low-stock alerts, variants, transfers and a full history behind every number.
- ProductPricing Start free with one store. Paid plans add branches, staff, products and reports.
- GuideHow to manage inventory without Excel Why stock spreadsheets break as a business grows, and how to move to a system without losing your data.
- GuidePOS vs inventory management software What each one does, how a POS terminal fits in, and why most shops need the two connected.
- ProductRetail & branch management Several stores, staff roles and permissions, suppliers and purchase orders, transfers and an activity log.
- SolutionSmall businesses Start free with one shop and a phone. Stock, sales, expenses and an online store, without a complicated setup.