Inventory6 min readUpdated By the StockỌja team
How to manage inventory without Excel
Short answer
Replace the spreadsheet with inventory software that records stock changes as they happen, instead of relying on someone to update cells. Clean your existing sheet first (one row per product, consistent names, prices and quantities), export it as CSV and import it, then do a quick count to confirm the opening stock.
Why spreadsheets work at first
A spreadsheet is a sensible first step. It is free, everyone knows it, it adds up totals and you can sort and filter. For one person with a modest range of products, it is often enough.
Where spreadsheets break
- They do not know a sale happened. Every sale means someone editing a cell. Busy days are exactly when that gets skipped.
- Several people, several versions. Copies on different phones disagree, and nobody knows which is right.
- No history. A cell shows 4, but not who changed it from 9, when, or why.
- No warnings. Nothing tells you an item is running low until a customer asks for it.
- Stock and money live apart. Sales are in one place, stock in another, expenses in a third, and profit is a guess.
- Variants explode. A product in five sizes and four colours is twenty rows to keep in step.
What to use instead
The real fix is not a better spreadsheet; it is removing the need to update stock by hand. Inventory software connected to your till does that: each sale reduces stock, each delivery increases it, each correction is logged with a reason and a name. Look for one that also handles sales, purchasing and, if you sell online, your online store, so everything comes from one record. See how to choose inventory management software.
Moving your spreadsheet into a system
- 1
Make one row per product
Delete duplicates and merge look-alike names. For items that come in sizes or colours, keep one row for the product and add its variants in the app after importing.
- 2
Use clear columns
Name, SKU (your short code), barcode if any, category, brand, selling price, cost price, low-stock level and quantity. Remove totals, notes and merged cells.
- 3
Check the numbers
Prices as plain numbers (12000, not ₦12k), quantities as whole numbers, nothing blank that matters.
- 4
Export as CSV
In Excel or Google Sheets, save or download as CSV.
- 5
Import and review
In StockỌja, import the file. It checks every row and shows which are ready and which have problems before anything is saved.
- 6
Confirm with a quick count
Spot-check your most valuable and fastest-selling items, and adjust any that are off.
After the switch
Sell everything through the POS from day one, including small cash sales, or the record will drift just like the spreadsheet did. Record deliveries as they arrive, and set reorder levels so the system can warn you. Keep the old spreadsheet as an archive, but stop updating it: two sources of truth are worse than one.
Where StockỌja fits
- ProductProduct catalogue Products, variants, categories, brands, photos, SKUs and barcodes, imported from CSV and shared by every branch.
- ProductInventory management Stock levels per branch, low-stock alerts, variants, transfers and a full history behind every number.
- GuideHow to choose inventory management software A checklist of what matters for a shop: variants, branches, the till, online selling, staff, cost and support.
- GuideHow to track stock in a small business A practical routine for knowing what you have, stopping stock from going missing and doing it from your phone.
- SolutionSmall businesses Start free with one shop and a phone. Stock, sales, expenses and an online store, without a complicated setup.
- ProductPoint of sale A fast counter for busy hours: scan or search, cash, card, transfer or split payments, receipts, and it keeps selling offline.