Inventory & Purchasing Management

Effective Inventory Management prevents stockouts and lost sales. This module allows you to track current stock levels, configure automated low-stock threshold alerts, and seamlessly generate Purchase Orders (POs) to send directly to your suppliers when it's time to restock.

This guide covers everything from adding the people who supply your goods (Suppliers) to ordering new stock (Purchase Orders) and keeping track of your business expenses.

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1. Supplier Management (વિક્રેતા મેનેજમેન્ટ)

What is a Supplier? A supplier (or vendor) is the company, farmer, or wholesaler from whom you purchase your supermarket's inventory. By keeping all supplier details in the system, you can easily contact them and track how much business you do with each one.

Step-by-Step: How to Add a New Supplier

1. From your Partner Dashboard, click on Inventory in the left menu, then select Suppliers.
2. Click the + Add Supplier button in the top right corner.
3. A form will open. Fill in the critical details:
   • Company Name: The registered name of the supplier (e.g., "Gujarat Fresh Farms").
   • Contact Person: The name of your sales representative.
   • Phone & Email: Their direct contact information for quick ordering.
   • Address: Where their warehouse or office is located.
   • Tax ID / GST Number: Very important for your accounting and tax filing.
4. Review the details and click Save Supplier. The supplier is now ready to be used when you create Purchase Orders.

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2. Creating a Purchase Order (PO)

What is a Purchase Order (PO)? A Purchase Order is an official document you create and send to your supplier when you want to buy more stock. It lists exactly which products you need, how many you need, and the price you agreed to pay.

Step-by-Step: How to Create a PO

1. Go to Inventory -> Purchase Orders.
2. Click the Create New PO button.
3. Select Supplier: Choose the supplier you added earlier from the dropdown list.
4. Select Delivery Date: Choose the date you expect the stock to arrive.
5. Add Items:
   • Click Add Product and search your existing database for the items you want to order (e.g., "Amul Milk 500ml").
   • Enter the Quantity Requested (e.g., 100 packets).
   • Enter the Purchase Price per unit. The system will automatically calculate the total cost for that line item.
6. Add as many products as needed from that supplier.
7. The system will calculate the Grand Total at the bottom.
8. Click Save as Draft if you are still working on it, or click Issue PO to finalize it. You can then download it as a PDF or email it directly to the supplier.

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3. Receiving Goods from a PO

What does it mean to Receive Goods? When the supplier's delivery truck arrives at your supermarket, you must verify that they delivered what you actually ordered. Sometimes items are missing or damaged.

Step-by-Step: How to Log Received Goods

1. Go to Purchase Orders and click on the PO you issued previously.
2. Click the Receive Goods button.
3. The system will show a list of everything you ordered. For each item, enter the Quantity Received.
   • Example: If you ordered 100 packets of milk but 2 were damaged, you enter 98.
4. Once you confirm the received quantities, the system will automatically update your supermarket's live stock. Your available inventory will instantly increase.
5. Update the PO status to COMPLETED. If there were missing items, the system will keep track of the discrepancy for your accounting.

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4. Expense Tracking

What are Business Expenses? To know your true profit, you must track all money leaving your business, not just inventory purchases. This includes rent, electricity, staff salaries, and packaging materials.

Step-by-Step: How to Add an Expense

1. Go to Finance -> Expenses.
2. Click Add Expense.
3. Title: Give it a clear name (e.g., "October Electricity Bill").
4. Amount: Enter the exact amount paid.
5. Category: Select a category from the dropdown (e.g., Utilities, Rent, Packaging, Salaries, Marketing).
6. Date: Select the date the payment was made.
7. Attachment (Optional): Upload a photo of the physical receipt or bill for your records.
8. Click Save. This expense will now be deducted from your total revenue in the Analytics Dashboard to show your actual net profit.