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Inventory Software Buyer’s Guide

Your guide to help you choose an inventory management system

With so many different solutions, deciding which is the best type of inventory management software for your business is a challenge in and of itself. Download your free copy of our buyer’s guide to learn about the options available, how they function, and the pain points they solve.

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Inventory Software Buyer’s Guide

When a system claims they’re an all-in-one solution, they usually mean that they’re a Jack of all trades, master of none. How do you ensure you’re choosing the right software?

To cut through the noise, we’ve compiled this guide to help you understand what type of software your business needs and the benefits of adopting an IMS like Katana Cloud Inventory. 

About the guide

Don’t overwhelm yourself on your journey to implement software 

From understanding what type of software you might need to learning all about the major SaaS providers in the inventory management space — hit the ground running with all the information you need to make better purchasing decisions.

How to choose software  

Different software promises different results. You need to understand what you need from your software and if it’s the best one for the tasks you need to automate. That’s why we looked into the four best software choices for businesses that need to handle inventory, including advantages and disadvantages.  

Make a decision on implementing an inventory solution for your business based on how it functions  

Get buy-in from stakeholders

To adopt an inventory solution, you will likely need to get several others on board. That’s why we created our mini-guide to help you understand what others typically want when implementing a new system — from the C-suite to your accountant — making it easier to eliminate friction when investing in new software. 

Understand how to better pitch to others in your company when choosing a new inventory system 

When to get an ERP

For many SMBs handling physical inventory, it will likely come down to a choice between using a cloud-based IMS or an ERP system. To understand which one is best for you, this is the question that you’ll need to answer: Are you at the enterprise level where you need something this complicated to integrate?

Find out the main reasons and pain points why other businesses choose an IMS over an ERP 

Katana Cloud Inventory Software

Getting your products to customers faster

Katana supports your workflows no matter your industry with the features and seamless integrations you need to manage your business how you want.

Katana inventory management system showing item table with stock, committed, expected quantities, and highlighted 143 in-stock badge with location filter

Take control of your inventory in real time

Katana’s Smart Inventory provides live, connected insights across all channels and locations — helping you maintain the correct stock levels. Track items in real-time, forecast demand with confidence, and manage costs without end-of-month surprises.

  • Real time visibility
  • Barcode workflows
  • Expiry dates
  • Batch/lot and serial number tracking
  • Automated stock movements
  • Multilocation support
  • Omnichannel order sync
  • Planning and forecasting
  • User permissions
Purchasing widgets including stock row, purchase order card, and status selector to balance supply with demand and avoid overstocking

Stay ahead with demand-led purchasing

Track everything that’s purchased and trace its journey from supplier to production. Katana maintains a comprehensive record to support compliance, simplify audits, and facilitate prompt responses to recalls, strengthening trust in your company.

  • Multicurrency support
  • Purchasing insights
  • Reorder recommendations
  • Receiving
  • Contract manufacturing
  • Multilocation support
Katana manufacturing system showing production order table with tasks, deadlines, and statuses plus task card view to track shop floor progress in real time

Manufacturing you can see, control, and deliver

Gain complete visibility into your entire production process. Plan capacity, allocate resources, and ensure materials are ready when needed. Live shop floor updates enable you to identify and resolve issues promptly, keeping production on track.

  • Shop Floor App
  • Insights and planning
  • Contract manufacturing
  • BOM and subassemblies
  • Barcode scanning
  • Manufacturing cost calculations
  • Real-time inventory management
  • Role-based access
  • MTS and MTO workflows
Order management software interface showing product stock levels, purchase orders, and real-time updates for seamless multi-channel fulfillment

Manage orders seamlessly across all of your channels

Connect sales channels, such as Shopify, Amazon, or WooCommerce, to Katana to ensure that all orders sync automatically. Eliminate worrying about double entries, lost orders, or messy spreadsheets — just accurate, up-to-date data across every channel.

  • Return management
  • Kits and bundles
  • Partial order fulfillment
  • Sell goods and services
  • Omnichannel sales order sync
  • Custom fields and internal notes
  • AI-powered assistant
Katana warehousing UI elements showing stock table, purchase order widget, and status menu to manage receiving, picking, and packing

Reliably move stock in and out of warehouses

Supply your team with mobile access to real-time tasks, barcode scanning, and role-based views. The Warehouse App ensures that receiving, picking, packing, and transfers are completed accurately and on time, keeping inventory reliable and customers happy.

  • Warehouse app
  • Bin locations
  • Barcode scanning
  • Multilocation support
  • Pick and pack
  • Receiving and partial receiving
  • 3PL & WMS support

Get visibility over your sales and stock

Wave goodbye to uncertainty with Katana Cloud Inventory — AI-powered for total inventory control