For retail stores using the Detego platform, the stocktake is where it all starts. Using the intellgient stocktake feature, stores can reach as high as 99% stock accuracy.
Feature Focus – Stocktake: Improving Stock Accuracy in Retail Stores
How is a Detego stocktake different?
For retail stores using the Detego platform, the stocktake is where it all starts. While typically stores would only perform a full stocktake, also knows as a cycle count or an inventory, a handful of times a year, the RFID-powered Detego application allows stocktakes to be performed bi-weekly or even daily.
Staff perform a stocktake through the Detego mobile application, connected to a handheld RFID reader. The application guides staff through the process, displaying the current count, the differences from the target list and the stock accuracy percentage. Stocktakes are vital to maintaining an accurate inventory – with the Detego platform stores can reach as high as 99% stock accuracy.
What problem does it solve?
Regular stocktakes are essential to maintaining a high level of stock accuracy and maintaining On-Floor Availability (OFA) of products.
Performing regular stocktakes:
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Is the key to achieving high stock accuracy and shop floor availability
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Enables store managers to uncover stock discrepancies
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Provides insight into product performance and enables review of pricing strategies
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Exposes theft
However, a manual count of inventory or a barcode cycle count is incredibly time-consuming. Counting items individually takes at least several hours and often means closing the store or working around opening hours. As a result, cycle counts in retail stores are typically only performed a handful of times a year, meaning lower stock accuracy in stores – the average being between 60-70%.
The Detego platform changes this. Powered by RFID, staff using the stocktake feature can perform a stocktake of both the backroom and salesfloor in around 30 minutes (depending on store size). The RFID reader can read product signals all at once, so it can count hundreds of items in seconds. A Detego stocktake can also never count a product more than once and is far less likely to miss items as direct line of sight is not needed. The result of this an increase of stock accuracy to ~98%.
The Detego system:
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Makes stocktaking much more efficient, easier, and faster
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Brings more accurate stocktake results
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Reduces operational costs of doing a stocktake
‘We scan every day, giving us the accuracy of the exact stock we have in the store, in roughly 35 minutes’
Manisha Hassan, Reiss Store Manager
Why is having a high stock accuracy in stores so important?
Stock accuracy for stores has become a core KPI for retailers. At the most basic level its vital for maintaining the availability of products on the salesfloor and preventing out of stocks which in turn increases sales – our customer, Reiss, increases sales by 4% by increasing their stock accuracy. Stores without such accurate inventory must compensate to maintain sales, so they will often carry excess stock to prevent out of stocks and lost sales. Increasing stock accuracy in such cases results in a significant reduction in inventory size, reducing working capital by as much as 30%.
When you look at more advanced retail trends, like the increasing connection between online and offline – high stock is simply non-negotiable. Offering online customers real-time store stock information naturally requires the retailer to know exactly what is in stock, and advanced services like buy-online-pick-up-in-store (BOPIS) built off of poor stock accuracy are destined to fail.
How does it work?
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Each staff member selects the stocktaking option on their handheld device.
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As each staff member reads the items in their designated area, their handheld device reflects the number of items that they have read and the current stock accuracy.
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If more than one person is performing the stocktake, the devices are synchronised, and the stock accuracy is calculated using all the counts.
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Once most items have been read, staff can see the number of differences between the actual and target counts and can attempt to resolve the differences (for example, re-reading an area and replacing any missing tags).
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When a staff member has completed their read and resolved as many differences as possible, they confirm the result on their device.
The Detego stocktake in action
Our customers, fashion retailer Reiss, implemented the Detego platform in their 50 UK stores. They moved from doing 2-3 cycle counts a year to a stocktake every day. The result was an average store stock accuracy of 98%, and a resulting 4% uplift in sales.
Types of stocktake with the Detego platform
Guided Stocktake
A guided stocktake is the most common method for a Detego cycle count. Guided means that the handheld readers used for a stocktake show the number of items that the device has read and the calculated stock accuracy based on the number of products read by all devices and the expected stock of the store.
After reading all of the items in the store, staff can investigate the differences between the actual and expected counts, a process called difference clarification.
For example, staff may realise that they missed an area in the location they were reading, or there may be a surplus of a specific product on the salesfloor. Once staff have resolved as many differences as possible, they confirm their final count.
Blind Stocktake
A Blind stocktake works the same way as a guided one except that the handheld readers only show the number of items that the device has read. They don’t show the expected number of items or the current stock accuracy and staff can’t investigate any differences on their handheld device. Staff simply read the items in their designated location and confirm their count when their read is complete.
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May be required for regulatory reasons
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Enables the store manager to control the stocktake as individual store staff cannot investigate differences on their own
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Reduces the risk of items going missing during a stocktake
Partial Stocktake
A Partial stocktake checks a subset of inventory, for example, a category of items, such as footwear, or a specific product. Partial stocktakes are useful if there is not time to perform a full stocktake, or if there are issues to resolve with certain types of stock. Partial stocktakes are useful in the following situations:
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A full stocktake would take too long to complete in the time available
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A full stocktake has highlighted issues with a particular item or location that need further investigation
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A full stocktake for large stores would be complex and difficult to manage, so it’s more efficient to check individual locations separately
Cloud-hosted RFID software
Stock accuracy, on-floor availability, and omnichannel applications in stores.
Detego Store is a cloud-hosted RFID solution which digitises stock management processes, making them more efficient and more accurate. Implemented within hours, our multi-user app can provide intelligent stock takes and a smart in-store replenishment process. Later, you can scale the solution to offer omnichannel services and effectively manage your entire store operations with real-time, item-level inventory visibility and analytics.
