Webshop stock management: counting, reordering and stock across all your channels

Good webshop stock management means you always know how much of each product you have, where it is and when to reorder. Get it right and you never sell something you don't have, and no money sits idle in boxes that don't move.

Too little stock costs sales: a product shows as sold out, or you have to cancel an order. On marketplaces such as bol, a cancellation also counts against your seller performance. Too much stock costs money: you've paid for it, it takes up space, and at a fulfilment company you pay storage for it every month. Good stock management sits right in between.

Webshop stock management: the five parts

1. Counting: know what you have

It all starts with a figure you can trust. Count every delivery on arrival against the packing slip, and give each product a fixed location with a barcode (EAN). Then you don't have to search later, and scanning catches mistakes.

After that, count regularly. One big stocktake a year is not much. Better is cycle counting: a few shelves every week. Log every difference with a reason (damage, wrong pick, missing). If the same product keeps showing differences, you know where things go wrong.

2. Minimum and maximum: when do you reorder?

Give each product a reorder point (minimum). When stock drops below it, you reorder. A simple formula:

reorder point = sales per day × lead time in days + safety stock

An example: you sell 4 units a day, your supplier delivers in 10 days and you want a buffer of 15 units. Then you reorder as soon as you drop below 55.

The maximum is how much you want to hold at once. That depends on your space, your cash and how quickly the product dates. A seasonal product or something with a best-before date you keep tighter than a basic item that always sells.

3. ABC analysis: not every product deserves the same attention

In most webshops, a small share of products brings in most of the revenue. With an ABC analysis you rank your products by revenue and split them into three groups:

Group	What it is	How you manage it
A	The few products with the most revenue	Count often, generous buffer, never sold out
B	The middle group	Normal reorder point, check now and then
C	The long tail that sells little	Tight stock, and ask: does it stay in the range?

That way your time and money go to the products that matter.

4. Several channels: one stock, the same everywhere

If you sell through your own webshop, bol and Amazon, you're selling from the same pile. Update stock per channel by hand and sooner or later you sell something twice. The fix is one source for your stock, with an integration that updates every channel as soon as something is sold, delivered or returned. That can be stock software, a WMS system or your fulfilment company's system.

For fast sellers, you may want to hold back a small buffer, so a delay in the sync doesn't cause problems. If you also use Logistiek via bol (bol's own fulfilment), that stock sits separately at bol and you count it on its own (fulfilment for bol sellers).

5. Returns back in stock

A return only becomes revenue again once it's back in stock. Check every product, decide whether it can be sold, and put it back as quickly as possible. What is no longer as new you sell as a second-chance item or write off. Log the return reason too: lots of "too small" for the same product says something about your size chart.

Outsourcing stock management to a fulfilment company

If you outsource your logistics, the fulfilment company takes over most of this work. Their WMS records every inbound delivery, gives each product a location, tracks stock per location and sends it to all your connected channels. Returns are checked and put back.

Of the 207 active fulfilment companies we track in the Netherlands and Belgium, 131 mention on their own website a client portal where you can see your stock, and 140 mention returns handling (list). What usually stays with you: purchasing and reordering. The portal shows you when a product reaches its reorder point, but you place the order with your supplier yourself.

When choosing, check how often they count, how quickly a delivery is in stock and how quickly a return can be sold again. More about this kind of partner in What is a 3PL?, and what it costs in What does fulfilment cost?.

Frequently asked questions

What software do you use for stock management?

For a small webshop, the stock function in your webshop software is often enough. If you sell on several channels or with more people, you'll end up with stock software or a WMS. If you outsource, you use your fulfilment company's system.

How often should you count your stock?

Count A products every month or more often, the rest at least a few times a year. Also count whenever the system shows something odd, such as negative stock.

What is safety stock?

The buffer you keep in case you sell more than expected or your supplier delivers late. The less certain the lead time, the bigger the buffer.

When should you hand stock management to a fulfilment company?

When counting, packing and returns take more of your time than selling, or when your channels are getting hard to keep up to date. Connect your webshop and see, based on your own orders, which fulfilment companies suit your volume, products and channels. Start your match.