How Can a Bakery POS System Provide Inventory Help?

Bakeries on the surface can seem very uncomplicated to run. Get up early, make the donuts, sell the donuts, clean up, and go home—that’s all it takes, right? In actuality, it’s much more complicated than that. Bakeries are no different from any other business when it comes to managing inventory.

A bakery POS system will be very similar to the POS systems used in food and beverage businesses. Ingredient amounts must be tracked down to unit levels, as must key features, such as use-by or expiration dates. The evolution of the small business POS solution has yielded a powerful set of scalable data tools that provide you with big-business data analytics to design and maintain your inventory controls, no matter how complex these may be.

Data’s Importance to Inventory Management

Data is the key to unlocking any business operation’s success, from the largest financial institutions down to a food truck with just one employee. The impact of having the right data in the right format, and having this data be accessible and secure, is priceless. Owning high-quality information will present you with endless opportunities to use your valuable information to build a better bakery.

Cloud-based POS systems are well equipped to help you manage all of the information that your bakery relies on. Sales transactions are stored almost immediately after checkout and bring the special touch of allowing customers to receive their receipts digitally. The information gathered from your customers gives you the ability to create sales forecasting projections to better serve customers and develop personalized specials.

The cutting-edge data management functions gained through the use of cloud-based POS technology will yield the same types of insights for your inventory; insights that will prove to be instrumental in building and automating a precision-based system of inventory controls. The ability to harness all of your business information gets an additional boost through the use of mobile POS reporting options that give you access to your data anytime you desire.

Harnessing Data Is Analyzing Data

You may now wonder how having your POS system managing all of your data in the cloud translates into deeper data analysis levels. As we have seen, data in the cloud is secured from prying eyes and instantly available to be used and viewed by authorized users, including yourself, from your office computer, your tablet-based POS terminal, or your smartphone. It is through these mobile-friendly elements that the magic happens.

The most effective cloud-based POS systems for in-depth data analysis include various reports while offering nearly limitless report customizations. Having this level of data analysis at your fingertips allows you to take a proactive approach to align your inventory needs to meet your business’ needs and satisfy your customers’ tastes. In turn, you will find that any wasteful inventory practices you once accepted fall by the wayside.

Using Data Analysis to Design and Maintain Your Inventory

A cloud-based POS system provides enterprise-level predictive data analytics that will strengthen your inventory controls. Integrating data from sales, your menu, and the inventory you have on hand will make the building of predictive sales data easier. The innovative technology that drives bakery POS system functions will present you with a precise picture of any trend, no matter how slight, that affects your sales, making it possible to be proactive in making the necessary changes.

For example, consider products that have gone from bestsellers to your day-old discount rack. Instead of waiting for this item to start piling up before making a change, the predictive analytics you now have will let you know the moment sales start to lag. This way, you can start scaling back on making these items so that you can instead turn your focus to the products that have seen a gradual uptick in recent weeks, if not days, keeping your menu in line with changing customer tastes.

A Bakery POS System Can Change How You Manage Inventory

Adding affordable and yet innovative POS technology into your bakery will yield some fantastic results. In addition to streamlining all of your customer-facing processes, it will allow you to gain a firmer grasp on your inventory. Also, and with the right tools in place, it will give you the heads-up you need to confidently make proactive changes to your menu, ensuring that the items in your display case exactly fit the desires of your customers.

When you think about it, the inventory needs for a bakery are not so different from the needs of a restaurant. Ingredients must be tracked down to the unit and be carefully managed to guard against expiration dates. The consultants at talech understand this and will guide you towards an innovative bakery POS system that will streamline operations.