Type Of Warehouse Management Systems: Which One Is Better For You

Managing your inventory is not an easy task unless you have the right tools. Your products are the sole thing because your business runs on, & controlling them should be your top priority for a seamless and effortless order fulfillment process. When you scale your business to D2C, only with an updated and sorted inventory, you can complete the orders on time and offer your customers the utmost satisfaction of shopping from your brand.

Warehouse management system software is the sole technology that every business owner needs to implement to optimise the efficiency of the e-commerce fulfilment procedure. Such software helps you in day-to-day tasks like keeping track of the products, expiration, stock, etc. whilst also offering you an advanced level of assistance in building customer relationships and accounting.

Types of Warehouse Management System Software

There are different warehouse management system (WMS) software packages, each suiting the differing requirements of the small, medium, and large scale businesses. This article will check out the various types of WMS software and find out which one is the best for you.

Let’s begin!

  • Standalone WMS

Standalone WMS is the least expensive and offers primary warehouse management services, making it a perfect choice for startups experiencing exponential growth. It is impossible to integrate them with other platforms, hence are suitable for on-premise implementation within your warehouse fulfillment center in India. Being the most fundamental of all and providing the necessary functions at reasonable prices, Standalone WMS software offers two highly significant features- inventory management and warehouse operations.

Some of the tasks accomplished by such software are:

  • Taking care of the expiration of the products
  • Barcode scanning
  • Slotting
  • Cycle counting
  • Put-away
  • Receiving
  • Picking
  • Packing
  • shipping

Suppose you’re looking for a warehousing solution in India or overseas, and have a smaller WMS budget. In that case, you must go with the Standalone one, since it’s the best deal you can avail of at the primary stage of running a business.

  • Supply Chain Execution Modules

The second WMS software that most of the 3pl fulfillment services in India provide is the Supply Chain Execution Module (SCM). Whilst warehouse management refers to taking care of all the processes happening within the warehouse, like- stocking, packaging, etc., a supply chain execution model has its reach wider than such functions. It is an umbrella term covering all the tasks from managing vendor relationships, inventory management, sourcing of materials, assessing risks, etc.

This way, you can integrate the warehouse management system with other applications and benefit your business from the collaboration. The efficiency and consistency will increase in the entire supply chain, instead of warehouse management only, unlike in Standalone WMS.

You must ensure that the overlapping of applications and wastage of your resources should not take place. If you’re introducing an SCM platform into your business, then there’s no need for spending money on fleet and inventory management software.

If you want software that fulfills your need to integrate and manage the supply chain, then SCM is the best choice.

  • Integrated Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) System

Moving a step ahead, as your business grows and widens its horizons, establishing direct communication systems with your customers and managing laborers becomes crucial. Finding a warehousing solution in India that offers you an integrated ERP system is the best option in such situations.

Integrated ERP systems cover warehouse management and supply chain planning with accounting, customer relationship, and human resources management, etc. They are highly suitable for standing neck-to-neck with your competitors regarding the order fulfillment procedures and boosting your ROI.

Deemed as the end-game in WMS platforms, you must remember that an integrated ERP system is not primarily a warehouse management system software.

It may include such a service but might also lack the extensivity and timelessness of the same. Hence, you must choose the best ERP system available to consolidate all the services in the right balance.

  • Cloud-Based Warehouse Management System

If your business requires multiple warehouse fulfillment centers in India and overseas, then rooting for a cloud-based WMS is the ultimate decision you must take.

The warehouse management system is deployed on the cloud and available for access from anywhere in the world. Using the Software-as-a-service model, a cloud-based WMS software is the most efficient, fastest, and scalable tool that uses AI, one of the most significant upcoming e-commerce trends of 2021.

By hiring a 3pl fulfillment service in India that provides a cloud-based WMS system, you can avail the following benefits:

  • Quicker implementation
  • Lower costs
  • Customizable software
  • Decreased IT maintenance
  • Highly secure
  • Best for multi-location needs

Conclusion

What type of WMS software you must choose depends on your business’s requirements and its current stage. Whilst deciding the answer, the two most important factors you must take in mind are your budget and the features that you think are crucial at the moment. You can even conduct a market trend analysis that will help your business perform better by finding out what kind of WMS software are companies similar to yours using.

Finally, don’t rush with technology. Instead, take one step at a time and gradually upgrade to better versions.

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