Stock management software in Morocco: Excel, off-the-shelf or custom?
Stock-outs, products that can’t be found, inventories that never match the figures: for many shops and workshops in Morocco, stock management becomes a problem just as the business grows. Three solutions exist, each with its own benefits and limits.
1. The Excel file: simple to start with
Excel is free or already installed, and everyone knows how to use it. For a small business with few products and one person managing stock, it is often enough.
The limits appear quickly: several versions of the same file circulate, typing errors go unnoticed, there is no reliable history of stock movements, and the file cannot automatically deduct the raw materials used in production.
2. Off-the-shelf software: quick to set up
Standard business management software provides the usual features from day one: items, stock in, stock out, invoices. It is a good option if the way you work matches what the software was designed for.
The problem comes with special cases: production from recipes, products sold by weight and by the litre, several warehouses, documents in Arabic and French, different roles for different employees. You then have to adapt your organisation to the software, not the other way round.
3. Custom software: built around how you work
Custom stock management software is built from your real processes. It only contains what you need, with your terms, your documents and your rules.
For example, it can:
- track stock in real time across several locations
- automatically deduct raw materials for each production run
- convert units, for example kilos to litres for oils
- generate quotes, invoices and delivery notes in French and Arabic
- give each employee access only to the features they need
In return, it requires an initial investment and time spent analysing your needs with the developer. It becomes worthwhile as soon as standard tools force you to multiply files or re-enter data.
How to choose?
Ask yourself three questions: how many people use the stock, do you manufacture your products, and how much time do you lose each week correcting figures or re-entering information? The higher the answers, the more a tool tailored to your business will pay off.
ER-RAMI Tech builds custom management systems for businesses in Morocco, from Agadir. A first conversation helps determine which solution fits your situation.