It’s not all about business
When you hear the words inventory management, you probably think immediately of retail shops and warehouses and a guy taking notes of what’s there. But, there are so many other ways to use an inventory management system – other than the typical business uses – which might solve a problem you have. Many of us tend to go to the hoarder side a little, and let’s be honest, writing it down on a paper is a solution which is neither hot nor practical.
Home supplies
If you have a big family, buying in bulk is not only economical – it is a must. On the other hand, when you have large quantities of supplies, it’s easy to lost track of what you have, what you need to buy and what you have too much of, etc. And that’s true especially if you don’t have the abundance of space to keep everything in eye view. You might end with 5 sets of cleaning gloves and no detergent at all.
Keeping track of your home supplies is both economical and hassle-free in the long run. It’s also possible to get notifications when something is below stock – what more could any housekeeper ask for?
Personal Collections
From art collections to the contents of your closet, collections can get out of hand if not managed properly. With an inventory management solution you can easily browse what you have and where it is stored. If you are planning to resell, you can add the estimated prices of your pieces. You can even add pictures, because what is a collection if it doesn’t serve an aesthetic purpose as well?
Home Insurance
Insurers and insurance companies would advise everyone to keep track of their belongings – even if just for the worst case scenarios. After a horrible event like a robbery or fire, people are shocked and cannot remember what exactly is missing. Of course, this might come in handy for more pleasant situations like a move or a renovation, when a sense of order is needed.
Home Clearance
Apart from insurance, having your belongings listed could be helpful in case you want to make a home clearance, especially if this is something you do quite regularly. You can share your inventory list with other people that might be interested, instead of having to arrange constant gatherings at your house with each interested party. You can also add prices, if you are planning to have a yard sale or resell some of your stuff online.
Renting, selling and AirBnB
The trend of renting your house to tourists who want the real experience has been going on for several years – and is picking up speed. Although there is a general ethical code about the whole project, keeping a record of what you own, what is missing and what you need to replace is a good way to have everything organized and track your expenses.
Moreover, there seems to be a new trend in the real estate world as well. Apartments are the hot new tech sector. A new wave of cloud-based platforms has emerged to provide marketing and leasing tools. Innovative services now offer landlords and brokers online hubs for tracking inventory, syndicating verified listings with consumer sites and running analytics on property performance (a big step up versus old-fashioned spreadsheets or even file folders).
Of course, this is just a small sample of the many possible uses of a versatile inventory management system. We hope that we gave some ideas of what it can do outside of the strictly business world and maybe inspired you to better organize your home.
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