Skip to main content
💰 MEDIUM PRIORITY - COST ANALYSIS

The Hidden $3,000/Month Cost of Manual Inventory

You're paying someone $20/hour to do what a $29/month app does better. Here's the math nobody wants to show you.

5 min readCost AnalysisSaves $3K/month

⏰ Track This Tomorrow

Time how long these tasks take your team:

  • Morning inventory count: ___ minutes
  • Updating stock levels: ___ minutes
  • Creating purchase orders: ___ minutes
  • Checking for low stock: ___ minutes
  • Fixing inventory errors: ___ minutes

Bet it's over 4 hours/day across your team.

The Real Cost Breakdown

What You Think It Costs

  • Employee doing inventory: $20/hour
  • 4 hours/day = $80/day
  • 20 days/month = $1,600/month
  • "Not that bad," you think.

What It ACTUALLY Costs

Direct Costs:

  • Wages: $1,600/month
  • Payroll taxes (15%): $240/month
  • Benefits (20%): $320/month
  • Subtotal: $2,160/month

Hidden Costs:

  • Stock-outs from human error: ~$500/month in lost sales
  • Over-ordering mistakes: ~$300/month in dead stock
  • Time spent fixing errors: ~$200/month
  • Customer complaints from wrong inventory: Priceless

REAL TOTAL: $3,160/month ($37,920/year)

The $29 Solution That Does It Better

What Inventory Apps Actually Do:

  • ✅ Real-time stock tracking (no daily counts)
  • ✅ Automatic low-stock alerts
  • ✅ One-click purchase orders
  • ✅ Barcode scanning (10x faster)
  • ✅ Multi-location sync
  • ✅ Sales forecasting
  • ✅ Zero human error

The Apps That Actually Work

I've tested 20+. Here are the only 3 worth your time:

1. For Shopify: Stocky (FREE with POS)

Best for:

Retail stores with under 1,000 SKUs

Setup time:

2 hours

Monthly cost:

$0 (included with Shopify POS)

2. For Multi-Channel: Cin7 ($299/month)

Best for:

Selling on Amazon + Shopify + Wholesale

Setup time:

1 week (they help you)

ROI:

Usually 10x in prevented stock-outs alone

3. For Simple Needs: inFlow ($71/month)

Best for:

B2B or wholesale with basic needs

Setup time:

1 day

Why it works:

Dead simple. Your grandma could use it.

Implementation Checklist

Week 1: Setup

  1. Export current inventory to CSV
  2. Clean up product names/SKUs (biggest time suck)
  3. Import to new system
  4. Connect sales channels
  5. Set reorder points

Week 2: Training

  1. Train staff on barcode scanning
  2. Set up low-stock alerts
  3. Create first automated PO
  4. Run parallel with old system

Week 3: Switch

  1. Turn off manual counts
  2. Reassign that employee to sales
  3. Watch errors disappear
  4. Count your money

Common Objections (And Reality)

"But my business is unique!"

No, it's not. You buy stuff, store it, sell it. Same as everyone.

"My staff won't learn new software!"

They learned TikTok. They can learn this.

"What if the system goes down?"

What if your employee calls in sick? Software is more reliable.

The Bottom Line Math

Your current way: -$3,160/month

With inventory software: -$299/month

You save: +$2,861/month

That's $34,332/year

Want Us to Set This Up For You?

We'll analyze your inventory, pick the right software, migrate your data, and train your team. Takes 1 week. Saves you $34K/year.