What is Inventory Management Software?

You do not need inventory management software because you have a lot of products. You need it because you have a lot of movement — and movement without a system creates errors that compound faster than revenue.

Inventory management software is a digital system that records, tracks, and manages inventory levels, orders, sales, deliveries, and related stock movements across every location and channel a business operates. At its most basic, it answers three questions at any moment: how much stock do you have, where exactly is it, and when do you need more. At its most sophisticated, it answers those questions automatically, across twelve channels, before you think to ask.

The contrast with spreadsheets is not a matter of scale — it is a matter of architecture. A spreadsheet is a static snapshot. It reflects what someone typed, not what actually happened. Inventory management software is a live system of record: every purchase order, every goods receipt, every sales order, every warehouse transfer updates the same data in real time. The moment a Shopify order ships from your Delhi warehouse, the system decrements stock, logs the movement, and propagates the update to every connected channel. A spreadsheet does none of that automatically.

Key takeaway: Inventory management software is not a productivity tool. It is the operational backbone that makes multichannel selling possible without systematic overselling, stockouts, or reconciliation nightmares.

Core Functions of Inventory Management Software

Real-Time Stock Tracking

The foundational function of any inventory management system is knowing, at this exact moment, how many units of each SKU you hold, where they are, and what their status is — available, reserved, in transit, or damaged. Real-time tracking means the system updates on every transaction, not on a nightly batch or a manual refresh. A 3-channel Shopify seller managing 500 SKUs across two warehouses cannot operate without this: the moment a unit is picked for an Amazon order, it must be unavailable for a Flipkart order. Lag in that update is the direct cause of oversells.

Order and Purchase Management

Inventory software manages both the demand side (sales orders from customers) and the supply side (purchase orders to suppliers). On the demand side, it receives orders from connected channels, allocates stock, and triggers fulfillment workflows. On the supply side, it tracks outstanding purchase orders, expected delivery dates, and goods receipts — updating available stock only when physical inventory is confirmed received and inspected. This closed loop between purchase orders and goods receipts is what separates a real inventory management application from a basic order tracker.

Multi-Channel Inventory Sync

This is where most businesses break. Selling on Amazon, Shopify, Flipkart, and Meesho simultaneously means four separate systems each believe they have a claim on the same physical stock. Multi-channel inventory sync is the function that maintains a single source of truth and pushes accurate available quantities to each channel in near real time. The operational requirement is not just sync frequency — it is sync reliability. A system that syncs every 15 minutes is dangerous for a seller moving 200 orders a day. The right stock management tool syncs on every order event, not on a timer.

Warehouse and Location Management

As soon as stock lives in more than one physical location — two warehouses, a 3PL, a retail back room — you need location-level tracking, not just total quantity. Warehouse management within an inventory system assigns stock to specific bins, zones, or facilities. It routes inbound receipts to the correct location, guides pick paths for outbound orders, and handles inter-warehouse transfers with full audit trails. Without location management, "500 units available" is an answer that tells you nothing operationally useful.

Reporting, Forecasting, and Reorder Automation

The reporting layer transforms transaction data into decisions. Inventory turnover ratios, sell-through rates by SKU and channel, carrying cost analysis, dead stock identification — these are the outputs that determine purchasing strategy. Forecasting extends this backward-looking data into forward-looking demand signals, adjusting for seasonality, channel velocity, and lead times. Reorder automation closes the loop: when stock falls to a defined reorder point, the system either raises a purchase order automatically or flags the item for buyer review. This is where inventory programs shift from reactive to proactive.

Key Terms and Concepts

• SKU (Stock Keeping Unit): The unique identifier assigned to a specific product variant — a combination of product, size, color, and any other differentiating attribute. Every operational decision in inventory management is made at the SKU level. When a system reports "low stock," the meaningful answer includes the SKU, the channel, the warehouse, and the timestamp. Aggregate product-level reporting obscures the operational reality.
• Reorder point: The stock level at which replenishment should be initiated, calculated as the sum of safety stock and the demand expected during supplier lead time. If your lead time is 10 days and you sell 50 units per day, your reorder point is at least 500 units — before adding safety stock. Reorder point logic is what separates proactive inventory management from reactive firefighting.
• Safety stock: The buffer inventory held above the reorder point to absorb demand variability and supplier delays. It is not waste — it is insurance priced against the cost of a stockout. The correct safety stock level is a function of demand standard deviation, lead time variability, and the service level you want to maintain. Holding too little causes stockouts; holding too much inflates carrying costs.
• Dead stock: Inventory that has not moved within a defined period — typically 90 or 180 days — and is unlikely to sell without intervention. Dead stock ties up cash, consumes warehouse space, and often depreciates. Identifying it early through inventory tracking software allows sellers to liquidate, bundle, or discount before the carrying cost exceeds the recovery value.
• Stock-out: The condition where a SKU has zero available inventory when a customer order arrives. For a multichannel seller, a stock-out on one channel while stock sits allocated to another channel is a system failure, not a supply failure. The cost is not just the lost sale — it is the channel penalty, the customer churn, and the algorithmic ranking damage on marketplaces like Amazon.in.
• Overstock: The mirror problem — holding more inventory than demand can absorb within a reasonable period. Overstock inflates carrying costs, ties up working capital, and creates dead stock risk. It is usually caused by poor demand forecasting, aggressive purchasing, or a failure to redistribute stock across channels when one channel’s velocity drops.
• FIFO, LIFO, and FEFO: Inventory valuation and fulfillment sequencing methods. FIFO (First In, First Out) ships the oldest stock first — the standard for most retail and ecommerce. LIFO (Last In, First Out) ships the newest stock first and is primarily a US accounting method with limited operational application in ecommerce. FEFO (First Expired, First Out) is the critical method for perishables, pharmaceuticals, and any product with a shelf life — it sequences fulfillment by expiry date, not receipt date.
• Lead time: The elapsed time between placing a purchase order with a supplier and receiving usable stock in your warehouse. It includes manufacturing time, transit time, customs clearance, and inbound inspection. Lead time is the primary input into reorder point calculations, and variability in lead time is the primary driver of safety stock requirements.
• Purchase order (PO): The formal document sent to a supplier authorizing the purchase of specific quantities of specific SKUs at agreed prices and delivery terms. In an inventory management system, open POs represent expected future stock — they are tracked separately from available stock and only converted to available inventory upon goods receipt.
• Goods receipt: The process of physically receiving, inspecting, and recording inbound inventory against an open purchase order. A goods receipt note (GRN) confirms that the correct items arrived in the correct quantities and acceptable condition. Until a goods receipt is logged, the stock does not exist in the system — this is the control point that prevents phantom inventory.
• Inventory turnover ratio: A measure of how many times a business sells and replaces its entire inventory within a period, calculated as cost of goods sold divided by average inventory value. A high turnover ratio indicates efficient stock management and strong demand. A low ratio signals overstock, slow-moving SKUs, or poor purchasing decisions. The right target varies by category — fashion turns faster than industrial parts.
• Carrying cost: Also called holding cost, the total cost of storing unsold inventory, expressed as a percentage of inventory value. It includes warehousing fees, insurance, capital cost, obsolescence risk, and shrinkage. For most ecommerce businesses, carrying cost runs between 20% and 30% of inventory value annually — meaning every rupee of dead stock costs 20–30 paise per year just to hold.
• Cycle counting: A perpetual inventory audit method where a subset of SKUs is counted on a rotating schedule rather than shutting down operations for a full physical count. A well-designed cycle count program ensures every SKU is counted at a frequency proportional to its value and velocity — high-value, fast-moving SKUs weekly; slow-moving SKUs quarterly. It is the operational alternative to the annual wall-to-wall count.
• ABC analysis: A classification of inventory into three tiers by contribution to revenue or cost: A items (top 20% of SKUs generating ~80% of revenue), B items (middle tier), and C items (the long tail). ABC analysis drives differentiated management decisions — tighter reorder controls for A items, looser tolerances for C items. It is the foundational segmentation for any serious inventory control software.
• Barcode and RFID: The two dominant product identification technologies in inventory management. Barcodes (1D or 2D/QR) require line-of-sight scanning and are the standard for most ecommerce and retail operations. RFID (Radio Frequency Identification) allows bulk scanning without line of sight and is used in high-volume warehouses and regulated supply chains. Both technologies feed scan events into the inventory system to update stock positions without manual data entry.
• Lot tracking: Also called batch tracking, this records inventory by production batch or supplier lot, enabling traceability from receipt to sale. If a supplier delivers a defective batch, lot tracking allows you to identify exactly which orders received stock from that batch and initiate targeted recalls or replacements. It is mandatory in food, pharmaceutical, and regulated manufacturing contexts.
• Serial number tracking: Assigns a unique identifier to each individual unit of a product, enabling item-level traceability throughout its lifecycle. Used for high-value electronics, medical devices, and warranty-tracked goods, serial number tracking records which specific unit was sold to which customer — essential for warranty claims, returns, and regulatory compliance.
• Multi-warehouse management: The capability to track, allocate, and transfer inventory across multiple physical locations within a single system. It includes location-level stock positions, inter-warehouse transfer orders, and fulfillment routing logic that determines which warehouse should ship each order based on proximity, stock availability, and shipping cost.
• Dropshipping inventory: Stock that a seller lists and sells but never physically holds — the supplier ships directly to the customer. Managing dropshipping inventory requires real-time supplier stock feeds, because the seller’s available quantity is entirely dependent on the supplier’s current position. Overselling in dropshipping is a direct consequence of stale supplier feeds.
• Kitting and bundling: The process of combining multiple individual SKUs into a single sellable unit (a kit or bundle). Inventory management software must track both the component SKUs and the assembled kit as separate inventory positions, decrementing components when a kit is sold and managing the reverse when a kit is disassembled. Kitting logic is one of the more complex inventory operations to model correctly.
• Inventory reconciliation: The process of comparing the system’s recorded stock positions against physical counts or external records (channel reports, 3PL reports, supplier invoices) to identify and resolve discrepancies. Regular reconciliation is the control that catches shrinkage, system errors, and process failures before they compound into material financial misstatements.
• Landed cost: The total cost of a purchased item inclusive of the purchase price, freight, customs duties, insurance, and any other costs incurred to bring the item to its destination. Accurate landed cost calculation is essential for true margin analysis — a product that looks profitable at purchase price may be margin-negative when all inbound costs are included.
• 3PL integration: The system connection between an inventory management platform and a third-party logistics provider’s warehouse management system. A functional 3PL integration means the inventory system receives real-time stock position updates, inbound receipt confirmations, and outbound shipment notifications from the 3PL without manual data entry. Without this integration, the inventory system’s records and the 3PL’s physical stock diverge quickly.
• API sync: The technical mechanism by which an inventory management system exchanges data with external platforms — sales channels, ERPs, shipping carriers, accounting systems — through programmatic interfaces. API sync quality is measured by latency (how quickly data moves), reliability (uptime and error handling), and completeness (which data fields are covered). A system with poor API sync architecture will create data gaps that manifest as operational errors.
• MCP (Model Context Protocol): An open standard, introduced by Anthropic and now widely adopted, that allows AI agents to connect to live data sources and operational systems through a standardized client-server interface. In inventory management, MCP enables an AI assistant to query real-time stock levels, open purchase orders, and channel allocations — and to take actions like triggering reorders or flagging exceptions — without custom integration work for each data source. Nventory’s native MCP integration means operators can query their live inventory data conversationally: "Which SKUs are below reorder point across all channels?" returns a live answer, not a static report.

Types of Inventory Management Software

Standalone Inventory Software

Standalone inventory programs are purpose-built for stock control and order management without the broader scope of an ERP. They are faster to implement, more affordable, and operationally focused. The tradeoff is that they require integrations with accounting, shipping, and channel systems that an ERP might handle natively. For most ecommerce businesses under ₹50 crore in GMV, a standalone inventory management application with strong API connectivity outperforms an ERP on every practical dimension: deployment speed, user experience, and cost per transaction.

ERP Inventory Modules

Enterprise Resource Planning systems include inventory management as one module among many — alongside accounting, HR, manufacturing, and procurement. ERP inventory modules are appropriate when inventory management cannot be separated from production planning, financial consolidation, or complex procurement workflows. The cost is real: ERP implementations are measured in months and lakhs, not weeks and thousands. For pure-play ecommerce sellers, the ERP’s inventory module is almost always over-engineered for the actual operational need.

Cloud-Based Inventory Management Software

Cloud-based inventory management software runs on vendor-managed infrastructure, accessed through a browser or mobile app, with no local installation required. It is the dominant deployment model for ecommerce because it offers real-time access from any location, automatic updates, and native integrations with online sales channels. The subscription model converts a capital expense into an operating expense, which matters for cash-constrained growing businesses. Online inventory management software in the cloud also scales horizontally — adding a new warehouse or channel does not require a hardware upgrade.

AI-Native Inventory Platforms

The newest category of inventory management system software is built with AI as a core architectural layer, not a bolt-on feature. AI-native platforms use machine learning for demand forecasting, anomaly detection, and reorder optimization — not as optional add-ons, but as the primary decision engine. They also expose MCP endpoints that allow AI agents to interact with live inventory data conversationally. Nventory operates in this category: its AI layer forecasts demand, recommends reorder quantities, and flags cross-channel allocation exceptions with the numbers behind each call. You stay in control of what actually changes — every write action asks for your approval first, and automation runs unattended only for the rules you have already approved.

Top Features to Look for in Inventory Management Software for E-Commerce

Multi-channel syncing is the non-negotiable starting point. Any inventory management software for ecommerce must connect natively to the channels where you sell — Amazon, Shopify, Walmart, Flipkart, Meesho, Myntra — and maintain accurate available quantities on each without manual intervention. The critical specification is not whether a sync exists, but how it behaves under load. Does the system sync on every order event, or on a polling interval? A 15-minute polling interval on a channel moving 500 orders per day is a structural oversell risk.

Key takeaway: Sync latency is a business risk metric, not a technical detail. Demand it in writing before signing any contract.

Real-time sync latency matters most during peak periods — sale events, festival seasons, flash promotions — precisely when the cost of an oversell is highest. The right inventory tracking software processes channel order events in under 60 seconds and propagates stock updates to all connected channels within the same window.

SKU-level reporting is the second critical feature. Aggregate reporting — "total inventory value: ₹42 lakhs" — is useless for operational decisions. The system must report at the SKU level, by channel, by warehouse, and by time period. Which SKUs are trending toward stockout? Which are accumulating dead stock? Which channels are driving the highest velocity for each product? These are the questions that determine purchasing and pricing decisions.

Warehouse management capability determines whether the system can scale with your physical operations. A seller with one warehouse can tolerate a simple location model. A seller with three warehouses and a 3PL needs bin-level tracking, inter-warehouse transfer management, and fulfillment routing logic. Verify these capabilities before you need them — retrofitting warehouse management onto a system not designed for it is expensive.

AI automation is rapidly moving from differentiator to baseline expectation. Reorder automation, demand forecasting, and exception alerting should not require manual rule configuration for every SKU. The best inventory management system software learns from historical velocity, adjusts for seasonality, and surfaces exceptions proactively — freeing operators to make decisions rather than generate reports.

API and MCP integrations determine how well the system fits into your existing stack. Accounting software, shipping carriers, 3PLs, ERP systems, and AI assistants all need to exchange data with the inventory layer. A system with a well-documented REST API and native MCP support can connect to any tool in your stack without custom middleware. A system that requires manual CSV exports to sync with your accounting software is not a system — it is a more expensive spreadsheet.

Free trial availability is a practical filter. Any serious inventory management application offers a trial period — typically 14 to 30 days — that allows you to test real-world sync behavior with your actual SKUs and channels before committing. Use the trial to run a controlled oversell test: create an order on one channel and verify how quickly the available quantity updates on all others.

How to Choose Inventory Management Software for Retail Stores

Most retail buyers choose the wrong system because they optimize for price, not for the operational complexity they actually have. A ₹999/month tool that cannot handle three warehouses costs more than a ₹4,999/month tool that can — because the operational failures of the cheaper system show up as lost sales, reconciliation labor, and customer complaints that dwarf the subscription difference.

The correct decision framework starts with four operational parameters. First, order volume: how many orders do you process per day at peak? Systems that perform adequately at 50 orders per day often degrade at 500. Ask vendors for documented performance benchmarks at your peak volume, not their average customer’s volume. Second, channel count: every additional channel multiplies the sync complexity. A single-channel seller needs a fundamentally different system than a five-channel seller, even at the same order volume. Third, warehouse count: one warehouse is a location problem; three warehouses is a routing and allocation problem. Confirm the system handles both before signing. Fourth, SKU complexity: 200 simple SKUs is different from 200 SKUs with variants, lot tracking, and serial numbers. Complexity, not vanity volume, decides system need.

Integration requirements are the fifth parameter and the one most often underweighted. List every system the inventory software must connect to — your accounting platform, shipping carriers, 3PLs, ERP, POS, and any AI tools you use. Verify each integration is native (not a third-party connector that adds latency and failure points) and test it during the trial period.

For retail stores specifically, the stock control software must handle in-store POS transactions and online orders against the same inventory pool. A retail seller who manages in-store and online separately is running two inventory systems and guaranteeing reconciliation problems. The right system unifies both channels under a single stock position.

Inventory Management Software for Small Businesses in India

India’s ecommerce landscape is structurally more complex than most markets. A small business selling on Amazon.in, Flipkart, Meesho, and Myntra simultaneously is managing four distinct catalog formats, four separate order management interfaces, four different return and settlement workflows, and four sets of channel-specific compliance requirements — all on top of GST obligations that require accurate transaction-level tax data.

Key takeaway: An Indian multichannel seller is not a "small business" by operational complexity. They are running enterprise-grade channel management on a small-business budget, and their software must reflect that reality.

GST compliance is not optional and not trivial. The inventory management system for small business in India must generate GST-compliant invoices, calculate CGST/SGST/IGST correctly by transaction, support e-way bill generation for inter-state shipments above ₹50,000, and produce GSTR-ready reports. A system that handles inventory but requires manual GST reconciliation is adding labor cost, not reducing it.

The free-versus-paid decision in India often comes down to channel count. Free inventory management software typically supports one or two channel integrations. The moment a seller adds Meesho or Flipkart alongside Amazon and Shopify, free tools hit their integration ceiling. The cost of a paid system — typically ₹2,000–₹8,000 per month for a capable platform — is almost always recovered within the first month through oversell prevention and reconciliation time savings alone.

For Shopify-first multichannel sellers operating across Indian marketplaces, Nventory covers this operational profile with native integrations for Shopify and Amazon, a native Flipkart seller integration, and Indian carriers including Delhivery, Shiprocket, Porter, and Borzo. GST handling — GSTIN, CGST/SGST versus IGST determination, and tax ledgers — runs through the Tally integration, and the AI layer contributes demand forecasts and reorder recommendations you approve before anything changes. Meesho and Myntra are not supported natively today; sellers on those channels need a custom integration.

The inventory management system for small business that works in India is the one that handles Indian marketplace complexity without requiring Indian marketplace expertise to configure. That means native channel integrations, not generic API connectors; GST logic built in, not bolted on; and support teams who understand Flipkart’s catalog requirements and Meesho’s return workflows.

Cloud-Based vs. On-Premise Inventory Software

The debate is settled for ecommerce. Cloud-based inventory management software wins for any business that sells online, operates across multiple locations, or expects to add channels and warehouses over the next 24 months.

On-premise inventory software requires local server infrastructure, internal IT maintenance, and manual update cycles. It offers maximum data control and works in environments with strict data-locality requirements — regulated manufacturing, defense supply chains, certain financial services contexts. For those use cases, on-premise is the correct choice. For an ecommerce seller managing stock across Amazon, Shopify, and a 3PL, on-premise is an operational anchor.

Key takeaway: Cloud-based inventory management software is not "good enough" for ecommerce — it is architecturally superior. The question is not cloud vs. on-premise; it is which cloud platform fits your channel mix and growth trajectory.

Cloud-based inventory management software offers three structural advantages for multichannel ecommerce. First, real-time access from any device, any location — a warehouse manager in Mumbai and a buyer in Delhi see the same live stock position simultaneously. Second, vendor-managed updates mean the system’s channel integrations stay current with marketplace API changes without internal IT effort. Third, subscription pricing converts a large capital expense into a predictable operating cost, which matters for cash flow management in growing businesses.

The practical concern about cloud software — data security and uptime — is addressed by any serious vendor through SOC 2 compliance, data encryption at rest and in transit, and SLA-backed uptime guarantees. Verify these before signing, but do not let theoretical security concerns drive you toward an on-premise system that creates real operational problems every day.

Free Inventory Management Software: What You Actually Get

Free inventory management software exists, and for a specific profile of business — a single-channel seller with under 100 SKUs and under 50 orders per day — it can be genuinely adequate. Zoho Inventory’s free tier and Odoo Community each offer real functionality at no cost. inFlow belongs in a different bucket: its cloud product has no permanent free tier, only a 14-day trial, so treat it as a paid tool you can evaluate for free rather than a free plan you can run on. The honest assessment is that free tools work until they don’t, and the failure modes are predictable.

The first limit is channel count. Free tiers almost universally cap integrations at one or two sales channels. A seller on Shopify only can use free tools effectively. A seller adding Amazon.in hits the paywall immediately. The second limit is order volume. Free plans typically cap monthly orders at 50 to 500 — adequate for early-stage sellers, insufficient for anyone running a real business. The third limit is API access. Advanced integrations — 3PLs, shipping carriers, accounting platforms — are almost always paid features. A free inventory management application that cannot connect to your shipping software requires manual order entry, which defeats the purpose.

The upgrade signal is simple: when your manual reconciliation time exceeds four hours per week, or when you have had one oversell event, or when you are selling on more than two channels, the free tool has become more expensive than a paid one. The free inventory management software guide covers the specific tools and their exact limits in detail.

Benefits of Inventory Tracking Software for Small Businesses

Stockout prevention is the most immediate and measurable benefit. A seller who runs out of stock on a high-velocity SKU during a peak period loses not just the immediate sale but the channel ranking that took months to build. Amazon’s algorithm deprioritizes listings with stockout history. Flipkart’s seller metrics penalize fulfillment failures. Inventory tracking software prevents stockouts by surfacing reorder signals before the problem occurs — not after the order fails.

Carrying cost reduction follows directly from better stock visibility. When you can see which SKUs are accumulating without selling, you can act — discount, bundle, redistribute across channels — before the carrying cost exceeds the recovery value. Businesses that implement proper inventory control software typically reduce carrying costs by 15–25% within the first year, primarily by eliminating the overstock that accumulates when purchasing decisions are made without accurate velocity data.

Multichannel oversell prevention is the operational benefit that is hardest to quantify but most operationally damaging when it fails. An oversell on Amazon.in results in a cancellation, a seller metric penalty, and a customer who will not return. On Flipkart, repeated oversells can trigger account suspension. The right stock management tool eliminates oversells by maintaining a single source of truth that all channels draw from simultaneously.

Time saved on manual reconciliation is real and significant. A seller managing three channels without integrated inventory software typically spends 8–15 hours per week on manual stock reconciliation — comparing channel reports, updating spreadsheets, chasing discrepancies. That time has a direct cost in labor and an indirect cost in the strategic work that does not get done. Integrated inventory management software reduces reconciliation to exception-handling: the system flags discrepancies; the operator resolves them.

Audit readiness is a benefit that becomes visible only when it matters — during a GST audit, a marketplace dispute, or a funding due diligence process. A business running on integrated inventory software has a complete, timestamped transaction history for every stock movement. A business running on spreadsheets has whatever someone remembered to update. The difference is material when an auditor asks for documentation.

Key takeaway: Cash flow visibility is the strategic benefit that compounds over time. When you know exactly what stock you hold, what it cost, and how fast it is moving, you can make purchasing decisions that optimize working capital — buying less of what moves slowly and more of what moves fast.

Related Resources

The glossary above covers the foundational concepts. The articles below go deeper on specific decisions — which platforms to choose, how to evaluate free tools, and how to manage inventory across the specific channel combinations most relevant to your business. Each is written for operators making real purchasing and operational decisions, not for readers who want a general overview.

For platform comparisons and rankings, the best inventory management software guide covers 10 platforms ranked by operator fit across channels, order volumes, and stack requirements. If you are evaluating systems by business model rather than feature list, the best inventory management system guide matches platforms to five specific operator profiles. For sellers not yet ready to pay, the free inventory management software guide reviews eight free tools honestly — including their exact limits and the signals that indicate it is time to upgrade.

If you are managing stock across more than two channels, the multichannel inventory management software guide covers the architectural requirements and platform options for multichannel sync at scale. For cloud deployment specifics, cloud-based inventory software covers the deployment decision in operational detail. The ecommerce inventory management guide addresses the scaling inflection points — the order volumes and channel counts at which each class of system breaks down and what to move to next.

For sellers evaluating mobile-first tools, the inventory management app guide covers the mobile inventory management landscape. And for the broader order operations context, the order management software guide covers how inventory management and order management intersect — and when you need both as a unified system versus separate tools.