How do I track inventory for my small business? It is one of the most searched retail questions — and one of the most costly when done wrong. Here is a practical step-by-step process that works for Ghana shops, using Retill as your tracking system.
Step 1: List every product you sell
Start with your active catalog — not every item you ever stocked. For each product record:
- Product name (consistent spelling)
- Selling price and cost price
- Barcode (if available)
- Category and brand
- Expiry date (if applicable)
In Retill, create these under Inventory → Products.
Step 2: Record opening stock quantities
Count what is physically on your shelf and in storage. Transfer those quantities to your shop in Retill so the system matches reality on day one.
Step 3: Connect sales to inventory
Every sale through Retill POS automatically deducts stock. This is the single most important step — manual spreadsheets fail because staff forget to update them after each sale.
Step 4: Log stock received and transferred
When new stock arrives from suppliers, record it through Received workflows. When moving stock between shops or from warehouse to floor, use Transfers — never adjust quantities informally.
Step 5: Set reorder triggers
Define minimum quantities (par levels) mentally or through low-stock alerts. Retill Overview shows out-of-stock and expiring products daily — act on alerts the same day.
Step 6: Review weekly, count monthly
- Weekly — Check low-stock alerts and slow movers via reports
- Monthly — Spot-check high-value items against system counts
- Quarterly — Full physical count to catch shrinkage or damage
Common inventory tracking mistakes
- Selling before transferring products to the shop catalog
- Using different names for the same product
- Ignoring expiry dates on dated products
- Skipping transfer records between branches
- Never reviewing reports — data without action is useless
Why use Retill for inventory tracking?
Retill combines inventory and POS in one system — so tracking is automatic, not a separate chore. Real-time stock, expiry alerts, transfer history, and exportable inventory reports give small businesses the same visibility large chains pay heavily for.
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