There is a terrifying moment for many retail business owners. You sell your last unit of a popular item in your shop in Shoreditch. Five minutes later, someone buys that same item on your website. You now have a "negative inventory" problem.
You have to email the online customer, apologize, refund the money, and risk a bad review. This is the "Overselling Nightmare," and it happens every day to businesses that rely on spreadsheets or disconnected systems to manage stock.
At Custom Coded Websites, we build bespoke Inventory Management Systems (IMS) using Python and Django. We replace fragile Excel sheets with robust, real-time databases that act as the single source of truth for your entire operation.
1. The "Excel Trap"
Spreadsheets are fantastic for calculation, but terrible for databases. They have no "state."
- They don't update in real-time.
- They don't prevent two people from editing the same cell at once.
- They rely entirely on human data entry (which has a 1-3% error rate).
As you scale, the spreadsheet becomes a bottleneck. You end up hiring more staff just to update the sheet, which only increases the chance of error.
2. Real-Time Omnichannel Syncing
Modern businesses sell everywhere: Shopify, Amazon, eBay, and a physical point-of-sale (POS).
We build Custom API Bridges that sit in the center of these platforms. How it works: A sale happens on Amazon. Our system instantly receives a "Webhook" (a digital signal). It deducts 1 unit from your master database. It immediately pushes the new stock level to Shopify and your POS.
This happens in milliseconds, ensuring that you can never sell the same item twice.
3. Mobile Barcode Scanning (BYOD)
Old-school inventory systems require expensive handheld scanners that cost £1,000 each.
We build Web-Based Scanning Apps that work on any smartphone. Your warehouse staff can use their own Android or iPhone devices to:
- Scan In: Scan a supplier delivery to add it to stock instantly.
- Pick & Pack: Scan items as they are packed to verify it is the correct product before shipping.
- Stock Take: Perform rolling stock takes without shutting down the warehouse.
4. Automated Reordering (Low Stock Alerts)
Running out of stock is just as bad as overselling. It is missed revenue.
We code Predictive Logic into your dashboard. Instead of waiting for you to check the shelves, the system monitors "Burn Rate" (how fast an item is selling). Example: "You have 50 units of Item A left. You sell 10 a day. Supplier lead time is 4 days. Alert: Reorder Now."
We can even automate the purchase order generation, sending a pre-filled PDF to your supplier for approval with one click.
5. Managing Composite Products (Kitting)
If you sell gift hampers, you have a "Kit" problem. A hamper contains 1x Wine, 1x Cheese, 1x Jam.
Standard software struggles to track the individual components. Our custom logic handles "Kitting." If you sell a hamper, the system automatically deducts the Wine, Cheese, and Jam from their respective inventory piles. If you run out of Jam, the Hamper automatically shows as "Out of Stock."
Conclusion: Operational Efficiency is Competitive Advantage
Amazon didn't win because they had the best books; they won because they had the best logistics.
By investing in a custom inventory tool, you stop reacting to stock problems and start predicting them. You free up your team to focus on sales, not counting boxes.
Book an Operations Audit today. Let's map your inventory flow and build a tool that fixes your bottlenecks.