Instant Stock‑on‑Hand Sync with Ferbz Keeps Shelves Filled and Checkout Speedy

Below is a step‑by‑step walkthrough of using Ferbz to keep shelves filled and checkout speedy. Imagine Anand’s General Store in Bhopal, which sells rice, cooking oil, detergents, and stationery. Anand wants to make sure that when his stock of 5 kg rice bags drops below 8 bags, he receives a WhatsApp reminder to place a new order with his supplier.

1. Set up the product catalogue (once)

1. Log in at dashboard.ferbz.com.

2. From the left navigation, click Customers → Inventory (the tab is labelled “Inventory” inside the CRM).

3. Click Import CSV.

4. Upload a file with columns: SKU, Product Name, Unit, Opening Stock, GST Rate.
   Example rows:

   SKU	Product Name	Unit	Opening Stock	GST Rate
   RICE5KG	Basmati Rice 5 kg	Bag	25	0%
   OIL1L	Sunflower Oil 1 L	Bottle	40	5%
   DET10KG	Detergent Powder 10 kg	Pack	15	18%
   NOTE10PK	Notebook 10‑pack	Pack	30	0%

5. Click Save. Ferbz now knows each SKU and its starting quantity.

2. Create a low‑stock automation

1. Go to Automation from the main menu.

2. Click New Journey and type in plain English:
   “When any product’s stock on hand falls below 8 units, send me a WhatsApp reminder to reorder.”

3. Ferbz’s AI drafts a two‑step flow:

   • Trigger: “Stock on hand ≤ 8” (auto‑detected from the sentence).
   • Action: “Send WhatsApp message” (owner’s contact is auto‑filled from the account profile).

4. On the visual canvas, edit the message template:
   “⚠️ Stock Alert: {{SKU}} is now at {{CurrentStock}} units. Please place a reorder with your supplier.”

5. Click Activate. This journey now sits in the Automation list, ready to enroll any SKU that meets the condition.

3. Ring up a sale – stock updates instantly

1. A regular customer, Mrs. Sharma, walks in and buys 3 bags of Basmati Rice.

2. Click Billing → New Sale.

3. In the “Customer” field, type “Sharma” → select Mrs. Sharma (profile auto‑creates if new).

4. In the “Add Items” grid, search “RICE5KG”, enter quantity 3, and press Enter.

5. The order total shows GST‑exempt (0%) and the final amount ₹1,800.

6. Click Complete Sale.

   • Ferbz generates a PDF receipt, stores it under Mrs. Sharma’s order history, and deducts 3 from the opening stock of 25, leaving 22 on hand.
   • Because the automation trigger is “≤ 8”, no reminder fires yet.

4. Observe the live inventory and reminders

1. Return to Customers → Inventory. The row for RICE5KG now reads 22 in the “Stock on Hand” column.
2. Switch to the Reminders board. No low‑stock reminder appears because the threshold isn’t reached.

5. Reach the low‑stock point – reminder fires automatically

1. Over the next week, Anand sells another 15 bags of rice (perhaps during a festive season). Each sale follows the same steps in Billing → New Sale.

2. After the 15th bag is sold, the “Stock on Hand” for RICE5KG drops from 22 to 7.

   • As soon as the count hits 7, Ferbz’s automation engine enrolls the store owner’s WhatsApp number into the journey.
   • A reminder message is dispatched instantly via the official WhatsApp Business API.

3. Open the Reminders board. You see a new entry:

   • Type: Automation Reminder
   • Status: Sent → Delivered → Read (green ticks)
   • Message: “⚠️ Stock Alert: RICE5KG is now at 7 units. Please place a reorder with your supplier.”

4. Anand receives the WhatsApp, calls his rice wholesaler, and places a purchase order for 30 bags.

6. Re‑stock and the system resets

1. When the new rice shipment arrives, Anand adds the received quantity:

   • Go to Customers → Inventory, locate RICE5KG, click Edit Stock.
   • Enter +30 and click Update. The stock on hand now shows 37.

2. Because the stock is now above the 8‑unit threshold, the automation journey automatically removes Anand from the low‑stock list—no further reminders are sent for that SKU until it falls again.

7. Review performance

1. Navigate to Reports → Date Range (e.g., last 30 days).

2. Choose the “Inventory Turnover” view. Ferbz shows:

   • Total units sold: 48 bags of rice, 22 bottles of oil, 9 packs of detergent.
   • Low‑stock alerts triggered: 1 (rice).
   • Credits used: 2 (one PDF receipt, one WhatsApp reminder).

Anand can see that the single low‑stock reminder prevented a potential stock‑out that could have cost him an estimated ₹5,400 in lost sales (average daily rice sales ₹1,800 × 3 days).

Time saved – Before Ferbz, Anand would manually note each sale in a ledger, then at the end of the day tally the quantities to see what needed reordering. That process took roughly 45 minutes per day. With Ferbz, the stock count updates the instant the clerk clicks Complete Sale, eliminating the manual tally. Over a month (30 days) that’s 22 hours reclaimed for customer service or additional sales.

Revenue recovered – The low‑stock automation caught the rice shortage at 7 units. If the shelf had gone empty, the next three customers (average basket ₹1,800) would have left without buying rice, costing Anand ₹5,400 in one week. The WhatsApp reminder cost only 1 credit (≈₹0.80) and a few seconds of his time, delivering a ₹5,399.20 net gain.

Fewer errors – Paper ledgers often mis‑record quantities; a single slip can cause a phantom stock‑out or over‑ordering. Ferbz’s single source of truth ensures the “stock on hand” figure is always accurate, reducing the risk of over‑purchasing (which ties up cash and storage space).

Speedy checkout – Because the inventory check is built into the billing screen, the clerk never needs to pause and look up a separate stock sheet. The sale completes in under 30 seconds, keeping the queue moving during peak hours such as the evening “tea‑time” rush.

Credit‑efficient messaging – Ferbz’s prepaid wallet means Anand pays only for the messages that actually matter. In the past, he might have sent a bulk broadcast to all customers about a new stock arrival, wasting credits on customers who never buy that product. The automation sends a single, targeted reminder to the owner, using 1 credit per alert.

Overall, “stock on hand tracking Ferbz” converts a chaotic, paper‑based inventory process into a real‑time, credit‑controlled workflow that directly protects repeat‑customer revenue and keeps shelves stocked without extra staff or software.

Ready to stop guessing when stock will run out and keep your checkout line moving? Sign up for a free trial at https://dashboard.ferbz.com/. Upload your product list, set a low‑stock automation in minutes, and watch the Reminders board keep you informed. If you have questions while setting up, email support@ferbz.com – our team helps Indian shop owners like you get the most out of “stock on hand tracking Ferbz” without any monthly subscription. Start today and let every sale automatically keep your shelves full.