Mastering Inventory & Purchase Orders in ClearRing

Why Inventory Accuracy Matters

Selling a product you don't have in stock is one of the costliest mistakes a retailer can make — it damages customer trust, causes FBR invoice issues, and inflates your apparent revenue. Conversely, overstocking ties up cash and creates spoilage risk.

ClearRing's Inventory module gives you real-time stock visibility across every product, with automated alerts and a purchase-order workflow that connects directly to your supplier records.

The Inventory Table

Navigate to Inventory from the sidebar. You'll see a table with the following columns:

| Column | Description | |--------|-------------| | SKU | Unique stock-keeping unit identifier (e.g., SKU-001) | | Product Name | Full product name as it appears in the catalogue | | Category | Product category for filtering | | In Stock | Current quantity on hand | | Reorder Level | The threshold below which stock is considered low | | Status | In Stock / Low Stock / Out of Stock |

Rows with Low Stock are highlighted in amber. Rows with Out of Stock appear in red and are also flagged on the POS product grid so cashiers are aware.

Setting Reorder Levels

Every product should have a Reorder Level — the minimum quantity you want to maintain. When stock falls at or below this number, the product is flagged as "Low Stock" and a notification appears on the dashboard.

To set a reorder level:

1. Go to Products → Edit Product
2. Scroll to the Inventory section
3. Enter the Reorder Level value
4. Save

For fast-moving items like Coca-Cola or Lays, set a higher reorder level (e.g., 50 units). For slow-moving items, a lower level (e.g., 5) is appropriate.

Adjusting Stock Manually

If you've received goods informally or need to correct a discrepancy after a physical stock count, use Adjust Stock:

1. Click the Adjust Stock button (top-right of the Inventory page)
2. Search for the product
3. Enter the new quantity or the adjustment delta (+ or −)
4. Select a reason: Received Goods / Stock Count / Damage / Theft / Other
5. Confirm

Every adjustment is logged with a timestamp and the user who made it — providing a full audit trail.

Running a Stock Count

Pakistani retail businesses are often required to conduct monthly or quarterly stock counts for tax and compliance purposes. ClearRing supports this workflow:

1. Print the Stock Count Sheet from Inventory → Export
2. Physically count items on shelves
3. Return to ClearRing and use Bulk Adjust (upload CSV) to reconcile differences
4. The system records the discrepancy and generates a Shrinkage Report

Purchase Orders

The Purchases module (accessible from the sidebar) manages the full procurement lifecycle:

Creating a Purchase Order

1. Click + New Purchase Order
2. Select or create a Supplier (name, contact, STRN if applicable)
3. Add line items — search by product name or SKU
4. Enter the ordered quantity and unit cost
5. Set the expected delivery date
6. Click Save & Send to email the PO to the supplier or Save Draft to hold

Receiving a Purchase Order

When goods arrive:

1. Open the PO from Purchases → Open Orders
2. Click Receive Goods
3. Enter the actual quantity received (may differ from ordered)
4. If there is a discrepancy, a partial receipt is recorded and the PO remains open for the remainder
5. Confirm — the Inventory quantity is automatically updated

This is the recommended way to update inventory, as it also creates the corresponding accounting journal entry (Inventory Dr / Accounts Payable Cr).

Purchase History & Supplier Analytics

The Purchases module records all historical orders, allowing you to:

• Track average cost per unit over time (useful for price negotiations)
• See which suppliers have the best on-time delivery rate
• Identify frequently ordered items and set up recurring PO templates

Low Stock Alerts and Notifications

ClearRing sends email and in-app notifications when stock drops below reorder levels. Configure who receives alerts under Settings → Notifications:

• Owner/Admin — receives daily low-stock digest every morning
• Purchase Manager — receives real-time alerts during business hours
• POS cashiers — see a warning badge on the product card at the terminal

Multi-Location Inventory

If you operate multiple branches, each location maintains its own inventory. Navigate between locations using the location switcher in the top bar. You can:

• View aggregate stock across all locations
• See which location has surplus stock for a given SKU
• Initiate a Stock Transfer to move inventory between locations (covered in the Multi-Location Management guide)

Inventory Valuation Report

For accounting and tax purposes, ClearRing provides an Inventory Valuation Report under Reports → Inventory Valuation. This shows:

• Each product's current quantity
• Average unit cost
• Total inventory value (quantity × cost)
• Change in value vs. the previous period

This report feeds directly into the Balance Sheet's Current Assets section when the Accounting module is enabled.

Best Practices for Pakistani Retailers

1. Reconcile weekly — a quick 30-minute weekly stock count for your top 20 SKUs prevents large discrepancies
2. Enter supplier invoices promptly — delays cause inventory and accounting data to diverge
3. Use SKU barcodes — receive goods by scanning, eliminating manual entry errors
4. Track shrinkage separately — use the Theft and Damage adjustment reasons to build a shrinkage trend report for your insurer or FBR auditor