5 Ways Technology Can Solve Your FF&E Inventory Challenges

Upcoming store projects put the pressure on you to order, track, and coordinate the timely delivery of fixtures, furniture, and equipment (FF&E). Unfortunately, managing the FF&E inventory process can be stressful and inefficient, especially when you lack visibility and control of what could be hundreds of time-sensitive orders.  

But there is a solution. Advances in inventory and warehouse management technology are revolutionizing how retailers manage FF&E inventory for remodels, conversions, and new openings.

To demonstrate what we mean, we’ll explore five inventory challenges and show how they can be solved with INVision, Store Opening Solutions’ retail FF&E inventory management system.

1. You don’t know exactly what inventory you have

If you warehouse any amount of FF&E but lack a reliable inventory system, it can be challenging to know precisely what inventory you’re currently holding. 

“Haphazard record-keeping that relies heavily on manual inventory counts can create a negative ripple effect across your entire FF&E program,” says Phil Vines, Director of Business Development for Store Opening Solutions.

For example, inventory shortage surprises can lead to rush orders at exorbitant prices. Even worse, if your counts are off for store-critical FF&E such as cash wraps, registers, or shopping carts, you may need to delay openings, missing out on revenue in the process.

Also, if you feel you can’t trust your numbers, you may be inclined to safeguard your process by frequently ordering more FF&E than you need. But ordering extra without a true strategy just means you’re over-spending. 

Solution: Real-time inventory updates

With INVision, your designated warehouse team receives your FF&E and enters your item inventory almost immediately. That means you have 24/7 access to real-time updates for accurate inventory levels. You can even set up alerts for when inventory items drop to a certain level.

Moreover, that warehouse team also provides double confirmation that your INVision numbers are spot on. They cycle-count the inventory throughout the month so that your inventory is verified at 100 percent multiple times per year.

2. You struggle to track a multitude of orders from numerous vendors

The on-time arrival of FF&E is critical for successful store projects. That’s why you want to see the status of your orders—and be able to rely on them getting to where they need to be. 

But this can be especially difficult when using vendor-direct, just-in-time shipments. With an approach like that, you often lack visibility of your inventory shipments. 

Closely related, you also end up wasting precious time trying to communicate with dozens of vendors in your attempts to track orders. 

And if you’re storing FF&E without a reliable inventory system, you might hope that every FF&E item you requested is actually available. But do you know for certain?

Solution: Convenient ordering from consolidated inventory

Thanks to the advantages of FF&E consolidation, the items you need for upcoming projects are already waiting to be picked and packed upon request at your warehouse space. 

And with INVision, you can conveniently upload orders, view their status, and trust that FF&E items are available and will arrive when and where you need them—no hunting down vendors required. 

More specifically, INVision provides a single point of contact and a much easier way to: 

• Order however you need to, from single orders for multiple stores to mass orders for a single store
• Modify shipment dates 
• Change order contents 

3. You’re not sure what’s gone where (and when)

We’ve already touched on how important it is to trust your current numbers. But ideally, you should also be able to easily see a detailed and accurate history of those numbers.

For example, maybe it would be super-helpful to know an entire store project’s past FF&E order, or trace the record for a single item, or even verify the whereabouts for a certain type of fixture installed in every store over the past year.

But how possible is that with your current FF&E inventory system?

Customized reporting for item histories and cradle-to-grave tracking

With INVision’s customized reporting option, you’re empowered to drill down and see the history of store orders and a variety of other info you can generate based on what you want to know.

“This system allows you to see the path of an inventory item from cradle to grave, meaning from the time it’s received from your vendor until it’s shipped and received at a store site,” says Vines.

4. You lack reliable data to predict FF&E needs

Your FF&E needs may vary over time, but they never disappear. Yet if you can’t effectively predict your FF&E needs, you may find yourself making last-minute purchases at exorbitant prices. 

More importantly, without a carefully developed safety stock of FF&E, you’re at the mercy of supply chain interruptions.

Solution: Forecast FF&E needs based on real data

When you have an accurate history of your FF&E at your fingertips (see No.3), you’re also in a much better position to understand your future FF&E needs—and do something about it.

“Trying to forecast what needs to be ordered now becomes much more systematic,” says Vines. “For instance, you can know with more certainty how often to order certain replenishment parts rather than taking your best guess.” 

You lack a systematic approach to used FF&E

When it comes to store remodels and store conversions, you may have FF&E you could recover from the field and reuse in other stores at some point in the future.

“Coolers are a great example,” says Vines. “They’re expensive and can require longer lead times. You might also want to keep anything from shelving to uprights, depending on color and fit within your current layout.”

But coordinating what items to keep may seem like more trouble than it’s worth, especially without a methodical system to recover, track, and inventory them.

Solution: Reverse logistics to recover usable FF&E

Your INVision system can play an integral role in a process known as reverse logistics. Though it might sound complicated, Store Opening Solutions can help with each of these steps: 

• Efficiently retrieve designated FF&E
• Coordinate fixture refurbishment, if needed
• Incorporate retrieved items into your INVision inventory
• Store them in your designated warehouse space until they’re needed
• Pick, pack, and ship recovered FF&E upon request

Now valuable items once destined for the dumpster instead become part of your recorded inventory. That means you’re saving money, possibly expediting store openings with FF&E on hand, and even making an eco-friendly move by minimizing waste.

Gain an edge with a better inventory system AND a better FF&E process

INVision gives Store Opening Solutions an exceptional internal tool for efficiently and accurately tracking, storing, and ultimately shipping your FF&E. But unlike a lot of other warehouse management systems, INVision was also designed for users like you.

That’s why it’s so easy to track and view your current inventory any time—in addition to a variety of other capabilities such as uploading orders, generating custom reports, and setting alerts.

And along with the advantages of INVision’s cutting-edge inventory technology, you’ll also have Store Opening Solutions working as an extension of your team. 

With more than 25 years of experience in FF&E consolidation, we can help you implement store programs that reduce costs, maximize efficiencies, and improve your overall FF&E process.