Typical sources of error include multipacks and display units being counted as single items. Products with several secondary placements may be counted twice or missed entirely, while shelves in the store backroom can easily be overlooked. Imported goods with non-standard barcodes can make clear item identification even more difficult.

What Are the Consequences of Stock Discrepancies in Discount Retail?

With tight margins, inaccurate stock levels can have a disproportionate impact. Counting errors weaken the data foundation for merchandise management, replenishment and supply planning. Excess stock can lead to additional markdowns and write-offs, while stock-outs reduce product availability during promotional periods.

The counting process itself also takes time. When stocktakes are carried out outside opening hours, every recount extends the shift. Clear and traceable documentation therefore supports not only internal follow-up but also subsequent audits.

Should You Count with Your Own Staff or Use a Stocktaking Service Provider?

Third-party stocktaking service providers offer additional counting capacity. However, their teams first need to be briefed on store layouts, counting rules and special cases. Scheduling also depends on provider availability, and travel costs arise for each location. In-house employees, by contrast, already know the products, sales floor and storage areas from their daily work.

For smaller stores in particular, using existing staff can be an economically attractive option if sufficient internal capacity is available. What matters is keeping the process predictable. A straightforward stocktaking app, ready-to-use devices and clear counting instructions allow small teams to carry out the stocktake in a structured way.

How Does a Digital Stocktake with COSYS Work in Practice?

Preparation: Master Data, Counting Areas and Devices

Item master data is imported from the ERP system, and counting areas are defined for each store. Companies that prefer not to maintain their own hardware can rent handheld stocktaking devices. COSYS supplies preconfigured mobile computers from Zebra, Honeywell or Datalogic. Where required, COSYS MDM manages the rental devices centrally, so individual stores do not need to handle device settings themselves.

Counting: Working on the Sales Floor

The Stocktaking App guides staff through predefined counting areas, including the checkout area and the backroom. Initial counts and verification counts can be recorded separately. Items without a corresponding master data record can be captured as unknown items in a dedicated list so that they can be reviewed later without interrupting the counting process.

Review and Completion: Dashboard, Export and ERP Integration

In the stocktaking software, a dashboard shows the counting status of each store. Quantity and value outliers can be reviewed before the stocktake is completed, allowing recounts to be carried out while the team is still on site.

The data can then be exported in the required format or transferred to the ERP system. The stocktaking history remains available in COSYS WebDesk for subsequent review and audit purposes. During the stocktaking period, COSYS support can also assist with technical or process-related questions.

How Can AI Help Analyse Completed Stocktakes?

COSYS Business Intelligence analyses process data such as counting times, corrections and discrepancies across multiple stocktakes. In addition, a COSYS AI chatbot can answer questions in plain language based on stocktaking data available in WebDesk. Typical questions include:

• “Which five stores had the most recounts in the last stocktake?”
• “In which product groups do initial and verification counts differ the most?”
• “Which unknown items were recorded in several stores?”

Controllers and operations managers no longer need to filter every list manually. Instead, they can identify patterns more quickly and use them as a starting point for planning the next stocktake.

Practical Tip: Test the Messiest Corner First

A few weeks before the stocktake, choose the most difficult area in a pilot store, such as the checkout zone or a clearance bin. Have two employees count it independently and then compare the results.

If the figures differ significantly, the cause may be unclear counting rules for multipacks, display units or area boundaries. Clarifying these points in advance reduces the risk of the same error being repeated across multiple stores.

Looking to Run Your Non-Food Discount Stocktake in a Structured and Cost-Effective Way with Your Own Staff?

Contact the COSYS team for tailored advice on stocktaking solutions for retail, including the Stocktaking App, stocktaking software, rental mobile computers and process data analytics. Schedule an appointment by emailing vertrieb@cosys.de or calling +49 5062 900 0.

Alternatively, try the free COSYS Stocktaking Demo App for Android and iOS.