Inventory management software like Cin7 is increasingly popular. But before investing in an inventory management solution, think about the features that your business actually needs.
For multi-channel retailers, an omnichannel operating system like Brightpearl might be more suitable as it offers a retail-specific experience complete with all the features retailers and wholesalers need to grow.
In this article, we’ll be delving into five Cin7 alternatives to help you make the best investment.
5 Best Cin7 Alternatives for Merchants
With those problems in mind, you’re probably wondering what better solutions are out there. If you’re a growing multi-channel retailer then this is the list for you. Let’s compare!
1. Brightpearl
Brightpearl is a retail-tailored digital operations platform built specifically for omnichannel merchants. Brightpearl is designed to support operational agility for both retailers and wholesalers so that they can increase sales, improve customer experiences, and respond quickly to market changes. Brightpearl offers comprehensive features including:
- Inventory and order management
- Inventory and demand planning
- Warehouse management
- Shipping and order fulfillment
- Robust integrations with ecommerce platforms and marketplaces
- EDI integrations
- Powerful retail accounting software
- Advanced POS for omnichannel growth
- Robust Automation Engine
- Reporting & business intelligence
- Top-notch services from project scoping and implementation to training, 24/7 technical support and ongoing business consulting
One of the best things about Brightpearl is that it is built for retail. Whether you’ve got your own dedicated ecommerce site, or you’re an Amazon seller, Brightpearl can work for you.
It’s specifically designed for retail and wholesale businesses, meaning that you won’t have to pay for any unnecessary features, functionalities, or additional customizations. There’s an extensive integration library, including QuickBooks, Shopify, Magento, and a range of other retail-oriented platforms.
And, if it’s missing something you need (however unlikely that is), Brightpearl has a thriving partner ecosystem to build reliable integrations or you can use the API to create your own integration. For businesses looking first and foremost for retail agility, Brightpearl is the perfect match.
Brightpearl is also striving to provide great flexibility for merchants to grow. All the ecommerce integrations are built to handle high order volumes, so you don’t need to worry about limited order processing capacity when growing into different channels or territories. Also, with its robust Automation Engine, complex order fulfillment workflows from dropshipping to partial fulfillment can be easily automated, saving you time to focus on growth strategy rather than manual pick, pack and ship tasks.
Last but not least, full customer services from implementation to ongoing business consulting are provided by in-house retail experts. You can stay reassured that the project will be scoped before the contract is signed, implemented by experienced consultants in the optimal timeframe, your staff will be fully trained and you can get ongoing recommendations to optimize your operational workflows.
To learn more, why not visit website resources like Brightpearl’s customer stories?
2. Fishbowl
Fishbowl is a manufacturing and warehouse management solution for smaller to mid-scale companies. This tool combines inventory control, material requirements planning (MRP), floor controls, order management, and material billing, amongst many other features.
Features include:
- Multi-location Inventory management
- Order management software
- Part tracking
- Multi-currency sales and purchasing
Unfortunately, Fishbowl lacks advanced features and the robust service support of other Cin7 alternatives like Brightpearl.
3. Skubana
Skubana is an order fulfillment and inventory operations software for multichannel brands and retailers. Skubana allows users to consolidate multiple operations software into a single cloud-based platform, making it best suited to high-volume marketplace sellers.
Features include:
- One tick integrations
- Shipping tools
- Process purchase orders
- Inventory management
- Analytics
Unfortunately, Skubana lacks some important features. At present, it is not possible to collate inventory reports across multiple warehouses, and there is currently no returns/refund automation function. As such, Skubana fails to offer the level of flexibility that larger, multichannel retailers may need.
4. Sellercloud
Sellercloud is a multi-channel ecommerce software. It can synchronize online inventory and distribution data and translate it into real-time insights. Sellercloud comes with an automated inventory tool designed to support warehouse management, inventory tracking, shipping timetables, and stock alerts.
Features include:
- Custom inventory feeds
- Lot and expiration tracking
- Intelligent repricing
- Serial number tracking
- Deep data analysis
Sellercloud is suitable for small businesses, so fast-growing companies can easily outgrow the system. Sellercloud falls short when it comes to user support. Unlike Brightpearl, which offers 24/7 live reps, chat support, and phone support, Sellercloud only offers chat support options.
5. NetSuite
NetSuite is a traditional enterprise resource planning solution (ERP). It’s a one-size-fits-all ERP that provides features like accounting, inventory management aimed at medium to large ecommerce platforms. Functionalities span email marketing to customer relationship management, and various custom add-ons.
Features include:
- Customer management
- Sales forecasting
- Time tracking
- Campaign management
- Real-time dashboards
- Reporting and analytics
If, however, you’re looking for a full omnichannel retail system that is tailored to your business’ unique workflows, then NetSuite may not be the best option for you. NetSuite is not targeted specifically for retail. That means you’ll have to pay for features you don’t really need, and leaves you looking for ecommerce customizations you may need for your retail business.
It’s also a traditional ERP. You’ll probably need a developer to code the system to fit your own workflows. That means your system won’t be able to adjust fast to market shifts.
Why merchants look for Cin7 alternatives
Cin7 might not be the perfect tool for your business. In fact, there are many reasons why retail merchants might need to look for Cin7 alternatives, from scalability to customer support.
They outgrow the system
Cin7 suits companies with uncomplicated workflows. Cin7 doesn’t operate large order volumes or come equipped with an integrated POS for syncing online and offline channels. Also, when your business grows, you may be confronted with more complex order fulfillment workflows, which are not well supported by Cin7.
They need better accounting
Cin7 doesn’t have integrated accounting, meaning you’re reliant on a third-party integration. Your data could go messy if the accounting integrations are not purpose built and fully tested.
Need reliable EDI
Cin7 offers cheap but glitchy EDI integrations, and sometimes issues are solved slowly by their support team.
Customer service optimization from the beginning of the partnership
Cin7 doesn’t scope your project before the contract is signed, which can result in a deficient implementation and extra costs for additional integrations in the long run. It could even result in completely unmatched requirements and solution
Some user reviews find support to be slow in resolving tickets, leaving clients feeling left in the dark. They also note that some of the integrations are surprising – for instance, if you sell over multiple markets on Amazon, each location counts as a separate integration!
For a better initial setup, as well as ongoing assistance, many alternatives like Brightpearl offer 24/7 live support. You can pick up your Android phone or hop on your iPad and get assistance whenever you need.
Need more insights into your business management
Cin7 lacks robust reporting and business intelligence, so retailers don’t have a good view of how their products perform, and how their customers behave. Plenty of Cin7 alternatives offer in-depth reporting and data-led insights – some even have the ability to automate these insights.
Why merchants trust Brightpearl vs Cin7
As you can see there are numerous Cin7 alternatives out there. And Brightpearl consistently stands out as one of the most trustworthy retail platforms out there. Here’s a summary of Brightpearl’s major benefits that we mentioned above.
Software with Services
Brightpearl is user-friendly. Users are accompanied throughout the entire journey from implementation to onboarding with the help of a professional support team and ongoing business consulting.
Solely Built for retail and wholesale
Brightpearl has been custom-built for retail and wholesale meaning you won’t be paying for any unnecessary features or find that you have to spend more on unexpected add-ons.
Lets you easily scale your business
Brightpearl is built for agility at scale. With Brightpearl it’s easy to respond to -sudden market changes, or demand peaks thanks to the agile operations system.
Frequently asked questions
What is Cin7?
Cin7 is a cloud-based inventory management system.
Features include:
- Inventory management
- Supply chain management
- Point-of-Sale (POS) integrations
- Reporting
- Order management
- Warehouse management
Despite the wide range of features, there are some drawbacks when it comes to using Cin7 as a multi-channel retailer. If you’re planning on managing operations on the go you’ll want to look for a SaaS solution with greater flexibility.
Furthermore, Cin7 does not offer a designated retail accounting tool, which is extremely crucial for merchants to get accurate financial insights.
How much does Cin7 cost?
Cin7 offers three pricing scales.
The Small Business package starts at $299/month.
The Business package starts at $539/month.
The Advanced package starts at $999/month
What is the best program to keep track of inventory?
There’s no one size fits all answer to this. It will depend vastly on your business needs. For multichannel retailers and wholesalers, Brightpearl offers retail-first operational support which will help you keep track of inventory and much more.
How do you fix inventory problems?
Investing in the right software solution is one of the best ways to fix those common inventory problems. Instead of investing more time and resources into the problem, you might want to consider using software like Brightpearl to streamline some of your core business processes – helping you to avoid human error.
How do you control inventory costs?
Keeping tabs on inventory costs manually can be time-consuming and rife with errors. Choosing a software tool will help. Brightpearl can be set to use different monitoring methods, including both FIFO and LOFI.