If your organisation works with inventory and assets, you’ll be working with some kind of software to keep track of it. A customised option, built with no-code tools, will give you all the insight you need while allowing the right people to access it when they need to. 

If you’ve ever run out of a popular item or realised that there aren’t enough [insert essential supply here] to go around for people in your team, you might need to change the way you’re managing your inventory or assets. While many businesses opt for off-the-shelf software solutions, there are no-code tools that make it easy to create systems that work for your unique situation and fit right into the operational processes you’ve already set up. They can save a ton of time, energy and, of course, money. 

Wtf are no-code inventory and asset management tools?

An inventory management platform provides a centralised place to see all of your inventory: what’s been ordered, what’s in stock, what’s running low, what your top sellers are and all the stock-keeping units (SKUs) that represent the items you’re selling. Likewise, an asset management system helps you keep track of all the equipment, tools of the trade and supplies you use to run your business. Think: vehicles that technicians use in the field, parts, or production machinery. 

Off-the-shelf software in this area is designed to be used by a bunch of different types of businesses. No-code tools give you the chance to address your business’s specific challenges rather than trying to solve them with tools that aren’t really made for the job. They can also help you modernise older, clunky software you might be (tired of) using by letting you easily create simple user interfaces, engaging data visualisations, or push notifications.  

No-code tools give you the chance to address your business’s specific challenges rather than trying to solve them with tools that aren’t really made for the job.

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For example: 

Let’s say you work for a custom kitchen company. You need to keep track of all the raw materials (eg, wood, hinges, screws, knobs…) plus a fleet of vans for your building teams and all the equipment they use to install the kitchens. Not to mention the equipment they use in the workshop to build the cabinetry. A bespoke no-code inventory and asset management system can support that level of complexity, helping you make sure that every part of a kitchen arrives at its new home along with the tools the installers need on time, every time. 

What problems can they solve?

• Design software that mirrors your IRL operations. No-code tools allow you to create a digital process that makes sense for you, your team and your business – instead of trying to adjust your operations to the processes of an out-of-the-box solution. 
• Give the right people access to it, wherever they are. These tools make it really easy to create user-friendly interfaces on apps that anyone in the business can access on their own devices: whether they’re in the warehouse, out in the field, or in the office. 
• Keep track of everything all in one place. Building a custom solution lets you bring in the different data that’s important to you. So, if you want to combine inventory data and asset data together, or separate certain information into relevant categories, you can do that easily. 
• Automate manual tasks to save time, money and your sanity. Constantly doing stock counts and recording numbers on a sheet of paper isn’t very efficient. Leveraging no-code tools to automate certain processes make it easy to do tasks like viewing stock levels or asset availability, wherever you are.
• Become more efficient with your stock. You can set up tailored, automated notifications for high stock (i.e. stuff that’s been sitting there for months) and low stock so you never have to fear running out of your money-makers or wasting warehouse space. 
• Make sense of your business data. Many companies don’t use the data they have to its full potential because it’s hard to access and difficult to make sense of. With no-code tools, you get to build data processes that you actually understand, so you can make cost-saving moves like negotiating better deals with vendors or putting items on sale.

Who needs to know?

Sectors: 

Businesses that sell consumer goods like clothing, electronics, groceries and packaged food or beauty products can use no-code inventory management software to keep track of the items they are selling. 

Any service-based business that needs to stay on top of the equipment they use to get the work done will benefit from this. That ranges from delivery drivers and plumbers to construction companies and airlines. 

Departments: 

Almost every department can benefit from having at least occasional access to parts of the company’s inventory and asset management systems. That ranges from top-level executives to sales and marketing teams to field workers. 

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What’s the nuance?  

• You need to organise your operations first. No-code solutions can only be effective if you’ve already got a solid system of labelling, tracking, and organising your business’s inventory and assets in place. 
• It’s important to understand your internal users’ needs. You’ve got to build a solution that will actually work for the people who will use it every day. Find out what challenges your team is facing and take the time to understand what operational information they’re constantly searching for. 
• Inventory and asset management is data management. It’s critical to have a reliable way to get that crucial data into your software while reducing human data-entry errors. No-code automation can help solve this common challenge. 
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Which no-code tools are right for me? 

Beginner:

Stacker leverages a drag-and-drop interface so you can make a user-friendly place for everyone to view inventory and asset data from multiple sources. 

Intermediate: 

Airtable and Glide. Airtable allows you to create your own database that mirrors your physical operations. Glide makes it easy to build a custom app using spreadsheets or ready-made templates that your whole team can use. 

Expert:

Retool is a low-code option for those who have more technical or SQL skills. You can connect the apps you build to any API or data source.