What it is
Zoho Inventory manages stock, sales orders, purchasing and shipping for small businesses selling through their own online store and marketplaces. It handles multiple warehouses, batches and serial numbers, and connects natively with Zoho Books and Zoho CRM. The free plan and low entry price make it an easy step up from spreadsheets.
How to use it
- Connect your sales channels like Shopify, Amazon or Etsy to centralize orders and stock.
- Manage multiple warehouses with transfers, batches and serial numbers.
- Automate purchasing with reorder points and supplier orders.
- Print shipping labels through built-in carrier integrations and track every package.
- Sync with Zoho Books for invoicing and bookkeeping.
What it's good for
- A pet supply store selling on its own site and on marketplaces that wants one inventory.
- A small distributor already on Zoho CRM that wants sales tied to stock and purchasing.
- An electronics seller that needs to track the serial number of every unit sold.
Pros
- Free plan to get started, with a monthly order cap
- Native integration with Zoho Books, Zoho CRM and the rest of Zoho
- Batches, serial numbers and multiple warehouses
- iOS and Android apps to check and record stock movements
Cons
- Order, warehouse and user limits push you to upgrade as you grow
- Works best if you already use Zoho; less of an edge with other tools
- Falls short for manufacturing compared with an MRP like Katana
