Running your liquor store without a proper inventory management system is like mixing a cocktail with your eyes closed. You’ll have trouble knowing what bottle you’re grabbing and how much you’re pouring… and it will probably taste terrible.
You’ll have as much trouble running your store without a robust inventory management system. Wasting resources on manual inventory checks and purchase orders, running out of customer favorites, and carrying too much slow-moving stock are just some of the problems you’ll face.
However! With careful consideration and a top-notch liquor inventory app, you can turn your fortunes around and drive profits.
This article highlights the top liquor inventory apps to help in managing liquor store inventory, creating happier customers, and earning higher profits. Discover the best solution for your store, including top features, pricing, and customer reviews.
Liquor Inventory Apps: What Are They?
Before we share our list of the top liquor inventory apps you should explore this year, let’s define what liquor inventory apps are — and why they are a must-have tool for liquor store owners.
A liquor inventory app is a digital solution designed to help liquor store owners manage and track inventory efficiently. These apps have risen in popularity due to the growing need for streamlined and data-driven inventory management. The liquor business, much like many other industries, is evolving. With online sales and digital marketplaces on the rise, store owners are finding it increasingly challenging to keep track of stock levels and meet customer demands. Liquor inventory apps, to the rescue.
Related Read: 8 Ways To Build Your Liquor Store's Online Presence
Let’s take a look at some of the benefits you can enjoy when you use a liquor inventory app:
- Inventory Management: Manage your inventory from wherever you are with mobile inventory applications.
- Data-Driven Decisions: Effortlessly track your sales, reorder popular items, and optimize your liquor selection based on real sales data.
- Online Liquor Sales: Track sales smoothly between your e-commerce and brick-and-mortar liquor sales.
Example: BottleZoo is tailored for liquor store owners, streamlining the online sales process and integrating seamlessly with your inventory management needs.
In the modern sales environment, liquor inventory apps are increasingly vital, but not all apps are equal. Let’s dive into some key features every liquor store owner should look for in one of these applications.
Key Features To Look For in a Liquor Inventory App
There’s no shortage of options on the market for liquor inventory apps. If you want to choose the right one for your liquor store, you need to know which features to be on the lookout for when making your selection.
Accurate Tracking:
- Easy Input: Your app should allow hassle-free input of deliveries, sales, transfers, refunds, and any other stock-related actions.
- Real-Time Inventory Availability: Your app must provide real-time updates on inventory availability for all products and locations.
Inventory Optimization:
- Sales Trend Analysis: Look for an app able to analyze sales trends and retail analytics to predict your top-selling items. When you dial this in, it’s like having a crystal ball for your inventory.
- Ideal Inventory Levels: The app should help you determine the perfect inventory levels for each product, reducing the chances of being burdened with dead stock.
Pricing Rules:
- Flexible Pricing Rules: You should be able to create flexible pricing rules for promotions, sales, and special events.
- Automatic Application: Your inventory app should be able to automatically apply these pricing rules to specific products or categories, making pricing changes a breeze.
Purchase Order Creation:
- Streamlined Purchase Orders: An excellent liquor inventory app should streamline the process of generating purchase orders to replenish stock, ensuring your shelves are always well-stocked.
- Distributor Integration: Look for an app that can integrate with distributors for simplified reordering. This feature can save you time and minimize ordering errors.
Online Sales:
- Inventory Sync: In today's market, synchronizing your inventory across online and brick-and-mortar sales channels is essential. This feature prevents you from overselling items that are out of stock.
Keeping these features in mind, let’s now examine our list of the top five providers for liquor inventory apps on the market today.
1. Bottle POS
Best for: E-commerce integration
Bottle POS offers an all-in-one liquor store point of sale (POS) system. Our solution includes features tailored to liquor store needs, such as dual pricing options, 24/7 mobile inventory management, built-in loyalty programs, and even the option to make sales online with a free e-commerce webstore. Our system also includes marketing features like SMS marketing and Google Search marketing through a free integration with Pointy. With Bottle POS, liquor store owners have the tools to streamline their operations and make informed business decisions.
Pricing: Get a custom quote for your perfect solution using our build and price tool.
Review:
“Having a POS system that’s specific to liquor stores is unbelievably helpful. Bottle POS helps eliminate challenges on the inventory side. It saves me a ton of time having to fix invoices. Having everything imported into the system is amazing, much easier. The benefit of being able to provide dual pricing (formerly known as cash discounting) has saved us four to five thousand dollars a month on credit card fees.” - Dave Crisafulli, Bottle POS Customer
2. IT Retail
Best for: Small liquor stores
IT Retail is a POS system designed for corner stores and markets, but offers many of the features liquor store owners need to level up their operations. These features include age verification, dual pricing, employee time tracking, gift cards, and more. Small liquor stores will also benefit from the advanced inventory tools and the PCI-compliant transaction interface.
Pricing: Available through custom quote.
Review:
“IT Retail and its staff have given our markets A+ service over the years. His product knowledge and efficiency is second to none. We are grateful to have an awesome partnership with IT Retail and their great support staff.” - Jonathan T, IT Retail Customer
3. KORONA POS
Best for: Payment processing integrations
KORONA POS offers a comprehensive liquor store point of sale system designed to streamline operations. It provides features such as a customer loyalty program, case breaks, inventory tracking with handheld devices, and robust employee management features. With KORONA POS, liquor store owners can benefit from a range of tools tailored to their specific needs, ensuring efficient and effective store management.
Pricing: KORONA POS Core starts at $59 per month.
Review:
“Very user friendly. You can customize the interface to conform to your business needs. Customer service is in the United States, always accessible, and always awesome. We love that we can fit it to our scale of business and grow with it.” - KORONA Customer
4. mPower Beverage
Best for: Well-established liquor stores
mPower's liquor store POS system is tailored for retailers in the beer, wine, and liquor industry. This software streamlines inventory management and supports various pricing tiers, including mix and match and case break pricing, simplifying complex pricing structures. The system provides multi-location support for centralized control, enabling tasks like purchase orders and pricing adjustments from one location. mPower also offers integration partners to enhance your online presence.
Pricing: mPower’s pricing starts at $1,000 upfront, and $120 per month for a single register.
Review:
“The technical support team is extremely responsive each time we call with an issue. The price of this software, along with the invaluable support offered at an annual fee, and the daily back-up is a bargain! We definitely will be continuing with this software.” - mPower Customer
5. Lightspeed POS
Best for: iPad-based POS
Lightspeed's wine and liquor store POS system simplifies inventory management, allowing quick addition of products, versatile selling options, low stock alerts, and built-in inventory counting. Lightspeed ensures fast and compliant sales processing with features like age verification prompts, quick keys, and promotions to drive sales. Lightspeed's one-stop commerce platform offers an omnichannel shopping experience, enabling in-store, online, and cross-channel sales.
Pricing: Lightspeed’s standard package starts at $119 per month.
Review:
“I absolutely love the basic reporting Lightspeed offers. Lightspeed POS is pretty straight forward once you get the hang of it. Allows discounts and customer loyalty accounts to be easily integrated. Support chat is always top notch.” - Lightspeed Customer
Key Factors To Consider When Choosing an App
Remember, a few factors should guide your decision when selecting the right liquor inventory app for your store. First, consider your unique needs, whether it's inventory management, age verification, or loyalty programs. Assess your budget and prioritize features that align with your financial resources.
Next, ensure the app is user-friendly for your staff. Check for necessary integrations with other platforms or software. Lastly, evaluate the quality of customer support, as it can be vital in complex liquor store operations. These considerations will help you choose the app most likely to help you propel your liquor store to the next level.
The Best Liquor Inventory App for Your Store
In liquor retail, managing inventory is a cornerstone of your success. Balancing the fine line between too much stock and frustrating stockouts can make or break your bottom line. The right liquor inventory app can be a game-changer for your business. It's not just about tracking bottles; it's about increasing efficiency, saving money, and, ultimately, making your customers happy.
Before we close out here, let’s recap the key features you should be on the lookout for: accurate tracking, inventory optimization, flexible pricing rules, streamlined purchase order creation, and the ability to seamlessly handle online sales. These features are your roadmap to smoother operations and higher profits.
One incredible liquor inventory app with all these features and more is BottleZoo. BottleZoo integrates with Bottle POS, including a comprehensive feature set and user-friendly interface. But don't just take our word for it: Experience it for yourself. It's time to put BottleZoo and Bottle POS to the test.
Check out a free software demo today to see if Bottle POS offers the liquor inventory app solution you’ve been looking for.
