Liquor Store Inventory System: Benefits, Features, & Options

It’s all too easy to fall behind on your liquor store’s inventory — and the consequences can be disastrous. 

Your storage room will overflow with random bottles, your customers won’t be able to find their favorite spirits on the shelves, and your bottom line will eventually start to slip.

Luckily, there’s a better way. The right software can make stocking your liquor store with the perfect balance of products effortless. 

In this article, we’ll cover everything you need to know about liquor store inventory systems, including key benefits, top features, and our four favorite providers:

• What Is a Liquor Store Inventory System?
• Benefits of a Liquor Store Inventory System
• What To Look For in a Liquor Store Inventory System
• The 4 Best Liquor Store Inventory Systems
  
  

Cheers to saved time, happier customers, and higher profits!

What Is a Liquor Store Inventory System?

A liquor store inventory system is specialized software that helps liquor store owners and managers track, manage, and optimize their beer, wine, and spirits inventory. This powerful software can help you maintain spot-on stock records, prevent stockouts, and protect your cash flow.

Benefits of a Liquor Store Inventory System

Adopting a liquor store inventory system allows you to:

• Keep bestsellers in stock. This type of software tracks which products are most popular among your customer base and automatically reorders top-selling items so you can continue offering customers more of what they love.
• Prevent over-ordering. A liquor store inventory system also tracks which products don’t sell as well, so you don’t order them as much in the future and end up with dead stock.
• Maintain accurate records. Liquor store inventory software tracks your inventory and generates data-driven reports. You get a complete view of your current inventory so you can make well-informed decisions based on sales data.
• Save time. Eliminate manual data entry with a system that automatically imports new product details and provides quick insights, allowing you more time to focus on other areas of your business.
• Maximize profits. By improving inventory management and keeping accurate records, you can make your business more profitable.
  
  Liquor store inventory software makes your life easier, improves the customer experience, and helps you earn the most you can from your business.

What To Look For in a Liquor Store Inventory System

Here are five things to look for when searching for a liquor inventory tool.

1. All-in-One POS Functionality

Our number-one recommendation is to choose an integrated point of sale (POS) and inventory management system. This means that you’ll rely on one software to manage all aspects of your liquor store’s operations, from processing sales transactions to tracking your inventory levels.

Here are a few reasons to consider this approach: 

• Instead of manually syncing and comparing data between different systems, an all-in-one solution keeps your sales and inventory records in a single place. 
• You and your team will only have to learn one system, reducing training and onboarding time. 
• You can rely on one familiar support team to help you with any technical issues, rather than having to call different providers with your questions. 
• All-in-one systems are often more affordable than a mix and match software approach. 

In short, if you’re having trouble managing your liquor store’s inventory, it’s time for a complete upgrade to a modern liquor store POS system. 

2. Real-Time Inventory Tracking

The biggest benefit of liquor store inventory software is that it gives you a real-time overview of your stock levels.

You can see exactly what you have in stock at a glance to answer customers’ questions, make more informed decisions, and reorder your bestsellers before a stockout strikes.

If you choose a cloud-based system, you can access this data from anywhere, at any time — giving you peace of mind even when you’re away from your business. 

3. Case Breaking

Case breaking is a must-have for liquor stores. It lets you track and sell liquor in various quantities, including full cases, partial cases, and individual bottles. 

This feature speeds up the checkout process, makes it easier to interpret your inventory data, and allows you to offer promotions like mix and match deals or build your own six-pack options. 

4. Inventory Automation Tools

The best liquor store inventory systems can help you tackle your most time-consuming to-dos through automation. Specifically, we recommend looking for software that automates the purchase order creation and receiving process.

These features detect when you’re running low on one of your most popular bottles and automatically generate a purchase order to replenish your inventory. They also update your stock records when new inventory arrives at your store, eliminating another tedious manual step.

5. Reporting and Analytics

Your liquor store software should go beyond simply monitoring your inventory data and turn this information into valuable, actionable insights. 

Here are just a few things you can learn from an inventory management system with powerful reporting and analytics: 

• Product performance: Identify your best-selling bottles and underperforming liquors to tailor your store’s selection to match your customers’ taste. 
• Inventory turnover rate: Optimize your restocking strategy and protect your store’s cash flow. 
• Sales trends: Discover seasonal changes in your customers’ product preferences and shopping habits. 
• Shrinkage rate: Spot issues like breakage or theft before they impact your store’s bottom line. 

Digging into these reports helps you stock the right products in the right amounts at the right time. 

The 4 Best Liquor Store Inventory Systems

The right software can transform your liquor store’s operations and profits — but only when it’s the best fit. We know how difficult it can be to navigate the world of POS and inventory management software providers, so we’ve put together this shortlist to help.

1. Bottle POS

Our top pick is Bottle POS, an all-in-one POS system specifically designed to help liquor store owners tackle challenges like inventory management, marketing, and profitability.

Our liquor store inventory software includes all the features you need to keep your shelves perfectly stocked, including:

• Real-time inventory tracking. Bottle POS uses your sales data to show you what you have in stock and send you low-stock notifications. That way, you can see your inventory at a glance, answer customer questions, and reorder low-stock items.
• Automated reordering and receiving. Our liquor store inventory system automatically generates invoices, so all you have to do is review and approve them to receive new stock. Once the items come in, the software automatically imports product details into the system, saving you time typically spent on manual data entry.
• Product ranking. Bottle POS automatically grades your products from A to D and color-codes them based on sale patterns, allowing you to easily identify bestsellers and slow-movers.
• Case breaking. Track and sell liquor in different quantities, such as full cases, partial cases, and individual bottles. Our system makes it easier to interpret your inventory data so you can make well-informed decisions and offer relevant promotions.

Plus, our team of liquor industry experts is available 24/7 to help you make the most of the software. Check out our build and price tool to get an instant, custom quote for your liquor store.

2. National Retail Solutions

National Retail Solutions (NRS) offers user-friendly software with simple inventory tracking, making it an attractive choice for new liquor store owners who just want the basics. 

NRS allows customers to track their inventory levels, set prices, and receive alerts when they run low on a certain product. However, it doesn’t give access to automation tools or liquor-specific features like case breaking.

NRS’s liquor store inventory software pricing options range from $19.95 to $49.95 per month, with options to pay more for features like age verification and advanced reporting.

3. mPower Beverage POS

mPower Beverage POS is a liquor-specific POS provider offering a step up from NRS’s inventory management capabilities.

Features like barcode scanner-powered stock counts and suggested inventory ordering make it easier to keep your shelves stocked with the right bottles. They also offer a unique feature that allows customers to build their own six-packs, encouraging them to try new brews and spend more during each trip to your liquor store.

mPower Beverage POS’s software costs $120 per month.

4. Lightspeed

Lightspeed is a powerful POS option to consider if you have multilocation or e-commerce goals. 

With Lightspeed, you can track stock levels across multiple liquor stores and sync your inventory and sales records between online and in-store sales.

While this provider doesn’t cater to liquor stores in particular, they might be a solid option if you’re struggling to manage inventory for a rapidly expanding business.

Lightspeed’s software prices range from $109 per month to $339 per month.

Master the Art of Liquor Inventory Management With Bottle POS

Ready to start your journey toward smoother inventory management and higher profits? You’re in the right place!

Along with robust inventory management tools, Bottle POS includes built-in age verification, a sales-boosting customer loyalty program, flexible e-commerce integration, and more to take your liquor store to the next level.

See these features in action by scheduling your live, personalized demo today.

• How To Manage Liquor Store Inventory: 4 Best Practices. Check out these best practices for managing liquor store inventory.
• Liquor Store Inventory Management: 8 Do’s and Don’ts. Learn the do’s and don’ts of inventory management to optimize your operations.
• Liquor Store Inventory Costs: How Much To Stock Your Store?. Answer the questions posed in this guide to determine your liquor store inventory costs.