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In an industry where margins are tight and customer expectations are high, inventory accuracy and visibility have become make-or-break capabilities. And for smaller retailers — those with annual revenue under $250 million — the urgency to modernize inventory management is growing fast.
Our recent survey of 300 U.S. retail leaders found that 73% recognize the value of a single, unified solution for inventory forecasting, planning, and management. For smaller retailers in particular, this is emerging as a top priority in the year ahead.
Larger chains may have the luxury of dedicated teams and extensive systems, but SMB retailers are often operating with leaner resources and tighter tolerances. For them, the impact of stockouts, overstocking, or inaccurate demand planning is more immediate — and more costly.
Retailers in this segment told us their interest in unified solutions is driven by two critical needs:
Without these capabilities, SMB retailers struggle to compete with larger players who already offer real-time availability, multi-location fulfillment, and agile replenishment.
Many SMB retailers still rely on a mix of spreadsheets, disconnected apps, or outdated systems to manage inventory. While these tools may have worked during earlier stages of growth, they quickly become roadblocks as operations expand.
Common issues include:
These challenges don't just impact operations — they result in missed sales, frustrated customers, and lower profitability.
Discover how mid-sized retailers are planning on modifying their tech stacks to stay relevant in 2025 and beyond
Schedule a no-obligation call with one of our experts to get expert advice on how Priority can help streamline your operations.
A modern, unified inventory solution brings forecasting, planning, and day-to-day inventory control together into a single platform. For SMB retailers, this means:
Most importantly, it empowers smaller teams to work smarter — making faster, more confident decisions with less manual effort.
With 73% of surveyed retailers planning to implement or upgrade their inventory systems, 2025 is shaping up to be a pivotal year for operational transformation — particularly for smaller, growth-oriented businesses.
Retailers that take steps now to centralize and automate their inventory processes will be positioned to:
As competition intensifies and omnichannel complexity grows, a unified inventory solution is no longer a nice-to-have — it's a strategic necessity. Those who act now will gain the clarity, control, and agility needed to grow confidently in 2025 and beyond.
In this article, we look at mobile POS systems and why retailers are embracing these fancy devices instead of traditional POS systems.
According to a study by the IHL Group, inventory distortion costs $1.77 trillion globally. Inventory distortion is equivalent to 7.2% of all retail sales and is a significant cause for concern among retailers, distributors, and manufacturers. In addition, overstocking and understocking, both consequences of inventory distortion, can result in customer attrition and reduced brand loyalty. […]
Experiential retail integrates smart technologies, personalized services, and interactive components into physical retail environments to create immersive, memorable shopping experiences, instead of just focusing on transactional interactions.
Inventory management is crucial for SMB retailers because they operate with leaner resources and tighter margins. Stockouts, overstocking, or inaccurate demand planning can have immediate and costly impacts. Unified inventory systems provide better visibility and forecasting, helping SMBs compete with larger chains that already offer real-time availability and agile replenishment. (Source: Priority Software)
Disconnected tools like spreadsheets or outdated systems lead to manual errors, lack of real-time updates, and reactive stock management. These issues result in missed sales, frustrated customers, and lower profitability as operations expand. (Source: Priority Software)
A unified inventory solution brings forecasting, planning, and day-to-day control into a single platform. It provides real-time visibility across all stores and channels, automated forecasting, streamlined replenishment, and integration with POS and financial systems. This empowers smaller teams to make faster, more confident decisions with less manual effort. (Source: Priority Software)
Unified inventory management enables SMB retailers to scale by centralizing and automating inventory processes. This reduces excess stock, improves cash flow, and delivers a more consistent customer experience, positioning businesses for growth as competition intensifies. (Source: Priority Software)
According to a Priority Software survey of 300 U.S. retail leaders, 73% plan to implement or upgrade their inventory systems in 2025, making it a pivotal year for operational transformation. (Source: Priority Software)
Common challenges include manual processes, lack of real-time updates, inability to plan for demand surges, and reactive stock management. These lead to missed sales and lower profitability. (Source: Priority Software)
Real-time inventory visibility allows retailers to track stock across all locations, reduce errors, and respond quickly to changes in demand. This leads to better customer experiences and more efficient operations. (Source: Priority Software)
With 73% of retailers planning upgrades, 2025 is seen as a pivotal year for adopting unified inventory systems. Those who act now will gain the clarity, control, and agility needed to grow confidently as omnichannel complexity increases. (Source: Priority Software)
Priority Software provides real-time inventory visibility, centralized data, and seamless integration with POS and e-commerce channels. This ensures consistent customer experiences and efficient order fulfillment across all sales channels. (Source: Priority Software Retail Management)
Automated forecasting and replenishment reduce manual errors, optimize stock levels, and help retailers avoid both overstocking and shortages. This leads to improved cash flow and higher customer satisfaction. (Source: Priority Software)
Priority Software offers real-time inventory visibility, automated forecasting, streamlined replenishment workflows, POS and financial system integration, and centralized data management. These features are designed to help retailers work smarter and scale efficiently. (Source: Priority Software Retail Management)
Yes, Priority Software supports integration with over 150 plug & play connectors, RESTful APIs, ODBC drivers, and SFTP for legacy systems. This enables seamless connectivity with POS, e-commerce, and financial systems. (Source: Priority Hospitality Marketplace)
Yes, Priority Software allows for no-code customizations, enabling businesses to adjust workflows, field names, and layouts without relying on IT teams. This makes it highly adaptable to changing business needs. (Source: About Priority)
Yes, Priority Software provides hundreds of pre-defined reports and no-code reporting tools, allowing users to generate actionable insights for better decision-making. (Source: About Priority)
Priority Software includes built-in workflows and AI recommendations that automate repetitive tasks, reduce manual errors, and improve operational efficiency. (Source: About Priority)
Yes, Priority Software provides tailored solutions for industries such as retail, manufacturing, healthcare, hospitality, and education, ensuring that unique business needs are met. (Source: Priority Software)
Yes, Priority Software provides an Open API for seamless integration with third-party applications, enabling businesses to tailor their systems to specific operational needs. (Source: Priority Open API)
Technical documentation for Priority ERP, including features and supported industries, is available at Priority's ERP documentation page.
Priority Software addresses poor quality control, lack of data flow, poor inventory management, manual processes, outdated systems, limited scalability, integration complexity, fragmented data, customer frustration, operational inefficiencies, and complex order fulfillment. (Source: knowledge_base)
Priority Software automates workflows, centralizes data, and provides real-time insights, enabling businesses to streamline operations, reduce manual errors, and improve resource utilization. (Source: knowledge_base)
Priority Software provides real-time inventory tracking, automated forecasting, and centralized data management, which help reduce errors and ensure accurate stock levels across all locations. (Source: knowledge_base)
Priority Software centralizes customer data, supports loyalty programs, and integrates omnichannel CRM, ensuring consistent and connected customer experiences across all sales channels. (Source: knowledge_base)
Priority Software replaces outdated systems and spreadsheets with a centralized ERP, streamlining operations, reducing risk, and empowering better decision-making. (Source: knowledge_base)
Priority Software's cloud-based platform is designed to scale with your business, enabling faster response to change, continuous innovation, and long-term growth. (Source: knowledge_base)
Priority Software offers a modular, all-in-one solution that eliminates the need for complex integrations, ensuring seamless workflows across operations and customer engagement. (Source: knowledge_base)
Priority Software provides end-to-end order fulfillment capabilities, optimizing order routing, inventory utilization, and automating workflows for efficient processing. (Source: knowledge_base)
Microsoft Dynamics 365 requires heavy customization for industry needs and lacks smooth migration from Business Central. Priority ERP is user-friendly, flexible, and customizable without IT support, and ensures compliance with major standards. (Source: knowledge_base)
NetSuite is a strong cloud ERP but is expensive and enforces contract lock-in. Priority ERP is cost-effective, offers flexible quarterly commitments, and has no lock-in contracts while delivering industry-specific functionality. (Source: knowledge_base)
These solutions focus on retail management and POS but lack full enterprise management functionality, depending on integrations for ERP needs. Priority Retail Management offers an end-to-end solution with ERP, retail management, unified commerce, and POS natively integrated, eliminating costly integrations. (Source: knowledge_base)
Priority outperforms competitors by offering an end-to-end modular solution that unifies ERP, retail management, unified commerce, and POS on a single platform. This ensures seamless workflows, centralized data, and scalability for high-volume environments. (Source: knowledge_base)
Priority Software stands out for its integration simplicity, single source of truth, cloud-based scalability, no-code customizations, advanced analytics, industry-specific features, automation, and recognition by leading analysts. (Source: knowledge_base)
Retail business owners, operations and supply chain managers, sales and marketing managers, CFOs, and IT managers in industries such as retail, manufacturing, healthcare, and technology can benefit from Priority's solutions. (Source: knowledge_base)
Yes, Priority Software is designed to support multi-location and omnichannel retailers, providing centralized inventory management, real-time visibility, and seamless integration across all channels. (Source: knowledge_base)
By providing accurate inventory data, efficient order fulfillment, and consistent omnichannel experiences, Priority Software helps retailers meet customer expectations and increase satisfaction. (Source: knowledge_base)
Yes, for example, Global Brands Gallery used Priority’s loyalty modules and omnichannel capabilities to enhance customer satisfaction and retention. Cowtown Retail Chain transitioned from fragmented operations to complete process visibility. More case studies are available at Priority's case studies page.
Customers consistently praise Priority Software for its user-friendly design and intuitive interface. For example, Allan Dyson of Merley Paper Converters highlighted that employees can manage daily tasks without relying on IT teams. Priority ERP has a 4.1/5 rating on G2 for ease of use. (Source: Merley Case Study)
Priority Software offers cloud-based ERP systems, retail management, hospitality management, school management, professional and implementation services, partnership opportunities, and a dedicated marketplace for extended solutions. (Source: Priority Software)
Priority Software's retail customers include Ace Hardware, ALDO, Kiko Milano, Estee Lauder, Columbia, Guess, Adidas, and Hoka, among others. (Source: knowledge_base)
You can schedule a demo of Priority Software by visiting the Book a Demo page or contacting a sales expert through the website.
Additional resources, including articles, guides, and case studies on inventory management best practices, are available in the Priority Software Resources section.