A hardware store has thousands of small items on its shelves: screws, wall plugs, pipe, cable, paint and hand tools. Products are sold by the metre but bought by the box, and prices change often with supplier lists. Tradesmen’s open accounts live in a separate book, and what has run out is discovered only when a customer asks.
In the system we build, every product is defined with its purchase and sales units and found quickly at the till by barcode or short code. Supplier price lists are uploaded in bulk and sale prices updated by margin; trade and contractor accounts, quotes and reorders for low stock are managed from the same screen.
Problems we see in hardware stores
- Stock counts not matching across thousands of items
- Price changes reaching the shelf and the till late
- Trade and contractor open accounts getting muddled
- Reordering forgotten for items that have run out
Modules
Fast sales
Search by barcode, short code or product name; sell in the chosen unit.
Unit conversion
Purchase-to-sales unit conversion such as box to piece, roll to metre and bag to kilo.
Bulk price updates
Import of supplier lists and new sale prices by margin rule.
Trade accounts
Open accounts, statements and collections by tradesman, contractor and site.
Quotes and proformas
Quick quotes at the counter, sent by WhatsApp and converted into sales.
Low stock and ordering
Minimum stock alerts and an automatic order list for suppliers.
How it works day to day
- 1
Goods from the supplier enter stock in the purchase unit.
- 2
At the till the product is scanned or entered by code and sold in the sales unit.
- 3
A tradesman’s purchase goes to their account and a retail sale to the till.
- 4
Items that fall to a critical level are added to the order list.
- 5
At month end trade statements are sent and a profitability report is produced.
Integrations
Off-the-shelf software or custom-built?
When off-the-shelf is enough
For a small shop with a narrow range, ready-made quick-sale and account programs are enough.
When custom software pays off
For businesses with thousands of items, heavy trade and site sales and several branches, a custom system with unit conversion and bulk price management prevents lost time and profit.
How the budget is built
We launch the workflow that saves you the most time first, then add modules based on real usage. The full scope below is calculated with 18 screens and 10 modules; the final price follows a free discovery call and a written scope.
Maintenance and improvements (optional): €450 / month. Hosting, SMS, WhatsApp and app store fees are listed separately.
Frequently asked questions
Can we upload supplier price lists?
Yes. Excel lists are matched to products, purchase prices are updated and the sale price is calculated with the margin you set.
How are items without barcodes sold?
They are sold by short code, shelf-label barcode or quick product buttons.
Can stock and accounts from our current program be migrated?
If an Excel or database export is available, product cards, stock levels and customer balances are imported.
Can tradesmen see their own statement?
Statements are sent by WhatsApp or email, and a private view link can be opened for a tradesman if wanted.
