{"id":223,"date":"2022-05-31T15:02:54","date_gmt":"2022-05-31T15:02:54","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.shipbob.com\/au\/inventory-management\/inventory-visibility\/"},"modified":"2025-09-24T05:48:47","modified_gmt":"2025-09-24T05:48:47","slug":"inventory-visibility","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/www.shipbob.com\/au\/inventory-management\/inventory-visibility\/","title":{"rendered":"Inventory Visibility"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<section class=\"wp-block-shipbob-blocks-section-hero-standard-form hero-standard\"><div class=\"container row\"><div class=\"col hero-standard-content\"><h1 class=\"hero-standard-title \"><strong>Inventory Visibility Guide<\/strong> <\/h1>\n<p>Managing and maintaining healthy inventory levels across your supply chain network can be a full-time job.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>As you expand your ecommerce business, you might be concerned on how to maintain visibility as you&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.shipbob.com\/blog\/product-allocation\/\">allocate product<\/a>&nbsp;across multiple locations and channels. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>In this article, you will learn why inventory visibility is important, how to implement tools and systems to improve visibility, and how a fulfilment provider like ShipBob can help you maintain visibility to improve your supply chain.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h4 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-so-what-do-you-want-to-learn\">So, what do you want to learn?<\/h4>\n\n\n\n<ul id=\"what\" class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><a href=\"#what\">What is inventory visibility?<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"#8\">Benefits of an increased inventory visibility<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"#how\">How ShipBob works<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"#benefits\">Benefits of a 3PL for your inventory management<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"#faq\">Frequently asked questions<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div><div class=\"col hero-standard-form offset-1  \"><div class=\"card hero-home-customer-card form-card\"><h3 class=\"form-title\">Request Fulfilment Pricing<\/h3><h3 class=\"h4 form-subtitle\">Let&#8217;s talk. Our experts can help you boost your order volume by 30% year over year.<\/h3><p class=\"form-copy\"><\/p><div class=\"card-body form-fbd53fc0-a20b-4df6-8df7-0fa1e8d5b8d4\" data-controller=\"form-controller\" data-form-controller-form-id-value=\"fbd53fc0-a20b-4df6-8df7-0fa1e8d5b8d4\" data-form-controller-form-container-query-value=\"form-fbd53fc0-a20b-4df6-8df7-0fa1e8d5b8d4\"><\/div><p class=\"form-note\">A fulfilment expert will get back to you shortly. <a href=\"\/privacy-policy\/\">Privacy Policy<\/a><\/p><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/section>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">What is inventory visibility?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p id=\"why\">Inventory visibility refers to the ability to view and&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.shipbob.com\/inventory-management\/inventory-tracking\/\">track inventory<\/a>&nbsp;in real time, and gain insights into exactly how many units of each SKU are in stock at each location, and where it\u2019s stored within a warehouse or fulfilment centre.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Why does ecommerce inventory visibility matter?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>For an ecommerce business to scale, it\u2019s crucial to have visibility into inventory levels at all times, along with the ability to gain insights into how to better manage inventory to meet customer expectations.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Having full inventory visibility enables you to prepare for the unexpected and provides you with the data and analytics you need to make better business decisions, such as how to efficiently&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.shipbob.com\/blog\/inventory-allocation\/\">allocate inventory<\/a>&nbsp;across your distribution network to reduce shipping costs and speed up transit times.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p id=\"8\">When online retailers have the tools they need to manage, view, and&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.shipbob.com\/blog\/inventory-levels\/\">optimise inventory levels<\/a>&nbsp;in real time, they are able to act quickly to ensure demand is met.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<blockquote class=\"wp-block-quote is-style-blog is-layout-flow wp-block-quote-is-layout-flow\">\n<p><em>&#8220;ShipBob\u2019s Inventory Placement Program provides visibility into inventory movement that\u2019s absolutely key for anyone running a business. The data is easily accessible, and it shows exactly how inventory is being split across ShipBob\u2019s network of warehouses. It\u2019s also really great for our product reconciliation, because you can see what\u2019s received at the hub locations and individual fulfilment centres. There\u2019s a lot more clarity, and it\u2019s so much simpler to check that our shipped inventory was received.&#8221;<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Mithu Kuna, Founder and CEO of <a href=\"https:\/\/www.shipbob.com\/blog\/baby-doppler\/\">Baby Doppler<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">8 benefits of increasing inventory visibility throughout your supply chain<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Increasing inventory visibility can significantly improve your&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.shipbob.com\/blog\/supply-chain-velocity\/\">supply chain velocity<\/a>, increase efficiency, meet customer demand, and more. Here are some of the biggest benefits of increasing inventory visibility throughout your supply chain.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">1. Increase overall efficiency<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>When you have oversight of your&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.shipbob.com\/ecommerce-inventory\/\">ecommerce inventory<\/a>&nbsp;across multiple channels, you can leverage valuable historic and current inventory data to improve internal processes and boost&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.shipbob.com\/blog\/supply-chain-efficiency\/\">supply chain efficiency<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>If you lease and manage a warehouse, you can implement&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.shipbob.com\/blog\/best-inventory-apps\/\">inventory apps<\/a>&nbsp;and other types of tools to help you track inventory and increase visibility, which can eliminate the need to do manual&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.shipbob.com\/blog\/inventory-audit\/\">inventory audits<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Or, you can partner with a tech-enabled&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.shipbob.com\/3pl\/\">3PL company<\/a>&nbsp;that offers the visibility and data you need to run an efficient and&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.shipbob.com\/blog\/lean-supply-chain\/\">lean supply chain<\/a>&nbsp;at a fraction of the cost.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">2. Maintain healthy inventory levels<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>Part of&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.shipbob.com\/inventory-management\/\">inventory management<\/a>&nbsp;is figuring out how much inventory you should have on hand, at each location, at all times. Increased inventory visibility helps you maintain healthy inventory levels across all channels.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>With so many locations, and not to mention the transportation and movement of inventory, it can be hard to know the exact quantities of each product, and where it\u2019s all currently stored. If you can\u2019t account for each product, you risk not getting orders delivered on time, lost inventory, and even inaccurate financials.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">3. Boost demand forecasting<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>With more visibility, you have an opportunity to collect historical order data to help you make better inventory decisions around&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.shipbob.com\/blog\/demand-forecasting\/\">forecasting demand<\/a>&nbsp;across all channels.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Being able to see the time and date of orders, SKU(s) ordered, their destinations, and on which sales channel will help you forecast growth and trend projections on a more granular level (plus, you can look back to see how your forecasts matched up to reality). &nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Through forecasting demand will never be 100% accurate, having visibility gives you greater accuracy, which can also help you&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.shipbob.com\/blog\/how-to-cut-costs-and-production-lead-times\/\">improve production lead times<\/a>&nbsp;and increase operational efficiencies.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">4. Improve the customer experience<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>The more inventory visibility you have, the easier it is to monitor stock levels across channels and maintain enough inventory to meet customer demand. With improved visibility, you have the ability to:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Optimise stock levels across your network.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Save on logistics costs to offset the cost of shipping or any promotional incentives like&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.shipbob.com\/blog\/how-to-offer-free-shipping-ecommerce-store\/\">free shipping<\/a>.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Calculate&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.shipbob.com\/inventory-kpis\/safety-stock\/\">safety stock<\/a>&nbsp;to avoid&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.shipbob.com\/inventory-kpis\/stockout-costs\/\">stockouts<\/a>.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Reduce&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/onfleet.com\/blog\/6-ways-to-reduce-last-mile-delivery-costs\/\">last-mile delivery<\/a>&nbsp;by storing inventory closest to your customers.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">5. Enhance internal communication<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>Inventory visibility improves overall&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.shipbob.com\/blog\/supply-chain-management\/\">supply chain management<\/a>&nbsp;by providing your team with the real-time inventory data they need to make better decisions and take action quickly.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>With more visibility, your team can communicate more effectively when they\u2019re given full transparency into how much inventory is arriving at or leaving a warehouse at any given period of time.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">6. Reduce supply chain costs<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>Inefficient\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.shipbob.com\/warehouse-operations\/inventory-storage\/\">inventory storage<\/a>, poor geographic locations, high shipping costs, and unoptimized labour and operations can add up over time and kill your margins.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Having a&nbsp;comprehensive view of inventory on hand across your&nbsp;supply chain ensures that you\u2019re not paying too much in&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.shipbob.com\/blog\/logistics-costs\/\">logistics costs<\/a>&nbsp;or warehousing fees, accumulating dead stock that is unsellable, and\/or storing too much inventory in locations where there isn\u2019t as high of demand for your products.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">7. Promote real-time inventory visibility data<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>It can be hard to know the exact quantities of each product and where it\u2019s all currently stored. And as orders are placed, inventory levels can change in a blink of the eye. By manually managing inventory, you risk not getting orders delivered on time.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>That\u2019s why having the ability to access real-time inventory data is key.&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.shipbob.com\/inventory-automation\/\">Inventory automation<\/a>&nbsp;plays a huge role here, and many times, businesses lean on a third-party logistics (<a href=\"https:\/\/www.shipbob.com\/3pl\/fulfillment-process\/\">3PL<\/a>) company that provides visibility into real-time tracking and inventory performance.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">8. Improve order accuracy rate<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>A lack of inventory visibility can also impact your fulfilment process and&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.shipbob.com\/blog\/order-accuracy\/\">order accuracy<\/a>&nbsp;rate. For instance, if an order is placed with multiple items, customers expect it to be received within the same delivery.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>But with poor inventory management, you risk the chance of one item from the order being sold out, causing a&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.shipbob.com\/inventory-kpis\/backorder\/\">backorder<\/a>&nbsp;and\/or a&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.shipbob.com\/blog\/split-shipments\/\">split shipment<\/a>&nbsp;(or shipping multiple items from a single order out separately).<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p id=\"how\">With more visibility, you can ensure that you have an optimal amount of stock in every location to full orders accurately and on time (or backups in other locations so customers don\u2019t have to wait).&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">How ShipBob uses inventory visibility software within their supply chain<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Since inventory ebbs and flows constantly, having the ability to view real-time inventory insights is key to efficiently&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.shipbob.com\/blog\/inventory-replenishment\/\">replenish inventory<\/a>&nbsp;to meet demand.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>When an ecommerce business considers partnering with a 3PL like ShipBob, they are often concerned about their ability to maintain inventory visibility and control since the storage and fulfilment process takes place outside their business\u2019s four walls.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-video is-provider-youtube wp-block-embed-youtube wp-embed-aspect-16-9 wp-has-aspect-ratio\"><div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\n<iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"ShipBob Fulfillment Center Guided Tour - 3D 360\u00b0 VR Video\" width=\"500\" height=\"281\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/YdTbM4XlizY?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe>\n<\/div><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>ShipBob\u2019s premium fulfilment\u00a0technology and services are designed to provide the visibility you need to view and track\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.shipbob.com\/blog\/how-to-find-sku-number\/\">SKU<\/a>\u00a0quantities, inventory turnover,\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.shipbob.com\/blog\/days-sales-inventory\/\">days sales in inventory<\/a>, SKU performance, and much more.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n<blockquote class=\"wp-block-quote is-style-blog is-layout-flow wp-block-quote-is-layout-flow\">\n<p><em>\u201cI used to have to pull inventory numbers from three places everyday and move all the disparate data into a spreadsheet. ShipBob has an analytics tab in their dashboard with all of this information, which is great for end-of-month reconciliations.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n<cite>Wes Brown, Head of Operations at&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.shipbob.com\/blog\/black-claw\/\">Black Claw LLC<\/a><\/cite><\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n<p>Since ShipBob\u2019s entire network is powered by the same tech stack, if you decide to&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.shipbob.com\/blog\/split-inventory-across-multiple-fulfillment-centers\/\">split inventory across multiple fulfilment centres<\/a>, you are able to manage and track inventory all in one place.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Here is a deeper dive into how ShipBob\u2019s technology works and how it provides full inventory visibility to help you&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.shipbob.com\/blog\/supply-chain-optimization\/\">optimise your supply chain<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Real-time dashboard updates<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>ShipBob offers real-time insights and a full view into inventory performance by providing access to&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.shipbob.com\/blog\/distribution-metrics\/\">distribution metrics<\/a>&nbsp;needed to plan for demand (and replenish inventory accordingly).<\/p>\n\n\n\n<blockquote class=\"wp-block-quote is-style-blog is-layout-flow wp-block-quote-is-layout-flow\">\n<p><em>\u201cWe have a Shopify store but do not use Shopify to track inventory. In terms of tracking inventory, we use ShipBob for everything \u2014 to be able to track each bottle of perfume, what we have left, and what we\u2019ve shipped, while getting a lot more information on each order.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n<cite>Ines Guien, Vice President of Operations at&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.shipbob.com\/blog\/dossier\/\">Dossier<\/a><\/cite><\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n<p>Below is an overview of the different data and analytics tools you have full access to through ShipBob\u2019s dashboard.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Inventory planning<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>From the ShipBob dashboard, you can:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Visualise SKU velocity and days of inventory remaining on hand.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Input changes in projected order volume or scenarios to calculate changes in inventory turnover.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>Below showcases the \u2018Inventory Summary\u2019 page which visually shows historical inventory levels and how much inventory is remaining at each&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.shipbob.com\/blog\/distribution-center\/\">distribution centre<\/a>:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image\"><img decoding=\"async\" is=\"responsive-img\" src=\"https:\/\/www.shipbob.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/04\/art22.png\" alt=\"inventory summary screenshot\"  \/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>You can check real-time inventory levels at each fulfilment centre at any time and set&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.shipbob.com\/blog\/reorder-point-formula\/\">automatic reorder levels<\/a>, so you are notified when stock is running low. This helps take the guesswork out of the inventory reordering process.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>This type of insight also gives you the data you need to calculate&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.shipbob.com\/inventory-kpis\/inventory-turnover-ratio\/\">inventory turnover rate<\/a>, which measures the amount of times inventory is sold then replaced in a designated time period.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<blockquote class=\"wp-block-quote is-style-blog is-layout-flow wp-block-quote-is-layout-flow\">\n<p><em>\u201cWe roll out new products and designs on our website 1-3 times a month and send new inventory to ShipBob each week. It\u2019s really easy to create new SKUs and restock existing ones using ShipBob\u2019s technology, which is especially important with high inventory turnover.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n<cite>Carl Protsch, Co-Founder of&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.shipbob.com\/blog\/fleo-shorts\/\">FLEO<\/a><\/cite><\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">SKU performance<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>By viewing the \u2018SKU Performance\u2019 page from the ShipBob dashboard, you can look at performance of your product(s) over time by channel sold.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>In the example below, you will see that during the week of 11\/29\/2019 to 12\/05\/2019, a merchant sold 4,167 units of a SKU, which accounts for 7.75% of all items sold by that merchant.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image\"><img decoding=\"async\" is=\"responsive-img\" src=\"https:\/\/www.shipbob.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/04\/soldshipped-1.png\" alt=\"units sold screenshot\"  \/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<blockquote class=\"wp-block-quote is-style-blog is-layout-flow wp-block-quote-is-layout-flow\">\n<p><em>\u201cShipBob\u2019s analytics tool is also really cool. It helps us a lot with planning inventory reorders, seeing when SKUs are going to run out, and we can even set up email notifications so that we\u2019re alerted when a SKU has less than a certain quantity left. There is a lot of value in their technology.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n<cite>Oded Harth, CEO &amp; Co-Founder of&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.shipbob.com\/blog\/mdacne\/\">MDacne<\/a><\/cite><\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><a href=\"https:\/\/support.shipbob.com\/s\/articles\/3971348-inventory-daily-history\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Daily inventory history<\/a><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>Easily access daily inventory history at any point in time. Using ShipBob\u2019s \u2018Daily Inventory History\u2019 page, you can search by item, filter by specific lot number, and account for inventory in transit.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image\"><img decoding=\"async\" is=\"responsive-img\" src=\"https:\/\/www.shipbob.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/04\/art19-1.png\" alt=\"daily inventory history screenshot\"  \/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Inventory on hand<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>From the ShipBob dashboard, you get a comprehensive view of\u00a0inventory on hand\u00a0in real time. Review your current, available inventory levels by ShipBob fulfilment centre, and see if you have any inventory in transit to another location.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image\"><img decoding=\"async\" is=\"responsive-img\" src=\"https:\/\/www.shipbob.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/04\/art16.png\" alt=\"inventory on hand screenshot\"  \/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<blockquote class=\"wp-block-quote is-style-blog is-layout-flow wp-block-quote-is-layout-flow\">\n<p><em>\u201cWe utilise ShipBob\u2019s Inventory API, which allows us to programmatically retrieve real-time data on how many units of each product are currently stored at ShipBob\u2019s warehouses. We currently use this API to generate custom reports to tie this inventory data into our accounting platforms.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n<cite><a href=\"https:\/\/www.shipbob.com\/blog\/waveform-lighting\/\">Waveform Lighting Team<\/a><\/cite><\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Inventory map and distribution<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>ShipBob makes it easy to take a data-driven approach to inventory distribution. By aggregating historical order data, you get an analysis of which&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.shipbob.com\/blog\/logistics-centers\/\">logistics centres<\/a>&nbsp;you should stock to best leverage ShipBob\u2019s network of fulfilment centres for the most cost-effective and fast deliveries.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>You can easily visualise where your customers are, and compare your current and ideal distribution to optimise&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.shipbob.com\/blog\/product-allocation\/\">product allocation<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>With this type of visibility, you get get answers to questions like:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>How should I distribute my inventory across ShipBob\u2019s fulfilment network?<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>What would my&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.shipbob.com\/ecommerce-shipping\/reduce-shipping-costs\/\">shipping costs<\/a>&nbsp;be if I went from one fulfilment centre to two (or two to three, and so on)?<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>How many days of inventory do I have left before I run out?<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>What is my SKU performance over time?<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Where are my customers shipping to most often?<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image\"><img decoding=\"async\" is=\"responsive-img\" src=\"https:\/\/www.shipbob.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/04\/Untitled-design-1-2.png\" alt=\"distribution graphics\"  \/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Benefits of a tech-enabled 3PL for your inventory management<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Inventory visibility has the power to enhance your entire supply chain, which leads to higher profit margins, better&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.shipbob.com\/inventory-management\/inventory-forecasting\/\">inventory forecasting<\/a>, and ultimately a higher customer satisfaction rate.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>That\u2019s why many fast-growing ecommerce businesses partner with ShipBob, a&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.shipbob.com\/blog\/technology-enabled-3pl-fulfillment-top-benefits\/\">tech-enabled 3PL<\/a>&nbsp;that offers a&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.shipbob.com\/global-fulfillment\/\">global fulfilment<\/a>&nbsp;network, premium technology, inventory management tools, and full visibility into your inventory.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>When you&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.shipbob.com\/ecommerce-fulfillment\/outsourced-fulfillment\/\">outsource fulfilment<\/a>&nbsp;to ShipBob, you get full&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.shipbob.com\/blog\/supply-chain-visibility\/\">visibility<\/a>&nbsp;and transparency into the entire fulfilment process, which allows you to maintain control, track inventory and orders at all times, and get access to&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.shipbob.com\/blog\/new-free-analytics-reporting-tool\/\">advanced data and analytics<\/a>&nbsp;to make better business decisions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<blockquote class=\"wp-block-quote is-style-blog is-layout-flow wp-block-quote-is-layout-flow\">\n<p><em>\u201cSo many 3PLs have either bad or no front-facing software, making it impossible to keep track of what\u2019s leaving or entering the warehouse.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><em>On the supply chain side, I just throw in what we placed at the factory into a WRO in the ShipBob dashboard, and I can see how many units we have on-hand, what\u2019s incoming, what\u2019s at docks, and so on. I can see all of those numbers in a few seconds, and it makes life so much easier.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n<cite>Harley Abrams, Operations Manager of&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.shipbob.com\/blog\/superspeed-golf\/\">SuperSpeed Golf, LLC<\/a><\/cite><\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n<p id=\"faq\">With ShipBob, you can expand and scale your business with ease, and optimise your&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.shipbob.com\/blog\/logistics-operations\/\">logistics operations<\/a>&nbsp;efficiently.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-inventory-visibility-faqs\">Inventory visibility FAQs<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Here are answers to the most commonly asked questions related to inventory visibility.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-shipbob-blocks-single-faq single-faq direction-col\" data-controller=\"faq-controller\" data-faq-controller-open-value=\"true\"><div class=\"single-faq-title-contianer\"><h4 class=\"single-faq-title\">How do you increase inventory visibility?<\/h4><div class=\"single-faq-expand\" data-faq-controller-target=\"expand\"><img decoding=\"async\" is=\"responsive-img\" src=\"\/wp-content\/themes\/shipbob-2022\/resources\/svg\/plus-solid.svg\"  \/><\/div><\/div><div class=\"single-faq-childs\" data-faq-controller-target=\"answer\"><div>\n\n<p>Investing in inventory tools such as an inventory management system or other types inventory apps is a great way to increase inventory visibility. These tools are designed to help you keep track of inventory across your supply chain in an automated way, from one single dashboard. This way, you can see real-time inventory numbers at a glance and get insights on how better manage your inventory to meet demand across your distribution network.<\/p>\n\n<\/div><\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-shipbob-blocks-single-faq single-faq direction-col\" data-controller=\"faq-controller\" data-faq-controller-open-value=\"true\"><div class=\"single-faq-title-contianer\"><h4 class=\"single-faq-title\">What is a supply chain inventory visibility system?<\/h4><div class=\"single-faq-expand\" data-faq-controller-target=\"expand\"><img decoding=\"async\" is=\"responsive-img\" src=\"\/wp-content\/themes\/shipbob-2022\/resources\/svg\/plus-solid.svg\"  \/><\/div><\/div><div class=\"single-faq-childs\" data-faq-controller-target=\"answer\"><div>\n\n<p>A supply chain inventory visibility system (SCIV) is often used by enterprise businesses to track inventory across a global distribution network. A SCIV system also has the ability to set reorder notification alerts, view order status, and more. Many 3PLs like ShipBob offer built-in inventory management tools that provide the same level of visibility into inventory levels.<\/p>\n\n<\/div><\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-shipbob-blocks-single-faq single-faq direction-col\" data-controller=\"faq-controller\" data-faq-controller-open-value=\"true\"><div class=\"single-faq-title-contianer\"><h4 class=\"single-faq-title\">How do you monitor inventory levels?<\/h4><div class=\"single-faq-expand\" data-faq-controller-target=\"expand\"><img decoding=\"async\" is=\"responsive-img\" src=\"\/wp-content\/themes\/shipbob-2022\/resources\/svg\/plus-solid.svg\"  \/><\/div><\/div><div class=\"single-faq-childs\" data-faq-controller-target=\"answer\"><div>\n\n<p>Monitoring inventory levels is a tedious process if you still use card systems, Excel sheets, or physical ledgers or paper. But by implementing an inventory tracking systems, you can monitor inventory levels in real time from a single dashboard. Inventory tracking systems enable you to make better decisions on where to allocate inventory, when to reorder, and where to store to meet demand.<\/p>\n\n<\/div><\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-shipbob-blocks-single-faq single-faq direction-col\" data-controller=\"faq-controller\" data-faq-controller-open-value=\"true\"><div class=\"single-faq-title-contianer\"><h4 class=\"single-faq-title\">How does ShipBob implement full inventory visibility?<\/h4><div class=\"single-faq-expand\" data-faq-controller-target=\"expand\"><img decoding=\"async\" is=\"responsive-img\" src=\"\/wp-content\/themes\/shipbob-2022\/resources\/svg\/plus-solid.svg\"  \/><\/div><\/div><div class=\"single-faq-childs\" data-faq-controller-target=\"answer\"><div>\n\n<p>ShipBob offers real-time inventory visibility with a built-in inventory management system and analytics tools. ShipBob\u2019s entire international fulfilment network is powered by proprietary technology, which allows you to view inventory levels from different locations all from one single dashboard. With ShipBob, you can track inventory levels of each SKU in each location in real time for better inventory control across your sales channels.<\/p>\n\n<\/div><\/div><\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>What is inventory visibility? Inventory visibility refers to the ability to view and&nbsp;track inventory&nbsp;in real time, and gain insights into exactly how many units of each SKU are in stock at each location, and where it\u2019s stored within a warehouse or fulfilment centre.&nbsp; Why does ecommerce inventory visibility matter? For an ecommerce business to scale, [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":149,"featured_media":0,"parent":216,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"hub.php","meta":{"content-type":"","inline_featured_image":false,"footnotes":""},"class_list":["post-223","page","type-page","status-publish","hentry"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO Premium plugin v27.4 (Yoast SEO v27.4) - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-premium-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>Inventory Visibility: 8 Benefits to Your Supply Chain<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Learn how to increase inventory visibility across your distribution network to optimize your supply chain and make better business decisions.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.shipbob.com\/inventory-management\/inventory-visibility\/\" 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