There’s never been a better time to run an ecommerce business. Thanks to cloud-based technologies, inventory management systems that once required clunky, on-premise implementation now fit in the palm of your hand.

You can track every health metric of your warehouse in seconds. With a few clicks (or taps of your finger), you can see inventory levels across multiple channels, in-transit orders, and any warehouse issues that demand your attention. That’s the power of cloud-based inventory management systems.

But how do you choose with such a dizzying number of software platforms available?

To help, we’ve put together a list of the 11 best cloud-based inventory management software options for ecommerce businesses in 2023. 

We’ll also go over which specific features to look for and how to go about your selection process.

11 best cloud-based inventory management software platforms for ecommerce in 2023

ShipBob

ShipBob is a comprehensive fulfillment platform that provides global support for 7,000+ ecommerce brands. They have a network of 30+ fulfillment centers located in the US, Canada, UK, EU, and Australia.

They offer features like same-day order fulfillment services to our merchants, product storage, picking, packing and shipping.

By utilizing their unique fulfillment platform, brands can make edits and customize orders with ease while also staying up-to-date on real-time stock levels across all locations.

Reorder notifications are sent directly to the user, allowing for a seamless omnichannel shopping experience that leads to improved customer satisfaction.

Benefits of ShipBob:

• Single-source inventory management
• Multi-location support
• Real-time stock levels
• Reorder notifications
• Packing & shipping services
• Same-day order fulfillment services

ShipBob is best for:

Mid- to large-size ecommerce brands looking for a comprehensive fulfillment platform.

Linnworks

Linnworks is a centralized Software-as-a-Service (SaaS) commerce platform that currently services 4,000+ customers worldwide. The company handles $8bn+ GMV annually, working with global brands like Amazon and eBay.

Linnworks’ inventory control software helps clients manage and optimize products to ship out the ones closest to their expiration dates first.

You can also integrate their system to help you in bulk listing your products to different platforms like Amazon, Shopify and eBay, among others. 

Being an omnichannel commerce system, Linnworks has everything your business will need in one place.

Synchronize your prices across all channels, keep track of all listings and view stock forecasts in real time — they’re all part of its comprehensive set of features. 

Linnworks Advanced is designed to maximize your order and shipping capabilities. They will work with you every step of the way by having the software take care of most of your sales processes. 

Benefits of Linnworks:

• Centralized order-fulfillment system
• ‍Approachable and knowledgeable customer support
• Ability to forecast stocks in real-time
• Expandable features with 100+ integrations
• ‍Reliable data analytics for performance improvement

Linnworks is best for:

Scaling ecommerce brands that need a cloud-based platform to accommodate their growing customer needs.

Netsuite

Netsuite inventory management system services more than 18,000 customers in stock control operations, including companies like Williams-Sonoma. 

Their system offers features like real-time stock tracking with the ability to set preferred stock levels.

With Netsuite, you can also configure your warehousing operations, handle multi-location operations and detailed product tracking.

Save operation costs and move products timely by tracking products with serial numbers or expiration details. View all this information for your orders in their app’s dashboard.

This software is a part of the Netsuite ERP set of products which include financial, procurement and production tools.

By default, the platform does not support multichannel options. However, you can integrate third-party tools to access this functionality.

Benefits of Netsuite:

• Maximum inventory traceability
• Multi-location support
• Real-time stock forecast
• ERP integration

Netsuite is best for:

Netsuite is best for all sizes of businesses that require an automated basic warehouse, stock replenishment and tracking platform.

Orderhive

Orderhive provides inventory and order management support, keeping stock control simple and easy for 5,500+ ecommerce companies worldwide. 

The platform features real-time tracking of inventory and automated inventory control across multiple channels such as Amazon, eBay, Shopify, BigCommerce, QuickBooks Online, Etsy and more.

You can also easily integrate it with most of the major online stores and third-party logistics like USPS, UPS, FedEx, DHL, etc.

With Orderhive’s APIs, you can customize your own website for more organized manufacturing, payment processing and purchase management.

Orderhive is designed to help you streamline shipping processes all in one platform. It can also produce reliable business reports across all your connected channels.

Benefits of Orderhive:

• Multichannel order and inventory tracking
• Real-time stock forecast
• 3PL management
• Ability to integrate into most shopping platforms
• Real-time analytics report

Orderhive is best for:

Orderhive is great for fast-growing brands that are aiming to widen their ecommerce reach.

Zoho

Zoho Inventory is another great inventory management system that handles everything from sales orders, tracking, inventory replenishment and maintenance.

They also offer add-ons like Zoho Books, Zoho CRM, and other integrations like Amazon, Shopify, and Paypal, to streamline your processes. 

Zoho has the capability to automate your sales processes and give instant updates on stocks and business reports for visibility and monitoring. 

With Zoho Inventory, you can also implement automation rules, including smart warehouse routing, shipping method mapping and address validation.

Benefits of Zoho:

• Integrate third-party apps from listing to shipping to centralize processes
• Track inventory through a large number of SKUs
• Multichannel order management
• Order tracking and shipment notifications

Zoho is best for:

Zoho works well for companies that need automated inventory management without breaking the bank.

Shiphero

ShipHero is an end-to-end, multichannel fulfillment tool for direct-to-customer (DTC) ecommerce brands. Its features include managing orders, batch picking, shipping, returns and more.

ShipHero’s inventory system showcases its own warehouses built to optimize your inventory management.

With their intelligent inventory distribution, you can just send your inventory to ShipHero and let their expert distributors handle the rest.

Eliminate all manual processes by using the solution’s real-time monitoring of in-warehouse insights, employee productivity, sales and real-time carrier rate shopping tools.

Benefits of ShipHero:

• Manage multiple warehouse order allocation
• Stock forecasting
• Real-time inventory updates
• Efficiency reports
• Powerful logs and reports, including replenishment reports.

ShipHero is best for:

ShipHero is perfect for scaling and high-volume ecommerce brands.

Brightpearl

Brightpearl is a SaaS subscription-based ERP solution that supports inventory management, along with other automation processes for e-Commerce multichannel brands.

All features for growth, inventory management, order management, warehouse management, accounting, fulfillment and shipping management, POS, CRM and supplier management are part of this comprehensive solution.

Its dynamic app can be integrated with third-party services like Amazon, Magento, eBay, partnered with an automation engine that enables you to create automated rules to personalize the software to your business needs.

Brightpearls’ automation capabilities also extend to smart forecasts based on historical data, taking into account factors like product promos, prices and seasonality, among others. 

Benefits of Brightpearl:

• End-to-end retail management platform
• Integration for a lot of external software solutions
• Accounting, POS and CRM integrations
• Configurable Workflow with Automation Rules
• Customizable reports
• Comprehensive reporting tools across your business

Brightpearl is best for:

Brightpearl is best for businesses of all sizes, such as e-commerce merchants, wholesale and distribution businesses.

QuickBooks Enterprise

QuickBooks is an easy-to-use platform that manages sales orders and tracks inventory in real time. 

Real-time tracking allows you to always know what’s in stock, what is currently ordered and the item’s location. It also has ecommerce integration capability with Shopify, Amazon and WooCommerce. As you sell, return or add items to your stock, it will automatically be updated.

With QuickBooks, you can have up to 40 licensed users per account and track up to 1 million items.

Benefits of QuickBooks:

• Advanced Inventory functionalities
• Automated inventory tracking and forecast
• Customizable inventory reports
• Manage multiple warehouse order allocation

QuickBooks is best for:

QuickBooks Enterprise will work great with small to medium-sized businesses.

Fishbowl

Fishbowl Inventory is an ERP software for order fulfillment. The platform integrates with the most popular business tools to give you a customized ERP system without costing too much. 

Fishbowl received recognition as the Fall 2022 Leader in warehouse, inventory and manufacturing software. 

The system includes accurate stock tracking, multiple location management and real-time inventory control. You can also link ecommerce, shipping, accounting and CRM with Fishbowl to improve order and inventory management.

Fishbowl’s intuitive interface gives easy access to inventory, shipping, purchasing, receiving and cycle counts.

Benefits of Fishbowl:

• Manage multiple warehouse order allocation
• Stock forecasting
• US-based support
• Integrations with manufacturing systems

Fishbowl is best for:

Fishbowl is best for small to medium size businesses and works best with industries like consumer goods, food, beverages and healthcare, among others.

Katana

Katana is a manufacturing software solution specialized to function as an end-to-end platform for businesses. 

Using their live inventory and manufacturing management, you can efficiently track your items, predict stock levels, sync stock across different websites and more.

With custom APIs, Katana can also serve as a centralized tool that connects to accounting, automation, shipping, CRM, ecommerce and reporting tools such as Amazon, WooCommerce, BigCommerce, Shopify, eBay, etc.

In addition, with customized workflow automation, Katana will help streamline your operations.

Benefits of Katana:

• Omnichannel order and inventory management
• View the statuses of your outsourced purchase orders
• End-to-end traceability
• Get early access to the new features you request
• Track inventory, expiry dates

Katana is best for:

Katana is a helpful system for smaller businesses that do not need a more complex ERP system.

Veeqo

Veeqo is a free inventory management and ERP software by Amazon that’s specialized in online retail businesses and ecommerce sellers.

The platform is also a Shopify Plus Certified App, which is awarded to Shopify partners who bring good quality products, services and support to their customers.

Veeqo features full inventory control with their system, as well as automated shipping rules like weight, value and delivery options that are configurable in-app.

You can also automatically implement fast bulk shipping of up to 100 orders at once. 

Veeqo also includes exclusive labels with a valid Tracking ID that’s automatically synced to your Amazon account — without extra cost. 

Katana’s automated processes will help you track and consolidate sales data. 

With comprehensive data at your disposal, you can improve your business more with data-driven decisions. 

Benefits of Veeqo:

• Free to use, without monthly cost for unlimited orders
• With Amazon Buy Shipping guarantee
• Fully automation-capable processes
• Discounted rates for UPS, USPS, DHL, and FedEx

Veeqo is best for:

From small businesses and startups to growing retail brands, Veeqo can help you manage your inventory and business operations.

What’s the difference between on-premise and cloud-based inventory management software?

On-premise inventory management software is installed directly on the company’s devices and can only be accessed within the company’s internal network. It requires a significant initial investment in hardware and technical staff to set up and manage.

Cloud-based inventory management software, on the other hand, is based on cloud technology and is accessible from any device with an internet connection.

It is often more cost-effective and easier to manage, as it does not require additional hardware or technical staff to maintain.

Additionally, cloud-based software allows organizations to have access to their data from anywhere in the world, allowing for greater collaboration and efficiency.

The biggest difference between on-premise and cloud-based inventory management software is that the former requires a significant initial investment in hardware and technical staff, while the latter can be accessed from any device with an internet connection.

It also offers greater flexibility, scalability, and collaboration options than on-premise solutions.

What features to look for in a cloud-based inventory management software

Regardless of the unique needs of your business, there are certain inventory management software features that are simply must-haves.

Let’s review these in detail and talk about why they’re so important.

1: Real-time inventory tracking

A bike needs wheels, a guitar needs strings, and an inventory management platform needs to… well, track inventory.

This is arguably the most fundamental feature of any inventory management software: the ability to track your inventory levels across multiple channels in real-time.

2: Automated replenishment

The ability to automate the reordering process is a massive time-saver for ecommerce businesses.

With automated replenishment, you can set thresholds for when it’s time to restock and have orders go out automatically. This helps ensure that you never run out of stock or overstock and can stay ahead of customer demand.

Depending on your purchase order process, you may not be able to completely automate PO generation, but you should at least be able to automate a reorder point reminder.

That way, the platform alerts you when the stock dips below a certain threshold. Don’t try to keep all those things in your head!

3: Barcode scanning support

Barcoding is probably the cheapest, easiest to implement, and most well-proven inventory management technology of all time.

How often does a technology from the 1950s persist for this long?

Barcodes create more efficiency, offer multiple points of quality control, and significantly mitigate human error.

Look for a cloud-based inventory management software that supports barcode scanning and label printing. This will make the entire inventory process much more efficient.

4: Flexible reporting

Another key feature to look for in your cloud-based inventory management system is its reporting capabilities.

You need to be able to get an up-to-date view of your inventory data at any time. This includes sales history, current stock levels, supply chain information, and more.

You also want to be able to filter and pivot your reports so that you can get the most tailored insights out of them. That way, you can make decisions based on data — not gut feelings.

Good reporting also helps you make more accurate predictions about future demand for your products.

5: Application integration

Communication is the key to any good relationship, right?

The same applies to your inventory management “technology stack.” That’s why it’s so important to make sure all your mission-critical applications, such as…

• Accounting platforms
• ERPs and CRMS
• Point-of-Sale systems

…are all integrated and passing the correct data back and forth to your inventory management software.

This will ensure a smooth flow of information, prevent data silos from forming and help you maintain an accurate picture of your inventory levels across all channels.

6: Customer support

Even if you fancy yourself something of a technology guru, customer support is an essential factor when choosing your cloud-based inventory management software.

You need to be able to get help when you need it and not have to wait hours or days for a response.

Look for inventory management software that offers reliable customer support, a help center with FAQs from other customers and multiple ways to contact the support staff.

At the end of the day, no matter how good an inventory management system is, it’s only as good as the people behind it. So make sure you’re choosing a supplier that offers quality customer service.

7: Support for multiple inventory channels

In today’s world, having a presence in multiple sales channels is essential for ecommerce businesses.

And if you’re managing inventory across multiple channels (e.g., your website, eBay, Amazon), then the last thing you need is to have to log into each platform separately and keep track of everything manually.

Make sure you choose a cloud-based inventory management system that supports multiple sales platforms.

That way, you can keep everything in one place, streamline your operations and focus on growth instead of data entry.

8: Automation capabilities

Finally, the most important feature to look for in a cloud-based inventory management system is its automation capabilities.

Manual data entry and inventory management are labor-intensive, time-consuming and prone to human error.

Look for software that lets you set up automation rules so you can automate the entire process of managing your inventory.

That means everything from orders to stock replenishment to alerts will be handled automatically, freeing up your time and energy to focus on higher-value tasks that can move the needle for your business.

Automation is key to making sure your inventory management system keeps running like a well-oiled machine.

How do I select the best cloud-based inventory management software?

Now that you know what to look for in a cloud-based inventory management solution (as well as a list of potential platforms), let’s go over a step-by-step guide to choosing the right software for your organization:

1. Set your goals

Before you get started, make sure everyone on your team is on the same page about what you want to achieve with a cloud-based inventory management system.

2. Compare solutions

Make a list of potential software solutions and compare their features, pricing plans, customer support levels, and other factors that can influence your decision.

3. Evaluate user reviews

Don’t forget to take a close look at customer reviews of each solution you’re considering. This can give you valuable insights into the real-world performance of each platform, as well as its customer service and support level.

4. Test it out

Once you’ve narrowed down your list of potential options, ask for a free trial or demo to test out each platform. This will help you make sure the solution is a good fit for your organization and its specific needs.

5. Make a decision

Finally, go over all the data you’ve collected and make an informed decision about which inventory management system is right for you.

FAQs about cloud-based inventory management software

What is cloud-based inventory management software?

Cloud-based inventory management software is a type of software system that allows you to manage your stock and orders from anywhere, using the internet.

It typically includes features such as order processing, stock tracking, analytics and automated alerts.

What’s the difference between on-premise and cloud-based inventory management software?

The main difference between on-premise and cloud-based inventory management software is that the latter is hosted in the cloud, meaning you access it over the internet.

On-premise solutions are typically installed locally, which means they require more IT infrastructure and maintenance.

How do I choose the best cloud-based inventory management software?

When choosing a cloud-based inventory management system, make sure it offers the features you need, such as multichannel support, automation capabilities and user-friendly interfaces.

You should also compare customer reviews and pricing plans to ensure you get the best value for your money.

Finally, don’t forget to test out each platform with a free trial or demo before making your final decision.

Conclusion

Inventory management is essential for any business that has to keep track of its stock, orders, and purchase orders.

Cloud-based inventory management software can help you streamline this process so you can focus on growing your business.

To choose the best cloud-based inventory management software for you, make sure it includes the features your organization needs and fits within your budget.

Don’t forget to read customer reviews and test each platform before making your decision.

With the right cloud-based inventory management system in place, you can simplify and optimize your operations, ensuring your business runs as efficiently and profitably as possible.

While you’re here, why not check out how Linnworks can help you with your inventory management needs?