Having the products your customers need when they need them is one of the best ways to guarantee their satisfaction with your services, no matter what business you’re in. Inventory management helps you ensure you always have the items your customer needs in the right amount.

There are two major ways to manage your inventory: online and offline. Offline or traditional inventory management is pretty common for small businesses, however, it can be very tedious and can quickly become a problem if you misplace the notepad or physical list you entered the inventory. Instead of making paper lists or printed notes for monitoring stock levels which are significantly error-prone You can use online inventory management tools to manage your stock efficiently. 

While there is a lot of inventory management software, a small business trying to cut costs needs a free and efficient inventory management tool like Google Forms. Let’s explore how to use Google Forms for inventory management.

Setting Up Google Forms As an Inventory Management Tool

Google Forms is very user-friendly but it doesn’t come with many templates, so you have to build your inventory checklist from scratch. Here’s a step-by-step guide to creating an inventory checklist with Google Forms:

• Create an account or sign in –  If you already have a Google account, you can access Google Forms. Simply click on the menu icon, scroll down, and select Forms.

• Set up your form- Choose your inventory form design by selecting your question types (text, multiple-choice, checkboxes, dropdowns, and even file uploads). For example, you can use file uploads for product images, drop-downs for product names, and checkboxes to show product availability.

• Google Sheet integration: Link your inventory form from Google Forms to Sheets helps you securely back up and easily analyze your form data.

• Customize your form for inventory management: Add the relevant categories and fields you need in your inventory form such as product names, descriptions, quantities, locations, and others.  Also, use the right question type for each information field. For example, multiple-choice for product categories, dropdowns for product locations, and quantity.

• Personalizing your Inventory form: You can also simplify your inventory management by using the logic jump feature to make questions appear or disappear based on previous answers (e.g., showing reorder options only for low-stock items).

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Designing Your Inventory Management Form

Your form design needs to be as simple as possible to ensure anyone in charge of inventory management can easily update the information. So, let’s break down the process of designing a simple and effective inventory form:

1. Creating Categories and Fields:

Start by listing the information you need to track such as

• Product details: Name, description, SKU, category.
• Inventory data: Quantity, location, reorder point, unit price.
• Additional information: Supplier details, expiration dates, notes.

2. Using Different Question Types:

Tailor your question types to match the type of product data you are collecting:

• Multiple-choice: Product categories, locations, conditions (new, used).
• Checkboxes: Available sizes, colors, and features.
• Dropdown: Suppliers, units of measurement.
• Text: Product descriptions, notes, serial numbers.
• File upload: Product images, receipts, warranty documents.

3. Setting Up Conditional Logic:

You can also personalize your inventory management by using the conditional logic feature, here’s how:

• Simplify data entry: Filter question options based on previous answers. For example, if a product is out of stock, you can set up conditional logic to take you to the next product, rather than spending time filling out the product details.
• Use logic jump to maintain inventory levels: You can also add a ‘reorder’ option to make sure you never run out of products. For example, if your product is out of stock, the logic jump takes you to the reorder option.
• Display relevant information: Also, rather than viewing all product details at once, which can be overwhelming, use conditional logic to only show specific details based on the chosen product category. For example, only show extra information such as supplier details when a product is selected.

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Integration with Google Sheets

It is always best practice to integrate your Google Forms with Google Sheets, especially when handling important data like inventory.

Google Sheets helps you provide backup storage and allows you to edit inventory data easily. Here are some other benefits of  linking your inventory form with Google Sheets has several advantages including

• Automated data flow- When you connect your Google Form to Sheets it helps you automatically enter your data in a row and column format, creating a simple inventory spreadsheet.
• Calculations with Formula– There are also formulas in Google Sheets that can help you keep track of total inventory, figure out stock value and even set reorder triggers automatically. Also, as an entrepreneur, you don’t have to know all the Google Sheets formulas; you can use tools such as coefficient formula builder that will help you find the formula for what you need in Google Sheets.
• Workplace Collaboration– You can also share your inventory record with your team seamlessly with Google Sheets. You can also assign edit permissions to each team member based on their roles. This ensures everyone on the team is up to date, regardless of their location.

Advanced Tips and Tricks

Here are some other features to make your Google inventory form better:

• Add-on/ extensions- using web extensions with Google Forms or even sheets can help you add more functionality to your inventory management. For example, you can add 

• Data validation– implement data validation in your Google Form to restrict invalid entries and maintain data integrity. For example, you can set validation for product quantity, so when a product is down to zero, it automatically displays out of stock.
• Low Stock Alerts– configure automatic email or SMS notifications based on predefined low stock levels. This helps you allow for timely restocking and prevents stockouts. You can also customize the alerts with specific details like product name and remaining quantity for clear communication.

Best Practices for Efficient Inventory Management

Standardized Process– Create clear and consistent forms for different inventory actions (adding, removing, adjusting). Also, train users on proper data entry to ensure accuracy and avoid inconsistencies.

Regular Updates- Schedule regular inventory checks and update forms accordingly. You can also Implement automated reminders or notifications to prevent data stagnation.

Seamless Integrations: Connect Google Forms to spreadsheets for data analysis and reporting. You can also explore inventory management extensions for Google Forms for more advanced features.

What Are the Limitations of Using Google Forms for Inventory Management?

Google Forms is pretty versatile and can significantly help you improve your inventory management system but has limitations. Here are some of the most common issues you will encounter while using Google Forms as your inventory management tool:

• Low Scalability: You have to enter your product quantity manually when using Google Forms. For many small business owners, this might not be a problem. However, when your business begins to grow and you’re stocking more inventory items, manual data entry becomes much more challenging. For instance, if you’re running a one-product store (e.g. Snooz) using Google Forms would be fine, but if you want to expand your store and sell more products in multiple colors, sizes, and variants you will need a more advanced inventory management tool.
• Data Security and Recovery: Google Forms is secure enough but if you are handling sensitive inventory data, it does not offer the most robust security features. Getting a dedicated inventory management software helps you to manage access controls better and provide comprehensive audit trails.
• Limited Functionality: Inventory management software offers features beyond data collection, like automatic reordering, low-stock alerts, or barcode scanning for faster data entry. These features can significantly improve efficiency.
• Error Prone: Manual data entry through forms is more prone to errors compared to features like barcode scanning or pick-and-pack functionality in dedicated software.

Exploring Formplus as an Alternative to Google Forms for Inventory Management

Google Forms is a great tool for managing your inventory, but it does come with some limitations. Formplus, on the other hand, has unique features that will help you manage your inventory without any of those restrictions. Here are some of them:

A. Why Should You Use Formplus for Your Inventory Management?

• User-Friendly Interface:  Formplus allows you to create visually appealing and interactive forms, which improve the data entry experience particularly when collecting data from an external source such as suppliers or workers who may find it difficult to fill out traditional inventory forms.
• Customization: Formplus allows you to create different question types and add branching logic. This allows you to tailor the inventory form to your specific needs, like capturing item variations or conditional questions based on stock levels. This can streamline data collection by only showing relevant questions based on the inventory item type or other criteria.
• Integrations: You can also integrate your Formplus inventory Form with various third-party tools like spreadsheets and inventory management software, allowing you to streamline data transfer and automate inventory updates.
• Progress Tracking: Formplus also has a progress bar that allows users can see their progress while filling out the form, which can be helpful for longer inventory lists. It makes the list less overwhelming and the person filling it out more enthusiastic about completing the form.

B. Comparison with Google Forms

Here’s a breakdown of how Formplus stacks up against Google Forms for inventory management:

C. Key Advantages of Formplus

While both platforms have their strengths, Formplus is a better option for  inventory management, here is why:

• Improved User Experience: Formplus has a simple and engaging drag-and-drop form builder that allows you to easily create and edit form fields like questions. It also has other user experience features such as progress tracking that make data entry for staff more efficient and less error-prone.
• Pre-built Inventory template: Unlike Google Forms, formplus has various inventory form templates across different industries and use cases, so you don’t have to build your inventory form from scratch. This helps you save the time and effort you would need to build a form from scratch.
• Conditional Logic: This feature helps you to streamline data collection by presenting only relevant questions, saving time and improving data accuracy.
• Integration Potential:  You can also use Formplus’ Zapier integration, which allows you to connect an inventory form with several tools such as Project Management Software or Accounting System. This can automate data transfer and reduce manual work, you also don’t have to switch multiple tabs to collect and transfer your data, you can do everything right on formplus.

Keep in mind that while Formplus is a great alternative to Google Forms for inventory management, particularly for small and medium businesses, you would need dedicated inventory software for complex inventory management. 

Conclusion

Dedicated inventory management tools have more robust reporting, automation, and security features needed for complex and large inventory but they also cost a lot. So, using Google Forms helps you cut down costs while still offering basic inventory management features.

However, while Google Forms is a good starting point for small inventory management, Formplus offers a more robust and efficient solution. Ready to simplify your inventory management experience? Get started with these inventory management templates.