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Inventory and Warehousing

Best Inventory Software for Small Business in India: Batches, Bins and Stock You Can Trust

For traders, distributors and small manufacturers: know what is in stock, where it sits and what expires first, without a weekend count.

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A storekeeper scanning a carton in a godown with blue racks

The best inventory software for a small business answers three questions on any day: how much do we have, where is it, and which lot should go out next. For Indian distributors with batches, expiry dates and more than one godown, a quantity column is not enough.

Most stock problems start as small mismatches. A transfer is not entered, a return goes back to the wrong rack, or the nearest batch is picked instead of the oldest. By the time the count is done, nobody knows when the gap began.

Here is what to look for, an illustrative example, and how Apragya's Inventory app records each move.

Where stock goes missing

Unknown locations

Goods are in the building but nobody knows the bin.

Expired lots

Older batches sit behind newer ones until they cannot be sold.

Unrecorded moves

Transfers and returns are made first and entered later, or never.

Over and under ordering

Reorder decisions are made from a stale number.

An example: a Kochi medical distributor with two godowns

Take an illustrative distributor of surgical and pharmacy items in Kochi, with a main godown, a smaller one near the port, and about 1,800 items, most of them batch and expiry controlled.

One order, picked by the right batch

  1. Order confirmed

    Stock reserved against the order.

  2. Batch suggested

    Earliest expiry first.

  3. Pick list

    Bins listed in walking order.

  4. Scanned out

    Barcode confirms item and batch.

  5. Shipped

    Stock ledger updated at dispatch.

The batch suggestion is the step that stops expired stock building up at the back.

Near-expiry write-offs at the port godown fell because pickers were sent to the oldest batch every time, and the quarterly count found differences in a handful of bins rather than across the building.

Cartons on a shelf ordered by ribbon colour with the oldest pulled forward
The oldest batch comes forward first, so fewer lots expire at the back of the rack.

How the stock management software works in Apragya

Step 1 of 5

Warehouses and bins

Warehouses, zones and bins, with putaway rules for where goods go.

  1. Warehouses and bins: Warehouses, zones and bins, with putaway rules for where goods go.
  2. Items: Products, variants, units of measure, barcodes and reorder rules.
  3. Batches and serials: Batch and serial tracking, with expiry and shelf life rules.
  4. Movements: Receipts, transfers, reservations, pick lists, packing and shipments.
  5. Counts and close: Cycle counts, stock reconciliation and period close on the stock ledger.

Choosing warehouse management software in India

Billing tools with a stock column work until you add a second location or a batch. Ask how the system chooses a batch, how a transfer is recorded while goods are on the truck, and how a count difference is posted. Those answers separate inventory software from an item list.

Billing-tool stock, against Apragya

FeatureStock column in a billing toolApragya Inventory
LocationsOften oneWarehouses, zones and bins
Batches and expiryVaries by productBatch, expiry and earliest-expiry picking
BarcodesVaries by productItem barcodes for scanning
PickingPaper listsPick lists by bin
CountsAnnual full countCycle counts and reconciliation

Checked against public information on 16 September 2026.

Getting started

  1. Set up warehouses and the bins you actually use.
  2. Import items with units, barcodes and batch settings.
  3. Load opening stock by bin and batch after a count.
  4. Start recording receipts and dispatches from day one.
  5. Schedule cycle counts for your fastest movers.

An accurate opening count is the one step worth doing slowly. Every later report, reorder suggestion and batch pick depends on it, so count by bin and batch rather than by item total.

What sets Apragya's inventory management software for small business apart

One record

Sales, purchase and manufacturing move the same stock.

GST on dispatch

Invoices and e-way bills come from the same shipment.

AI agents with review

An agent can flag slow or near-expiry stock for a person to act on.

Access by role

Storekeepers, buyers and managers see what they need.

Multi-company

Several companies, each with its own warehouses.

Copilot

Ask where an item is and what is reserved against it.

What it costs to start

INR 3,999
Starter, a month
Up to 10 users, CRM and HR plus Inventory and Warehousing
2,000
AI Credits
Included on Starter
Free
Up to 3 users
CRM, HR and One Additional App of Your Choice.

Best inventory software, answered

Does it support batch and expiry?
Yes. Items can be batch or serial tracked, with expiry used when suggesting what to pick.
Can we use barcode scanners?
Yes. Items carry barcodes, so scanning can confirm what is received or picked.
Can we manage more than one godown?
Yes. Stock is held by warehouse, zone and bin, with transfers between them.
Does it work offline?
No. It is a web app and needs a connection.
How are count differences handled?
A stock reconciliation records the counted quantity against the system quantity, and the difference is posted to the stock ledger so the history stays intact.
What does it cost to start?
Inventory and Warehousing is available from the Starter plan, INR 3,999 a month for up to 10 users, which includes CRM and HR plus a choice of enterprise apps and 2,000 AI Credits. Pro, at INR 7,999 a month, covers 25 users and every enterprise app.

Know where every batch sits

Set up one warehouse, load its stock, and pick your next order by batch.

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