Supermarkets manage food wastage

ERP solution to manage supermarkets’ food wastage problem

Food wastage is a real problem. It exists worldwide – at an individual level and the supermarket stores level. Supermarkets are aware of this problem and aim to reduce it from their end. But the threats of heavy competition, shifting customer demands, and increasing prices put food wastage management issue on the back burner.

Some of the reasons why food gets wasted in supermarkets are:

Inaccurate demand forecasts

It is one of the critical reasons for food wastage in supermarkets. Wrong forecasts lead to less or more inventory. If less, you are unable to serve customers, affecting customer relationships. If the inventory is more than the forecast and has an early expiry date, there are high chances of wastage.

No provision of required temperature conditions

Every food category has different storage temperature requirements. While some are cold storage foods, some stay fresh at normal room temperature. But if not kept at the required temperature, they can destroy quickly within 1-2 days.

That is why supermarkets must store their items at proper temperatures to avoid wastage. Also, not maintaining the required temperature can lead to bacterial growth, making it unsafe for consumption.

Not selling the food items at the right time

Every food item comes with an expiry date. As a supermarket employee or owner, you must track every product’s expiry date and try to sell them before the date. If you miss it, the product becomes unsafe for consumption. And it is also a loss to your business since you cannot sell it anymore.

Long transit time

Longer hours of transportation of food products from the warehouse or production units to the supermarket also contributes to food wastage. There is a risk of food getting stale during transit. In such cases, you must sell it as soon as possible.

Solution for managing or preventing food wastage

Proper inventory management practices can reduce food wastage across supermarkets. For this, you can implement an efficient ERP solution for adequate inventory management. You can track expiry dates, sell expired items by creating offers and discounts, and manage accurate demand forecasts.

Websys Infotech is a provider of affordable ERP solutions for every industry. Websys’ ERP system helps you forecast demand, manage inventory, and other business processes for efficient business operations. You can also create attractive marketing campaigns and manage your relationships with customers.

The benefits of Websys’ ERP for your supermarket store include:

Expiry date management

Your ERP system can track the expiry dates of products. You can also categorize it as sell-by, use-by, and best-before dates. Based on the expiry dates, you will receive alerts.

You can add discounts or promotional offers based on alerts to attract customers. Your sale increases, and you also do not contribute to food wastage.

Demand planning

Your ERP system helps you forecast product demand from customers’ historical data. This includes data on customer demographics, historical purchases, and buying behavior. Based on these demand forecasts, you can plan on ordering your inventory.

You can also study the historical waste patterns in your supermarket. And avoid repetition by managing it well.

Warehousing management

Your ERP system tracks the movement of stocks in real-time. You can track what products you already have, work-in-progress items, and ordered but not delivered items. You can also allocate batch and serial numbers to items for better tracking.

Thus, you can have control over your stock movement and shipping. Your complex warehouse operations become manageable with Websys’ ERP solution. As a result, your food wastage reduces.

If you are serious about dealing with food wastage, get the ERP system from Websys. Not only will you reduce food wastage, but you will also serve your customers better.