Getting stock in
Add a batch of stock
Put a counted delivery into Outlyz. Add it as loose stock or as a labelled crate, and save what it cost you.
A batch is one lot of stock you count. Twenty crates of soda that came in this morning. A box of tablets from your supplier. You add a batch when goods arrive. Then the app knows how many you have and what you paid.
There are two ways to add it. Leave the batch label empty and the stock joins your loose pile. That is what most shops want. Type a label like CRATE-001 and the app follows that one crate on its own. You can then see where it is and who is holding it.
This is only for items you count. If every piece carries its own number, like a gas cylinder, that item lives under the "Units" tab. It will not show up in this form.
Step by step
1. Open the product
In the side menu, open "Inventory" and then "Products". Find your item in the list. Click "Manage" on its row, or just click the row.
2. Go to the Batches tab and click Add Batch
On the product page, open the "Batches" tab. Click the "Add Batch" button at the top right. If the item never had counted stock, the tab shows a note saying no batches were found for this product.
3. Pick the item and the branch
Pick your item under "Variant". That box reads "Select a variant" until you choose one. "Location" is the branch the goods came into. The app fills it from the branch picked at the top of the app. If you have only one branch, it is filled in and locked.
4. Decide the batch label
"Batch Label" is the field that decides between loose stock and a tracked crate. The hint under it says "A label like CRATE-001 or CARTON-07 tracks one crate or box; leave blank to add to loose stock". Leave it empty unless you really want to follow that one crate around.
5. Say how the delivery came in
If the item has pack sizes, the form shows "Received as". Pick the biggest thing your supplier sent. For soda that is "Crate (24 bottles)". If they came loose, pick the first choice in the list. That choice uses your own word for one piece, so for bottles it reads "Bottles". It only says "Single units" when you left "What is one piece called?" empty on the item. Whole packs and leftovers each get their own count box, like "How many crates?" and "Plus loose bottles".
6. Check the quantity
The count boxes add up on their own. The total lands in "Quantity". When you got packs, that box is named "Total (bottles)" instead. The hint says "Filled automatically — change it if the delivery is short". So you can type over it. If the item has no pack sizes, just type the number here yourself.
7. Say filled or empty if asked
Some items are tracked as full or empty. Beer bottles and jerrycans, for example. They show a "State" box with "Filled" and "Empty". It starts on "Filled", which is right for goods coming from a supplier. Change it to "Empty" only when empties are coming in.
8. Fill in the money
"Total cost price for all 24 bottles" is what the whole lot cost you to buy. Type 20,000 if that is what you paid. The app works out the cost of one piece from it. "Total selling price for all 24 bottles" is the price when the lot sells as one. "Selling price per bottle" is the price of a single piece. All three are optional. They start from the prices you set on the item.
9. Add dates if the item goes off, then create
Items you marked as expiring also ask for "Manufacture Date" and "Expiry Date". When it all looks right, click "Create". A green message says "Batch created successfully". The new row shows up in the table.
Worth knowing
Loose stock and a labelled crate are not the same thing
Leave the label blank and the row gets a small "Loose" tag in the "Batch #" column. That stock is just a number you sell from. With a label, the app follows that crate as one thing. It shows under "Held by" once a customer takes it, and "Held for" counts the days.
Reusing a label warns you first
Say the label is already in use at the same branch on a different item. The form stops and shows an orange warning. It names what that label is already holding. The create button changes to "Yes, it is the same one — save". Click that only when it really is the same crate with mixed goods inside. If not, close the warning and change the label.
Some items will not be in the Variant list
Only items you count show up here. Anything set to "Each one has its own number" goes under the "Units" tab. You add those one piece at a time.
The cost fields are for your own reports
You can save a batch with the money boxes empty. Then the "Total cost price" column shows a dash. This stock adds nothing to your stock value or your profit. Typing what the supplier charged takes a few seconds. It is worth it.
Questions
What if I type the quantity by hand after counting the packs?
Your number wins. Typing in the quantity box cuts it loose from the pack counts, so nothing will overwrite it. Use it when the supplier promised ten crates and only nine came.
Why did it refuse to save and ask about a branch?
No branch was picked. The message says "Pick the branch this delivery came into, then try again." Choose it in "Location". If that box is empty, set the branch at the top of the app first.
Can I fix a batch after saving it?
Yes. Find the row in the "Batches" tab. Use the edit button at the end of the row. The same count boxes come back, so you fix a delivery the same way you booked it.
Outlyz does this
Outlyz tracks your stock, orders and deliveries, and every container you expect back. UGX 20,000 per person per month. The first month is free and no card is needed.
Or call 0780 784870 and we will set it up with you.