At a glance
Tracks devices, SIMs and accessories across warehouses and stores.
Key data
Receives from
- Suppliers
- Returns
Sends to
- Order management
- POS
- Logistics
- Finance
How it works
The main steps, end to end.
- 1Receive stock from suppliers
- 2Store by location with serial numbers
- 3Reserve and allocate for orders
- 4Dispatch, transfer and receive returns
- 5Count, reconcile and reorder
Inventory Categories Managed
All physical item types tracked and managed by Stock Management
Core Capabilities
What Stock Management provides
Physical Stock Tracking
- Tracks all physical inventory categories: smartphones, tablets, routers, wearables (smartwatches), SIM cards and accessories
- Accessory types: charging cables, power adapters, protective cases, screen protectors, memory cards, earphones, Wi-Fi extenders
- Stock states: In Transit, In Warehouse, Allocated, Reserved, Dispatched, Returned, Damaged, Quarantine
- Device identification: hardware serial (IMEI) for connected devices, SKU for accessories and SIM cards
- Tracks stock across multiple warehouse locations, distribution centres and in-store stock rooms
- Distinguishes new, refurbished and returned stock per item
Warehouse Management
- Records stock intake: smartphones, tablets, routers, wearables, SIM cards, accessories (cables, adapters, cases, screen protectors) — with quantity, model, serial numbers and condition
- Manages warehouse bin locations and zone organisation
- Handles stock transfers between warehouse locations and in-store stock rooms
- Stock count reconciliation: system vs physical count
- Damaged and quarantine stock management with reason tracking
Stock Allocation
- Reserves physical stock against a customer order: device (by model), SIM type, and accessories included in the order
- Allocates specific device (IMEI), SIM (ICCID), and accessory units (SKU + quantity) to an order on confirmation
- Releases reservation if order is cancelled or times out
- Prevents double-allocation across concurrent order sessions
- Allocation priority rules: new stock before refurbished; FIFO for accessories and SIM cards
Replenishment Alerts
- Monitors stock levels for all item types: each device model, router model, wearable, SIM card type and accessory SKU has independent thresholds
- Triggers replenishment alert when stock falls below reorder point
- Generates purchase request or supplier notification on low stock event
- Separate thresholds per device model, accessory SKU, SIM type and warehouse location
- Replenishment lead-time tracking against expected delivery date
Dispatch & Receipt
- Records stock dispatched: device (model/IMEI), SIM (ICCID), accessories (SKU/quantity) — all linked to destination order
- Receives stock from supplier: validates device serials (IMEI), SIM card IDs (ICCID) and accessory SKU quantities against delivery manifest
- Tracks expected deliveries: manifest vs received
- Handles partial deliveries and quantity discrepancies
- Return-to-stock processing: warranty returns, failed deliveries, cancelled orders — applies to devices, SIM cards and accessories
Stock Reporting
- Real-time stock level report per product category (device, router, wearable, SIM, accessory), model/SKU and warehouse
- Stock movement history: all receipts, allocations, dispatches, returns
- Stock age report: FIFO compliance across devices, routers, wearables and accessories — flags ageing items at risk of obsolescence
- Stock value report for finance: current and committed stock value
- Shrinkage and discrepancy report for loss control
Storage & Persistence
How and where Stock Management stores its data
Document Data Store
- Physical stock level documents per SKU and warehouse
- Allocation and reservation state per order
- Stock intake manifest records
- Replenishment request and tracking documents
Event Bus
- Stock allocated event to Order Management
- Low stock threshold alerts to operations
- Replenishment triggered event
- Dispatch confirmation event
Search Index
- IMEI/ICCID lookup for order and CRM screens
- Stock availability queries for order eligibility
- Stock level dashboard for operations teams
Design Principles
Key architectural decisions behind Stock Management
Physical vs Virtual Inventory Separation
Stock Management tracks physical hardware (IMEI, SIM card) separate from Virtual Inventory (MSISDN, eSIM profile). An order reserves an MSISDN in Virtual Inventory AND allocates a physical device in Stock Management independently — either can fail without affecting the other.
Threshold-driven Replenishment
Replenishment is triggered automatically by stock level thresholds, not by manual monitoring. Each device model and SIM type has independent thresholds, allowing popular models to reorder faster than slow-moving inventory without human intervention.
Reserve-before-Allocate
Stock is first reserved (quantity held) on order creation, then specifically allocated (exact IMEI/ICCID assigned) on order confirmation. This two-step process separates availability guarantee from physical assignment, reducing the risk of allocation failures at fulfilment time.
Predict device and SIM demand per store to avoid stock-outs.
Suggest transfers between stores and warehouses.
More in 30 AI & ML use cases and AIOps for BSS.