Requirements checklist
What to ask for when choosing software for footwear stores.
A checklist built from how footwear stores work, to print or save as a PDF and bring to any supplier meeting.
What the software should cover
Tick each one that matters to your business.
- Style, size and width grid
- Size-run receiving
- Barcode billing at the bench
- Fit returns and exchanges
- Branch transfers by size
- Season orders and markdowns
Roles that need their own access
Who logs in, and what each person may see or change.
- For owners
- On the shop floor
- At the cashier’s bench
- For buyers
- In the stock room
Reports to ask for
Ask to see each one with your own sample data.
- Pairs sold by style, size and width
- Sizes out of stock in active styles
- Fit returns by reason and style
- Transfers requested, in transit and received
- Odd pairs, display pairs and scuffed boxes
- Sell-through by brand for the season
- Slow styles and broken size runs for markdown
Systems it may need to connect to
Note which ones you already run.
- Barcode scanner
- Label printer
- Card terminal
- SMS
- Accounting export
- Supplier price list import
Questions for any vendor
Put these to every supplier you are comparing.
- Does it hold stock by size or only by style?
- What happens when a box label does not match the shoe?
- Can we record why a pair came back?
- How do transfers between outlets work?
- How are odd pairs and display shoes kept out of the count?
- Can the system suggest what to order next season?
- We buy from several distributors with different packing styles. Is that covered?
- Can staff be paid on the pairs they sell?
- What will it cost for our shop?
- Can we take our stock records out later?
Where the work usually breaks today
Circle the ones you recognise. They set the order of the project.
- Missing sizes are found at the counter
- Boxes and shoes do not match
- Returns for fit are not coded
- Stock sits in the wrong branch
Prefer to talk it through? See the footwear stores page.