Requirements checklist
What to ask for when choosing software for outdoor and sports goods stores.
A checklist built from how outdoor and sports goods 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.
- Item and variant master
- Shop, web and dealer stock
- Counter billing and exchanges
- Season purchasing and supplier terms
- Warranty serials and claims
- Dealer orders and credit
Roles that need their own access
Who logs in, and what each person may see or change.
- For owners
- For buyers
- For counter staff
- For the web team
- For dealer accounts
Reports to ask for
Ask to see each one with your own sample data.
- Sales by brand, category and season
- Stock by variant and location
- Slow and fast sizes and colours
- Purchase orders open and received
- Warranty claims by brand and serial
- Dealer balances and credit use
- Markdown and clearance results by variant
Systems it may need to connect to
Note which ones you already run.
- Web store
- Courier services
- Payment gateway
- Barcode scanners
- Accounting export
- Email and SMS
Questions for any vendor
Put these to every supplier you are comparing.
- Can sizes and colours be tracked as separate variants?
- Does the web store use the same stock as the shop?
- How does season buying work?
- Can serial numbers be recorded for warranty items?
- Can dealers have their own prices and credit limits?
- How are exchanges handled at the counter?
- Can end of season markdowns be planned?
- Can existing stock and supplier lists be loaded?
- Do we keep our data?
- How is it priced?
Where the work usually breaks today
Circle the ones you recognise. They set the order of the project.
- Variants are counted as one item
- Shop and web stock drift apart
- Season buying runs on instinct
- Warranty claims lack proof
- Dealer orders arrive by message
Prefer to talk it through? See the outdoor and sports goods stores page.