Requirements checklist
What to ask for when choosing software for stationery shops.
A checklist built from how stationery shops 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.
- Pack and unit conversion
- Term booklists
- Institution accounts
- Copy, print and binding jobs
- Supplier orders and schemes
- Standing orders and delivery
Roles that need their own access
Who logs in, and what each person may see or change.
- For owners
- For counter staff
- For copy staff
- For account clerks
- For store keepers
Reports to ask for
Ask to see each one with your own sample data.
- Sales by item group, brand and selling unit
- Booklists filled, shortages by school and class
- Institution dues by age with purchase order references
- Copy and binding revenue against meter readings
- Fast and slow items for the first fortnight of term
- Supplier scheme progress and purchases by distributor
- Stock by rack, with cartons opened and loose boxes
Systems it may need to connect to
Note which ones you already run.
- WhatsApp or other messaging
- SMS
- Barcode printers and scanners
- Card and payment gateway
- Accounting export
Questions for any vendor
Put these to every supplier you are comparing.
- How does it handle a carton that is sold by the piece?
- Can a booklist show what is out of stock?
- Can different schools have different rates?
- How are copy jobs checked against the machine?
- Does it chase overdue school bills?
- Can we repeat office orders each week?
- What about printing labels for loose boxes?
- Can our current item and account lists be loaded?
- Who keeps the records if we change systems?
- How do we start?
Where the work usually breaks today
Circle the ones you recognise. They set the order of the project.
- Pack sizes disagree with the shelf
- Booklists are filled by hand
- Institutions pay slowly and in parts
- Copy and binding are billed from memory
- Supplier schemes go unclaimed
Prefer to talk it through? See the stationery shops page.