The ordering problem in a busy shop
Purchase order software is for the shop where ordering lives in the owner’s head. The salesman from the distributor walks in, asks “same as last time?”, and the owner says yes without checking. Two weeks later the shop has eight cartons of a soap that does not move and no stock of the oil that does.
The money leaks in three places. Fast sellers run out and customers go next door. Slow sellers sit on the rack and tie up cash. And when a delivery comes, nobody checks it against what was ordered, so short supply and damaged packs are paid for in full.
What Cartix Prime does
On the Gold plan and above, Cartix Prime adds a full buying side to the stock you already keep:
- Smart reorder suggestions that look at what you sell and what is left, so the list of what to order is ready when you sit down to order.
- Purchase orders to each supplier, made from those suggestions or by hand.
- Goods received notes (GRN) when the supplier delivers, so you record what actually came.
- A goods check at receiving, to catch short or damaged items before the bill is accepted.
- Supplier rates kept for each supplier, so you can see who sells an item cheaper.
- The supplier app, where your suppliers bill the shop from their own phone.
All of this sits on the same items, stock and suppliers you use at the counter. A purchase order does not need a separate program or an Excel sheet.
Smart reorder in plain words
A fixed reorder level (“order more when below 10”) works for a few items and fails for the rest, because sales change with the season, with festivals and with a price change. Smart reorder suggestions start from your own sales and your current stock. You still decide: the suggestion is a starting list that you edit before it becomes an order.
The Stock report already shows what is running low and what is not selling on every plan. Silver adds stock health reports. Gold turns that into an order.
The supplier app
On Gold, suppliers can bill the shop from their own phone using the supplier app. That replaces a paper bill that someone at the shop would otherwise have to type in later. The supplier app needs the internet, so it is part of the online Cartix Prime and not of Cartix Prime Offline.
How it works, from order to shelf
- Open the reorder suggestions. Remove what you do not want, change quantities, and pick the supplier for each item.
- Make the purchase order for each supplier and place the order.
- When the goods arrive, make a goods received note against the order and do the goods check: what came, what is short, what is damaged.
- Enter the supplier’s bill as a purchase. Stock and cost update, and the supplier rate is kept for next time.
- Print labels for the new stock and put it on the shelf.
For the bill itself, see purchase entry: on Gold, a photo of the supplier bill is read with AI and the items fill themselves.
An example
Take a supermarket in Thrissur ordering from nine distributors. On Monday the owner opens the reorder suggestions, keeps most of them, adds extra rice and sugar before Onam, and makes one purchase order per distributor. On Wednesday the biscuit distributor delivers two cartons short. The goods check records it, the GRN shows what really came, and the shop pays for what it received. Next month, the supplier rates show that the same biscuits are cheaper from another distributor.
Who it suits
- supermarkets and large kirana stores with many suppliers
- wholesalers and distributors who must keep stock for their own van routes (see van sales software)
- medical stores reordering hundreds of medicines with batches and expiry
- hardware, electrical and stationery shops with thousands of small items
A small shop that buys from two suppliers may not need purchase orders at all. Plain purchase entry on Starter or Silver may be enough.
Which plan has it
| What | Plan |
|---|---|
| Purchase entry, stock, the Stock report (running low, not selling) | Every plan |
| Purchase drafts, stock counts, stock health reports | Silver and up |
| Purchase orders, GRN, goods check, supplier rates, smart reorder, supplier app | Gold and up |
| Stock transfers and branch requests between branches | Platinum |
Gold is ₹8,999 a year for one computer and one phone, or ₹1,899 for a phone only, before 18% GST. Platinum is ₹12,999. If you run more than one branch, read branches and transfers. You can start with 7 days of Silver free at the sign-up page and move up to Gold inside the app.
Questions people ask
What is the difference between a purchase order and a purchase bill?
A purchase order is what you ask the supplier to send. The purchase bill is what the supplier charges you for what was delivered. In Cartix Prime, the goods received note and goods check sit between them, so you only accept what really came.
What is a GRN in a retail shop?
A goods received note records the goods that actually arrived from a supplier, against the order. Cartix Prime has goods received notes on the Gold plan, with a goods check for short or damaged items.
How does smart reorder decide what to order?
Smart reorder suggestions in Cartix Prime look at what you sell and what is left in stock, and give a list to order. You edit quantities and suppliers before it becomes a purchase order. It is on the Gold plan and above.
Can my suppliers send bills straight into my software?
Yes, on Gold and above. With the supplier app, your suppliers bill the shop from their own phone. It needs the internet, so it is not part of Cartix Prime Offline.
Which plan has purchase orders in Cartix Prime?
Purchase orders, goods received notes, the goods check, supplier rates and smart reorder are on the Gold plan, ₹8,999 a year for one computer and one phone before GST, and on Platinum.