Inventory management for retail companies: a literature review and current trends

Abstract

In recent years, the correct management of inventories has become a fundamental pillar for achieving success in enterprises. Unfortunately, studies suggesting the investment and adoption of advanced inventory management and control systems are not easy to find. In this context, this article aims to analyze and present an extensive literature concerning inventory management, containing multiple definitions and fundamental concepts for the retail sector. A systematic literature review was carried out to determine the main trends and indicators of inventory management in Small and Medium-sized Enterprises (SMEs). This research covers five years, between 2015 and 2019, focusing specifically on the retail sector. The primary outcomes of this study are the leading inventory management systems and models, the Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) for their correct management, and the benefits and challenges for choosing or adopting an efficient inventory control and management system. Findings indicate that SMEs do not invest resources in sophisticated systems; instead, a simple Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) system or even programs such as Excel or manual inventories are mainly used.