How to choose the best retail garment billing software?
Samaun Kabir
Editor
An apparel business is not so easy to manage, especially when you are new to it and have just picked up momentum. Behind a plethora of trendy designs, colours, and feel-good vibes, the real juggle smirks. With festivities almost all year round, crowded billing counters are a common sight. And let’s not even talk about the frustration. Both the shoppers and the ones who deliver their bills!
Retail garment billing software streamlines all your major operations - from stock controls, sales, and billing maintenance (in accordance with GST) to customer request processing- everything. But making up your mind alone “Let’s install one,” poses the greatest challenge. Cuz there are so many!
Review the factors below before buying one for your garment business. It will help you make well-informed decisions.
Just starting from the basics.
What is garment billing software?
With so many customers visiting your clothing store daily, you need a reliable, automated billing system that eases manual work. Garment billing software is just that; fast and simple.
Not only bill generation, but there are several other things, too, that it does.
Garment matrix management
In the clothing business, managing multiple size and colour requirements is laborious. The same piece of attire comes in different measurements and shades, with different choices for different customers.
You have to know exactly how many are currently in your stock and accordingly inform them. A retail billing garment software handles this smoothly, leading to better and faster communication. And for you, less stress.
Inventory management
Would you let something happen like - a customer asks for a dress, you do not know if the same outfit is available at the moment, and blatantly ask him to wait, only to return with a NO?
Prevent such unwanted situations with automated, user-friendly software that alerts you when restocking is needed.
Sales revenue & bestseller tracking
At the end of the day, how many products you sell matters. The software helps you determine the revenue generated and net profit earned. Plus, you get an idea of those outfits that are selling like hot cakes!
Customer credit monitoring
Suppose some of your customers bought outfits from you and want to take them on credit. In that case, the digital platform maintains their paid and pending transactions well enough so that your brain can rest.
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A good retail garment billing software ensures that there is synchronization of both offline and online sales with proper order-taking and delivery arrangements. Besides, you should look out for:
Multi-location branch management
Now that you are operating from a single store, update the arrangements in advance. With growing sales volumes across different places, you may have to open multiple branches in the future. So, verify the presence of this feature before investing.
Built-in GST compliance (for India-based markets)
One of the major points to look at is GST! As the owner of the garment industry, it is your responsibility (I mean your automated billing platform) to apply the correct taxation rate to the apparel you sell.
The current GST rates are:
5% GST: Applied to all garments with a sale value up to ₹2,500 per piece.
18% GST: Applied to premium or high-end apparel with a sale value exceeding ₹2,500 per piece.
5% GST (Flat rate): Applied to unstitched fabrics or dress materials, regardless of their price.
Online integration via social media channels
If you are already on Facebook Marketplace or a similar online marketing channel, make sure your chosen software lets you link to your social media accounts.
A platform like The Fast theBill easily notifies you when any customer places an order. Besides, here you can also post your products along with proper descriptions and price information.
Exchange, refund, and discount management
If the size of a dress that your customer has ordered online does not fit, and he/she comes to your store in person (happens in most retail shops). With the help of billing software, it becomes easy to cancel out the order or exchange the faulty product. Additionally, in the process, if there’s some discount available, it is also automatically calculated.
Excellent invoice management and retrieval
With effective garment billing software, managing old bills as well as maintaining the new ones in the cloud becomes very easy. There is no fear of misplacement, unlike paper bills, and if you need to check an old one, just search for it up within the database dashboard and filter out the results by entering the date and customer name.
Financial security and confidentiality
It is possible to set up regulations within the software for individual account executives, whether the cash counter person or store manager. The main control of the financial department would be held by you.
Install software that features data encryption and activity log through an online or cloud-based platform. This prevents important invoice and resource data theft by third-party individuals or hackers. You can track every click made by your employees, whether or not someone is trying to manipulate the billing data.
Fast order fulfillment and routing
For multiple branches of your garment business, this becomes highly beneficial. If your customer has ordered a particular outfit, good billing software will ensure the closest branch to his/her location so that the delivery becomes quick.
Besides, look for a system that sends an immediate alert to the store executive’s system for packaging the same for delivery purposes. This prevents any kind of delivery mistakes. The type of packaging needed will also be notified, and it will be added to the invoice as well.
Shipping and delivery integration
The software must be able to integrate with the courier executive’s system and automatically print the barcode and the delivery address. Check whether the platform can track the ID from the courier company, so you can monitor the location of the delivery executive in real-time. This will aid in customer engagement and trust in the long run.
While so many bills will be generated by the software, all the invoices and bills must be well-handled so they are secure and not misused by any other unreliable source. This gives you the power to handle all the sales data and management.
24/7 customer support
This is one of the most important features when you run a retail clothing store. It may happen that any customer needs to ask a question about dress stock or clarify payment-related queries and similar things. It is important that the software is well-integrated with an all-time chat support system. This will significantly prevent losses during peak times and festive seasons.
Payment reminders with invoice sending over WhatsApp
A good retail billing software for garments must be able to track the pending amounts of every customer with proper calculations so that there is no mistake upon the GST part. Besides, there must be an enabling of a portable and downloadable format of the invoice to the customer’s WhatsApp.
How does retail garment billing software help you grow in your business?
Garment billing software not only assists you in invoice generation, but it also directly impacts a lot on your profits. With enhanced inventory control, you achieve the following:
Minimal chances of dead stock
Improved cash flow
Quick bill processing with accuracy during rush hours
Prevent unnecessary GST penalties
Make smarter and well-informed buying decisions
Understanding the bestsellers and which are not
This enables smart stocking of goods and allows you to earn better and more efficiently.
What types of garment businesses can use this software?
Any kind of retail clothing store, whether a boutique, readymade apparel shop, multi-location clothing store, or retail cloth and fabric shop- everything can be managed with this garment billing software.
Hey! Let’s connect…
If you are searching for the best retail garment billing software solution that covers most of your business operations, and that too at an affordable price, we are here to help you out. For more queries, reach out to us at info@leelija.com.
