How to reduce gaps between recorded stock and what is on the shelf

The count in the tool does not match the shelf

In small fashion brands the number in a spreadsheet or the shop often fails to match what can be found and shipped. Goods sit in an unlabelled carton, with the photographer, in the showroom, at packing, or left without a record. The team hunts for units and patches counts by hand — and the next day starts again with “do we really have this?”.

• a gap between the records and the physical shelf
• goods without a clear place or status
• time spent searching and fixing counts by hand

Product moves with no single written trail

Inventory accuracy — how well the records match stock counted on the floor (how many lines and how many units agree).

Location — the storage address (place, carton / bin) where a given unit sits.

Stock discrepancy — a gap in quantity, variant, place or status between what the records say and what can be found and issued.

In apparel one style splits into many colour × size variants, and the same units move between warehouse, showroom, shoot, returns and production. When a move is not written down (issue, transfer, reservation), records and shelf drift apart — even if the goods are still “somewhere”.

Count, place and movement in one view

We solve the gap with records where each unit has a status, a place and a movement history — instead of one number in a sheet.

• Inventory shows four figures: "In stock" (free), "Reserved", "In house", "At makers" — a partition with no double counting
• Places / Location address where goods sit; units with no address show as a warning
• Movements records what happened; receipts and transfers do not live only in the team’s head

Then “where is it?” and “is it free?” match the shelf — as long as moves are logged.

Steps

1. 1In Inventory (Products), read counts per product: "In stock", "Reserved", "In house", "At makers", plus the warning for units with no location.
2. 2On Places, set Location (place / carton) and assign units on receipt or transfer.
3. 3Every physical move — receipt, transfer, issue to packing — goes through a Movements record, not only a change in a spreadsheet.
4. 4When chasing a gap: the same variant in Products → "Where?" narrows places; comparing with the shelf shows whether the address or the quantity is wrong.
5. 5Fix the count: "Add stock…" or a move between locations until the records match what was counted.
6. 6Reservations and production stay in their own buckets — they do not mix with free shelf stock (see related playbooks).

Example: MERU pants Navy M.

On your side

• Log moves when goods move (showroom, photo, packing) — Go4 will not invent an unrecorded exit.
• Keep Location on receipt; units with no address are the first signal of a future gap.
• You decide the quantity correction after a count; Go4 shows statuses, places and movement history.

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