Managing inventory across four outlets
For a retailer operating multiple outlets, keeping shelves stocked involves more than knowing what needs replenishment. Staff must keep track of what is selling, how much inventory remains at each location, and whether products should be reordered from suppliers or transferred between stores.
At uMart, this process involved four outlets across Singapore: Balestier, Boat Quay, Katong and Sims City. Staff had to download stock balance and sales reports from their retail management system, consolidate the information into a master Excel workbook, and use its calculations to determine which products needed attention.
From there, two separate processes followed. Products requiring transfers had to be recorded in Google Sheets, while products requiring replenishment needed purchase orders created individually for each supplier and outlet. These orders were then downloaded, renamed and sent to suppliers through WhatsApp.
The challenge was coordinating these activities across different applications while ensuring that the correct products, quantities, suppliers and outlets were selected.
Connecting the entire inventory workflow
GORU developed a hybrid automation solution that connects uMart's existing inventory system, Excel workbooks, Google Sheets and WhatsApp into a single process.
The automation begins by retrieving the latest stock balances and sales records for all four outlets. It updates the master workbook, allowing uMart's existing formulas to determine which products require replenishment or transfer.
Based on those calculations, the robot prepares stock transfer records and generates purchase orders for the relevant suppliers and outlets. The ordering workflow also prepares PDF purchase orders and uses WhatsApp to communicate the required items and delivery locations to suppliers.
Rather than requiring staff to repeat the entire process each time, the solution allows them to select the activities they need, whether that involves updating inventory data, preparing transfers, generating supplier orders or completing all three.
The implementation also includes safeguards for situations where something goes wrong. It verifies supplier selections, checks that stock transfer quantities are consistent, and stops dependent processes when essential inventory reports cannot be retrieved. Each run produces a summary of completed activities and identifies exceptions requiring manual attention.
These checks are especially important when a single workflow affects purchasing and inventory movements across several outlets.
Bringing greater consistency to everyday operations
By October 2026, the combined workflow for updating inventory data, preparing stock transfers and processing supplier orders had successfully passed local user acceptance testing. Further refinements addressed system response delays, supplier verification and the handling of interruptions during order processing.
The solution brings together activities that previously required staff to move between multiple systems, download reports, prepare files and coordinate with suppliers individually. It also provides a clearer record of what has been processed and what still requires attention.
For uMart, the intended improvement extends beyond reducing repetitive administrative work. With inventory information consolidated and purchasing procedures handled more consistently, staff can spend less time preparing transactions and more time reviewing stock requirements, coordinating deliveries and addressing issues across their outlets.
