When a local bookstore’s growth was outpacing its inventory capacity, its owner turned to the IT experts at the Small Business Support team (SBS) for help.
In 2001, with just an initial investment of USD 600, Ms Kocharli set up a book store. With this money, she bought books from Russia and Ukraine and sold them in Azerbaijan. At first this was done via direct orders, but soon business was growing and her inventory began overfilling her home. So, in 2005, she opened her first bricks and mortar Ali and Nino bookstore.
Today, the Ali and Nino chain encompasses five stores, six book-nooks in stationary shops, two book cafes and an online bookstore. Behind this enterprise is a staff 70 people strong.
But with so many orders coming from so many people and so many stores, her outdated inventory management system was threatening to ruin her business. To better embrace the online marketplace, she needed a new approach to inventory management – and for that, she turned to the experts at SBS.
With the help of an SBS experienced consultant, Ms Kocharli was able to understand the capabilities, costs and efficiencies of available IT systems. With this information, she could budget for and implement a new inventory management system capable of maintaining Ali and Nino’s trajectory of growth.