Retail ERP Consultant, UK

Click and collect, ship from shop and one view of stock

Multichannel trading is normal for UK retailers of almost any size. The difficulty is not taking the order; it is knowing which stock can promise it. A web order reserved against a shop needs that unit held back from the shop floor. Ship-from-shop needs a pick task the shop team can see between serving customers. A failed collection needs the item returned to sellable stock and the payment refunded.

I map each of these journeys with a simple question at every step: which system owns the stock at this moment? The answer drives the integration design. In some estates the ERP holds the master stock and the web platform reads it. In others a separate order management layer decides where to fulfill from. Both can work, but mixing the two creates oversells.

I also write down practical limits: how often shop stock is refreshed online, what safety buffer is kept per item, and who handles an order that cannot be fulfilled. These become requirements and UAT scenarios rather than surprises after launch. If online sales lead your business, ERP for eCommerce goes deeper on marketplaces and fulfillment.

Refunds, exchanges and consumer rights at the till

UK consumer protection gives shoppers rights over faulty goods, and separate cancellation rights usually apply to purchases made online or at a distance. Many retailers also offer goodwill returns beyond what the law requires. I do not give legal advice, and your policy should be checked by an advisor, but the policy you settle on has to be enforceable at the till.

That means the EPOS must know the difference between a change-of-mind return, a faulty item, an exchange for a different size and a web order brought back to a shop. Each one treats stock differently: back to sellable stock, to a faulty or returns-to-supplier location, or to the warehouse for checking. Each treats money differently too: refund to the original card, store credit or a gift card.

I list the return scenarios your staff actually see, with the expected stock movement, VAT reversal and refund method, then check how each shortlisted system handles them. Returns are also where fraud and shrink hide, so I include permission levels for refunds without a receipt and a daily exception report for managers. Good returns design is often the single biggest improvement shop teams notice after go-live.

Concessions, franchise partners and wholesale accounts

Many British brands sell through more than their own shops. Concessions inside department stores, franchise partners running branded stores, and wholesale accounts with independent retailers all draw on the same stock and buying plan, but each has a different commercial arrangement.

For a concession, the stock may still be yours while the host store takes the payment and settles with you later, net of its commission. The ERP needs to treat that stock as your own at a separate location, receive the host's sales report, and reconcile the settlement against it. For a franchise partner, stock is usually sold to them, so the question becomes ordering, pricing and visibility of their sell-through. Wholesale needs trade price lists, credit terms and pick-and-pack from the same warehouse that feeds your shops.

I model each channel as a location type with its own documents and postings, then decide which data the partner sends you and in what format. Without this, concession and franchise sales usually arrive as spreadsheets that someone rekeys. For bulk trade customers in more depth, see ERP for wholesale.

VAT-inclusive prices, card settlements and profit by shop

UK shelf prices include VAT, and many ranges carry a mix of standard, reduced and zero-rated items, so the EPOS has to split the VAT correctly from a gross price and carry that into the ledger. Promotions such as multi-buy deals then need a clear rule for how the discount is spread across lines with different VAT treatment. Your accountant should confirm the treatment; I make sure the system is configured and tested to match it, and that VAT records reach your Making Tax Digital submission route cleanly.

Card settlements are the next daily task. Acquirers pay out net of fees, sometimes in batches that do not match trading days. I design the cash-up so each shop's takings by tender are matched to deposits automatically, leaving finance to work only on exceptions.

Profit by shop then needs rent, business rates, staff cost and shrink allocated to each location. I set store and channel dimensions in the chart of accounts and agree the allocation rules with your finance lead, so area managers compare shops on the same basis. The UK ERP consultant page covers VAT and digital records more broadly.

Leaving a legacy EPOS and Sage or Xero, around the trading calendar

A common UK starting point is an older EPOS with its own stock file, a web platform with another, and Sage or Xero receiving daily totals. The migration usually involves rebuilding the product catalog as styles with sizes and colors under one parent, cleaning barcodes, and taking a fresh stock count per shop rather than trusting the legacy figures.

Timing is shaped by the retail calendar. The run-up to Christmas, Boxing Day and January sales are poor moments for a cutover, and seasonal categories may have their own peaks. I plan a pilot shop in a quieter trading period, fix what it reveals, then move the remaining shops in groups.

Workshops are remote and scheduled inside UK working hours. If Zoho is on your shortlist, my Zoho Inventory page for UK firms covers marketplace stock and courier dispatch, and the UK hub lists the other ways I work with British businesses.