AI in Procurement

AI in procurement connects Sutton to your favorite assistants, so you can get live insights into your purchase orders and inventory levels.

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Stockouts stall your operations

Sales orders can’t proceed, or your production lines sit idle waiting for POs to arrive.

AI procurement software helps you keep inventory in stock to meet demand.

Demand-Based Purchasing
Supplier Recommendations
PO Creation and Matching
Spend and Stock Visibility
Shortage Prevention
Approvals and Control

Demand-Based Purchasing

AI procurement software helps you better understand sales and production demand by accessing real-time data from Sutton. Once you connect Sutton with AI, you can ask your AI assistant for suggestions on how to improve reorder points or ask it to analyze open orders to learn more about demand.

Generate POs via chat or automatically based on sales and production demand
Fine-tune your safety stock levels for raw materials, subassemblies, and finished goods
Analyze production and supplier lead times to find the best time to create orders
Ditch emergency, last-minute, pricey reorders for automatic reorder notifications

Supplier Recommendations

Using procurement AI, you can analyze current and potential suppliers to find the best vendors based on lead time and pricing. You can do this by chatting with your assistant and asking it to compare vendors and suggest suppliers for specific items.

Generate reports or comparisons of all your different vendors
Ask AI for purchase history of any of your suppliers
Store and maintain vendor information simply by asking AI to do it
Enable human verification, so any purchase has to be approved by you
Purchase order management dashboard

PO Creation and Matching

Procurement automation software lets you hand off time-consuming, repetitive tasks to your AI assistant, so it can draft and send POs on your behalf. This means your entire procurement process can be completely automated, and once the PO arrives and an operator scans it in, it updates stock levels accordingly.

Use AI chat and ask it to create POs or modify existing ones
Track all your active POs without ever having to open your ERP
Ask your AI to serialize PO batches that you need to trace
Review every PO line item across all orders directly in the AI chat

Spend and Stock Visibility

It’s costly to accidentally order inventory that is already on the way. With AI in procurement and supply chain, your assistant monitors this 24/7. Chat with your AI to uncover how much is being spent on procurement, or get an overview of inventory levels across multiple locations and bins.

Get real-time updates on inventory movements throughout your supply chain
Check purchase orders at the item level to see what was bought and how much
Track POs that are on the way and analyze vendor performance
Ask your AI assistant to summarize purchasing data directly from Sutton

Shortage Prevention

Procurement automation software can help you set better reorder points for inventory and even analyze demand and potential disruptions from Sutton’s data and external sources. Sutton automatically blocks any orders from progressing if there’s not enough inventory on hand, and with AI, it can notify you whenever this happens so you can create a new order.

Set and improve your minimum stock thresholds to avoid stockouts
Receive email alerts as soon as inventory crosses the low-stock threshold
Work with AI to identify regular stockouts occurring at all your locations
Get an alert as soon as a job is blocked or have AI automatically create a PO
Eliminate disconnected systems and spreadsheets between facilities

Approvals and Control

If you’d prefer to stay involved and monitor spending, you can enable approvals so every PO suggested or created by AI needs human sign-off. With admin access, you and your team can approve or reject POs and add guardrails to prevent overspending or over-ordering inventory.

Decide whether AI needs approval, so you have more control over POs
Allow operators to leave reasons or notes for rejected POs
Have AI in procurement manage smaller orders but require approval for larger ones
Monitor approvals and rejections to see who did it and when
Outcomes

The Numbers Behind the Results

See the measurable impact of smarter production, from machine utilization to energy costs and downtime.

16 to 4

Weeks to days

On Foot Innovations cut lead time from 16 weeks to 4 days with Sutton.

10+

Hours saved per week

VersaCourt saves 10+ hours a week by automating order and customer updates with Sutton.

2x

Speed and efficiency

No1 Raw Materials has at least doubled its speed and efficiency by tracking inventory in real time with Sutton.

integrations

A single source of truth for your business

Bring every sales channel and accounting tool together in one system with seamless syncing and flexible API access.

See all integrations
Ebay
Quickbooks
Shopify
Woocommerce
Amazon
USER REVIEWS

Real operators. Real results.

100+ manufacturers and distributors have replaced spreadsheets and legacy ERPs with Sutton.

See all case studies
FAQs

Questions? Answers.

Your most frequently asked questions, all in one place. If you don’t see what you need, reach out to us.

How does inventory management software help reduce costs?
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An inventory management system helps companies save money by making operations faster, smarter, and more accurate. Instead of guessing what to order or spending hours updating spreadsheets, inventory tracking software uses real-time data to show exactly what’s in stock, what’s selling, and what needs to be reordered.

It reduces waste by keeping stock levels balanced, not too much that you’re stuck paying for storage, and not too little that you lose sales. It can automatically reorder items when they’re running low, preventing both overstocking and stockouts. Over time, this cuts carrying costs and keeps your warehouse from filling up with unsold or expired products.

The software also saves labor costs. Tasks that used to take hours, like counting stock or entering purchase orders, happen automatically. Employees spend less time fixing errors or tracking down missing items, and more time on work that actually grows the business.

Better visibility means better decisions because everything updates as soon as something happens, managers can see how much money is tied up in inventory and use that data to make more informed choices when it comes to purchasing, negotiating supplier discounts, or adjusting pricing.

Inventory management software helps businesses run leaner. It lowers the cost of holding inventory, reduces mistakes, improves cash flow, and keeps the right products on the shelf, all without the chaos of manual tracking or guesswork.

How does inventory management software work?
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Inventory management software helps you keep track of what you have in stock currently, what items are in transit, and what’s being used in production. The main point of these tools is to replace messy spreadsheets and guesswork with systems and processes that update information in real time. 

In the case of Sutton, here’s just a small sample of features to explain how Sutton works: 

1. End-to-End Real-Time Inventory

See every product, part, and pallet inventory level update the moment something moves. Sutton keeps your stock counts accurate across all locations, so you always know what’s available and what’s not. 

2. Traceability

Use barcode scanning to see where something came from, when it was made or bought, its worth, and where it’s stored. With Sutton, you can track serial numbers, batches, and expiration dates for full visibility from purchasing to shipping out a final product to a customer.

3. Inventory Accuracy 

Sutton handles complex storage with ease. Whether you’re stacking boxes on pallets or storing items in bins, Sutton tracks everything, so you always know what’s been used and what’s left in inventory.

4. Centralized Business Management 

Sutton’s item creator adjusts to your needs. Set up products you buy, make, or sell, or all three. Manage multi-level BOMs and routing. Handle multiple units of measure, quantity breaks, and item variants without extra effort. 

5. Multi-Location Control

Easily run and manage multiple warehouses, production floors, or selling points in one system by syncing your inventory data across every location in real time, so you can transfer stock, trace lots, and monitor performance from anywhere with an internet connection.

6. Inventory Planning and Cost Control

Set minimum stock levels and reorder points for each item. Sutton tracks real-time inventory value, helps you stick to FIFO or LIFO methods, and makes end-of-month reporting quick and easy. 

How much does inventory management software cost?
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Inventory management software comes in all different shapes and sizes, so prices can vary widely, from free tools for simple tracking, to large enterprise systems that can run into the cost range of five digits. 

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Most small and mid-sized businesses can expect to pay between $50 and $500 per month for a cloud-based system that includes at least the standard inventory management features needed. But here is a small breakdown based on business size and the amount of features or inventory that they manage: 

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  • Small businesses: Usually spend between $50 and $200 per month for basic plans that offer real-time tracking and simple reports. Some starter tools cost less than $50.
  • Mid-sized businesses: Often pay between $200 and $700 per month for software that includes more advanced features such as barcode scanning, multi-location tracking, and integrations with accounting or online sales platforms.
  • Large enterprises: Larger companies with complex operations may need custom or ERP-connected systems that cost from $1,000 to over $10,000 per month. These plans may also include one-time setup and training fees.
What's the difference between inventory management and warehouse management software?
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Inventory management software and warehouse management software are closely related, but they serve different purposes.

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Inventory control software focuses on the big picture. It helps you see what products you have, how much of each you have, and when it’s time to order more. It’s great for keeping track of stock levels across one or more locations, so you always know what’s available.

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Warehouse management software, on the other hand, is all about what happens inside the warehouse. It tracks exactly where each item is stored (down to the aisle, shelf, or bin) and helps workers pick, pack, and ship orders more efficiently. 

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In simple terms:

  • Inventory management shows you how much you have and when to restock.
  • Warehouse management shows you where everything is and how it moves.

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The two systems often work together. The inventory management system keeps your stock data up to date, while the warehouse management system handles the day-to-day warehouse operations. When used together, they give you both a broad overview of your inventory and detailed control inside each warehouse.

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Sutton brings both systems together in one easy-to-use platform. It shows you what’s in stock and exactly where each item is in real time.

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For inventory management, you can see your stock levels, track every batch or serial number, and know the exact value of what’s on hand. The system updates automatically when items are bought, made, or sold, so your data stays accurate without extra work.

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For warehouse management, you can manage everything happening inside your warehouse. Workers can scan, move, pick, and pack items in seconds without using clipboards or spreadsheets. Every update happens instantly, giving you live information you can trust.

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Together, these tools give you complete control. You’ll always know what you have, where it is, and how it’s moving, all in one connected system.

What's the difference between inventory management and warehouse management software?
+

Inventory management software and warehouse management software are closely related, but they serve different purposes.

Inventory control software focuses on the big picture. It helps you see what products you have, how much of each you have, and when it’s time to order more. It’s great for keeping track of stock levels across one or more locations, so you always know what’s available.

Warehouse management software, on the other hand, is all about what happens inside the warehouse. It tracks exactly where each item is stored (down to the aisle, shelf, or bin) and helps workers pick, pack, and ship orders more efficiently. 

In simple terms:

  • Inventory management shows you how much you have and when to restock.
  • Warehouse management shows you where everything is and how it moves.

The two systems often work together. The inventory management system keeps your stock data up to date, while the warehouse management system handles the day-to-day warehouse operations. When used together, they give you both a broad overview of your inventory and detailed control inside each warehouse.

Sutton brings both systems together in one easy-to-use platform. It shows you what’s in stock and exactly where each item is in real time.

For inventory management, you can see your stock levels, track every batch or serial number, and know the exact value of what’s on hand. The system updates automatically when items are bought, made, or sold, so your data stays accurate without extra work.

For warehouse management, you can manage everything happening inside your warehouse. Workers can scan, move, pick, and pack items in seconds without using clipboards or spreadsheets. Every update happens instantly, giving you live information you can trust.

Together, these tools give you complete control. You’ll always know what you have, where it is, and how it’s moving, all in one connected system.