Warehouse management software for cosmetics and beauty

Model each shade and size as its own variant with its own SKU and barcode. That sounds obvious, but many teams begin with one SKU per product and a note for the shade, which makes picking and counting unreliable. With a variant per shade, the scanner confirms the exact item and each shade's balance is visible on its own.

Batch and expiry are the second layer. Capture the batch code and expiry date at receiving, and allocate by earliest expiry so older batches ship first. For products marked only with a period after opening, decide which date you will record before you import the catalog, because that choice affects every later report.

• One variant per shade and size, each with its own barcode (see what a SKU should represent).
• Batch and expiry captured at the dock, then carried through every move.
• Earliest-expiry allocation, so slow shades don't age out at the back of the bin.
• Scan-verified picking and packing to catch look-alike shades.
• Holds by batch or supplier when a quality question comes up.

Beauty brands sell sets constantly: a cleanser, toner and serum routine, a holiday lip trio, a travel kit. There are two ways to handle them, and the right one depends on when the set is packed.

A virtual bundle is a SKU that exists only on the order. When a customer buys the routine, the warehouse picks the three component products. No stock of the bundle itself exists, so there's nothing extra to count or reconcile. This suits sets packed at order time.

An assembled kit is built ahead, typically for peak season. A build order consumes the components and creates finished kits as stock; if the kits don't sell, a break order returns the components. Each step is a recorded movement, so component balances stay honest. The kitting and bundles page covers the mechanics.

Illustrative example: a skincare brand shipping direct to consumers and to a few retailers. In the morning, a delivery of serum SRM-030 arrives in cartons of 24. The receiver scans the carton barcode, records batch LOT-0826 and its expiry, and puts the cartons away to reserve. A pick face holds a few days of single units.

At midday, the web orders are allocated and picked as a batch: the picker walks the route once and the items are sorted into orders at the pack bench. Every item is scanned at packing, so shade 03 in place of shade 02 is caught before the box is sealed.

In the afternoon, returns are graded. Sealed units go back to available stock, opened ones are written off with a reason, and units from a damaged batch are set aside for a supplier claim.

Test with real data before migrating. The mistakes in beauty warehouses show up in the long tail of shades and in returns, not in the demo. Include real returns in the test as well: grading rules that look simple on paper often need a third or fourth outcome once actual parcels arrive.

• Import your full shade and size range and check that search, labels and pick lists stay readable.
• Receive a real carton and confirm batch and expiry capture works with your suppliers' labels.
• Test a gift set both ways: sold as a virtual bundle and built as a kit.
• Grade a handful of returns and check where each unit ends up in stock.
• Rules for cosmetics labeling, batch records and product safety differ by market. Validate your own regulatory requirements; a WMS records what happened to stock, it does not make you compliant.

NextStock models products with variants, each variant a SKU with its own barcode and images, and images can be bulk-imported by URL or ZIP. Lot and expiry are captured at receiving, allocation supports FEFO, and packing is scan-verified. Virtual bundles and assembled kits are both supported, with kit builds and breaks recorded as ledger movements. Returns with unit-level grading route each unit to its own disposition.

For 3PLs running several beauty brands, every stock, order and inbound record carries its owner; see NextStock for 3PLs. A client portal and automated storage and handling billing are planned, not available yet. Native store connectors, including Shopify and Salla, are also on the roadmap. Today, orders come in through the office UI, CSV or the API.