Best Inventory Management Software for 2027

Inventory used to mean boxes you owned. Today a large retailer’s site sells products sitting in its own distribution centers, in its stores and in warehouses belonging to brands it has never met in person. All three need an accurate stock count, and a shopper doesn’t care which one is out of date.

The best inventory management software depends on which of those you’re trying to keep accurate. Warehouse and order management systems track stock you own. Dropship and marketplace software keeps stock held by your suppliers in sync with your storefronts. This list covers both, so you can see where each one fits.

What to check before you shortlist

How much of what you sell is stock you own, and how much do partners hold?
How often does supplier stock reach your storefront, and who fixes it when it’s wrong?
Can the tool take stock data from suppliers on EDI, APIs and spreadsheets?
Does it run beside your current ERP and storefront, or replace them?

Map your top 50 SKUs by who holds the stock before any demo. The answer usually points to one kind of tool, and sometimes to two working together.

A store aisle with fully stocked shelves — Fig. 1 Stores, distribution centers and supplier warehouses all need an accurate count.

The 5 best inventory management software tools in 2027

1. Carro: best inventory management software for enterprise partner and supplier stock

Carro is the dropship and marketplace software for enterprise retail. Its Catalog & Inventory pillar keeps product data, prices and stock current for products your suppliers hold and ship, across every connected storefront.

Screenshot of the Carro homepage — Fig. 2 The Carro homepage.

Stock moves from each supplier’s system on the cadence its connection supports. Partner price lists set the cost for each relationship, so your team stops re-entering numbers every time a supplier changes them.

Inventory sync and normalization across suppliers on EDI X12, REST API, SFTP, CSV and native connectors
Native connections to Shopify, Magento 2, WooCommerce and BigCommerce
Automated delisting and relisting when supplier stock changes
Validation that flags data problems before products launch
Edits that change your copy of a product, leaving the supplier’s original untouched
Variant-level control over which offers go live

What sets it apart is that it handles inventory you never buy. Through Merchant Services, Carro also secures authorized products from brands and distributors, so a retailer can add stock to its catalog with no purchase order. Carro runs beside your ERP, payments and accounting systems, so nothing you already run has to move.

Best for: enterprise retailers and marketplaces selling a growing share of supplier-held stock.
Less suited to: businesses that need to manage bins, pick paths and stock counts in their own warehouses.

2. Manhattan Active Omni: best for enterprise store and DC inventory

Manhattan Active Omni is an order and inventory suite for retailers with stores, distribution centers and several sales channels. It brings stock from every node into one real-time view.

Screenshot of the Manhattan Active Omni product page — Fig. 3 The Manhattan Associates omnichannel solutions page.

Enterprise inventory with available-to-promise dates the network can hold
Order sourcing that weighs cost, distance, capacity and markdown risk
Store fulfillment for ship-from-store and buy online, pick up in store
Returns accepted from any channel and made sellable where they land

Its strength is promising accurate delivery dates across a large physical network. It’s built for stock the retailer owns, so supplier-held dropship inventory needs a separate connection.

Best for: omnichannel retailers with a large store and DC network.
Less suited to: programs where most new assortment is supplier-held.

3. Oracle NetSuite: best for inventory inside an ERP

NetSuite handles inventory as part of a wider ERP, with finance, purchasing and inventory on the same records. It suits mid-size and enterprise companies that want one system of record.

Screenshot of the Oracle NetSuite homepage — Fig. 4 The Oracle NetSuite homepage.

Multi-location inventory with per-location costing
Demand and supply planning, including material requirements planning
Automatic safety stock and reorder points, set by item segment
Bin management and transfers within a location

Its main draw is having stock, purchasing and accounting in one place. Supplier stock for dropship still has to come in from somewhere, usually through another tool.

Best for: companies that want inventory and finance in one ERP.
Less suited to: keeping hundreds of supplier feeds current across several storefronts.

4. Rithum: best for supplier inventory in large dropship programs

Rithum syncs supplier catalog and stock data into a retailer’s storefront as part of its dropship product. It includes controls built for the moment a supplier’s count turns out to be more hopeful than accurate.

Screenshot of the Rithum homepage — Fig. 5 The Rithum homepage.

Supplier catalog and inventory synchronization
Inventory buffers and threshold-based blocking
Alerts to reduce overselling
Rule-based order routing tied to available stock

These overselling controls are its standout feature for retailers with large supplier bases. Sourcing and supplier terms remain a negotiation the retailer runs.

Best for: retailers syncing stock from a large, established supplier network.
Less suited to: teams who want supplier terms and authorization settled before stock flows.

5. Acenda: best for brands syncing stock across many channels

Acenda is marketplace operations software for brands and manufacturers. It keeps one inventory position in sync across the retailers and marketplaces a brand sells through.

Screenshot of the Acenda homepage — Fig. 6 The Acenda homepage.

Inventory, listings and orders synced across 100+ channels, including retailer dropship programs
One catalog for product content, images and attributes
Order routing to the right warehouse, 3PL or ERP
Integrations with NetSuite, SAP, Shopify and ShipStation, among others

For a brand supplying several retailers, it stops the same stock being sold twice on two channels. Retailers running their own program will need retailer-side software.

Best for: brands and manufacturers selling through many channels at once.
Less suited to: retailers managing supplier stock on their own storefront.

Best inventory management software side by side

The table shows which stock each tool keeps accurate. Many retailers run one from each side.

Tool	Stock it manages	Runs on	Strongest first use
Carro	Supplier-held stock across storefronts	Your current storefront and ERP	Adding supplier stock with no purchase order
Manhattan Active Omni	Owned stock across stores and DCs	Its own order and inventory suite	Accurate delivery promises at scale
Oracle NetSuite	Owned stock inside the ERP	NetSuite ERP	Inventory and finance in one system
Rithum	Supplier stock in dropship programs	Rithum’s network	Overselling controls for large networks
Acenda	A brand’s stock across channels	Brand’s catalog and channels	Brands selling to many retailers

So which one should you pick?

Start with who holds the stock. If it sits in your stores and distribution centers, Manhattan Active Omni handles that at scale, and NetSuite suits companies that want inventory and accounting together. Brands selling across many retailers should look at Acenda, and Rithum fits retailers syncing a large existing supplier network.

A worker checking stock at a loading dock stacked with boxes — Fig. 7 Owned stock and supplier-held stock usually live in different systems.

If your newest growth comes from products your suppliers hold, Carro is the inventory management software built for keeping that stock accurate on your storefront. Ask to see it run with two of your suppliers’ catalogs.

Inventory management software FAQs

What is the best inventory management software for a retailer that dropships?

For supplier-held stock, Carro is the strongest pick, because it syncs and normalizes stock from suppliers on EDI, APIs and files. Retailers with large owned inventories often run it alongside an ERP or order management system.

Do I need separate tools for owned and supplier-held inventory?

Often, yes. Warehouse and ERP systems track stock you own, while dropship software keeps supplier stock current on your storefront. Choose tools that integrate so both feed the same storefront.

How often should supplier inventory sync?

As often as each supplier’s connection allows. API connections update faster than scheduled file drops, so check the published sync interval for each connection type.

How do I stop overselling supplier stock?

Use software that delists products automatically when stock drops and flags data problems before launch. Buffers and threshold rules add another layer of protection.