Bookkeeping for retail stores.
FigureWise gives retailers books where inventory, margin, and sales tax are actually right: cost of goods tied to what sold, POS and payment processors reconciled to the bank, and sales tax tracked by jurisdiction.
The numbers to watch.
| # | Metric | |
|---|---|---|
| 01 | Gross marginThe spread between what goods cost and what they sell for funds everything else. Tracked by category, it shows which products deserve shelf space and which are just occupying it. | The spread between what goods cost and what they sell for funds everything else. Tracked by category, it shows which products deserve shelf space and which are just occupying it. |
| 02 | Inventory turnoverHow fast stock converts back into cash. Slow turns mean money frozen on shelves and markdowns coming; watching turns by category tells you where to cut buys. | How fast stock converts back into cash. Slow turns mean money frozen on shelves and markdowns coming; watching turns by category tells you where to cut buys. |
| 03 | Sell-through rateThe share of purchased units actually sold in a period. It grades your buying decisions directly and catches dead stock before clearance season does. | The share of purchased units actually sold in a period. It grades your buying decisions directly and catches dead stock before clearance season does. |
| 04 | Cash runway through the buying cycleRetail cash lows come when inventory bets are placed. A forward cash view tells you how big a buy you can truly afford before peak season. | Retail cash lows come when inventory bets are placed. A forward cash view tells you how big a buy you can truly afford before peak season. |
Where retail stores books go wrong.
01
Inventory is your cash, wearing a disguise
Most of a retailer's money is sitting on shelves. If cost of goods sold is booked loosely, gross margin is a guess, shrinkage is invisible, and you cannot tell overbuying from healthy stocking until the cash runs short.
02
Sales tax across registers, channels, and jurisdictions
In-store sales, online orders, and marketplace sales can each trigger different collection and filing obligations. Getting the liability tracked correctly by jurisdiction is unglamorous and absolutely mandatory.
03
Seasonality that punishes flat-footed cash planning
Buying inventory months before your peak season means your worst cash position and your biggest bet coincide. Without a cash forecast built on real seasonal history, every year feels like a gamble.
04
POS, processors, and the bank telling three stories
Card settlements arrive net of fees, batched across days, with chargebacks and adjustments mixed in. If the POS is not reconciled to the bank monthly, small discrepancies compound into books nobody trusts.
What we put in place.
- Cost of goods sold tied to actual sales through your POS or inventory system, so gross margin is measured, not estimated.
- Monthly reconciliation of POS, payment processors, and bank deposits, with fees and chargebacks broken out.
- Sales tax liability tracked by jurisdiction and coordinated with your filing calendar, across in-store and online channels.
- A seasonal cash view built from your own history, so buying decisions come with a runway number attached.
- AI flags margin anomalies and unusual shrinkage patterns between counts; a human bookkeeper investigates before the close.
Retail Stores, answered.
Better decisions start here.
A free, no-commitment review of your retail stores books.