Are you outgrowing Sortly? — 9 questions, real talk.
Nine questions about how your operation actually runs — lot codes, channels, locations, counts. No opinion scales: we ask for the facts, then tell you honestly whether Sortly still fits, whether you're on the edge, or whether you've already outgrown it.
The short answer
The signals that an operation has outgrown a simple inventory tracker are structural rather than a matter of SKU count: needing lot or batch codes, selling across several channels that must stay in sync, holding stock in more than one location, running scheduled cycle counts, and moving stock between locations while it is in transit. Each of those needs state a flat item list cannot represent.
SKU count is the least useful signal
A catalog of 5,000 simple items in one location is comfortably handled by a straightforward tracker. Two hundred SKUs that need lot codes, sell on three channels, and sit across two locations are not, because the difficulty is in the relationships between records rather than the number of them.
This is why the diagnostic asks about structure. Lot tracking, channel count, location count, and in-transit transfers each introduce state that a flat list has nowhere to put, and that is where the workarounds and the spreadsheets start appearing.
The spreadsheet beside the tool is the real tell
Most teams discover the ceiling by accident: a spreadsheet appears next to the tool to hold what the tool cannot, and within months it is the spreadsheet that is authoritative. At that point the tool is recording history rather than running the operation.
If you can name the spreadsheet and the person who maintains it, you already have your answer, and the useful question becomes which capability to replace first.
Frequently asked questions
When have you outgrown a simple inventory tracker?
When you need capabilities a flat item list cannot represent: lot or batch codes, multi-channel sync, multiple stock locations, scheduled cycle counting, or in-transit transfers between locations. These are structural needs, not a matter of catalog size.
Does SKU count determine which tool I need?
Rarely. Thousands of simple items in one location are manageable, while a few hundred items needing lot codes across several channels and locations are not. Complexity lives in the relationships between records rather than their number.
What is the most common sign of the ceiling?
A spreadsheet maintained alongside the tool to hold what the tool cannot. Once that spreadsheet becomes the version people trust, the tool has stopped running the operation and is only recording it.