Industries · FMCG and cosmetics
FMCG distribution inventory software for South African brands and distributors
Fast-moving lines, dated stock and customers from spaza shops to pharmacies and online buyers. VasKem gives FMCG and cosmetics businesses one cloud record of stock, orders and invoices, with a clear view of what is about to expire.
- From R4,500/month excl. VAT
- South African company
- WhatsApp-first support
- Try the product tour without signing up
What makes FMCG and cosmetics inventory demanding
Fast-moving consumer goods (FMCG) and cosmetics businesses in South Africa include local brands, importers, wholesalers and distributors selling toiletries, personal care, hair care, skincare, household products and packaged consumables. Customers range from spaza shops and independent retailers to pharmacies, salons, larger retail groups and online buyers.
Whether you need FMCG distribution or cosmetics inventory management, the pressures are similar across the category:
- Dated stock. Many products carry expiry or best-before dates, and cosmetics may also carry a period after opening. Stock that is not rotated becomes a write-off or a markdown.
- High volumes and many variants. One product can come in several sizes, shades or fragrances, each its own SKU, and fast movers need constant replenishment.
- Multiple channels. The same stock may supply retailers, wholesale customers, a salon network and an online store, so one channel can sell what another has promised.
- Retailer requirements. Larger customers can set strict delivery windows, labelling and paperwork, and short deliveries can cost you.
- Promotions and seasonality. Festive season, back-to-school and promotional runs change demand sharply and leave excess stock afterwards.
- Shrinkage. Small, high-value items such as fragrances and skincare are attractive to theft.
- Returns. Damaged, expired or unsold goods come back from customers and must be recorded and dealt with.
- Imports. Imported lines bring long lead times and exchange-rate exposure, so reordering late is costly.
Product labelling and safety for cosmetics and consumer goods are regulated in South Africa, and those obligations sit with the brand owner or importer. VasKem is an inventory and business records system and does not manage regulatory compliance.
How VasKem maps to an FMCG or cosmetics operation
| Challenge | VasKem module | How it helps |
|---|---|---|
| Dated stock | Expiring-stock view | See which stock is approaching its date so you can pick, sell or promote it first. |
| Many variants | Product records, CSV import and barcode lookup | Hold SKU, name, barcode, category, unit of measure and dimensions per variant, import your range by CSV and scan to confirm the exact item. |
| Running out of fast movers | Reorder points and low-stock alerts | Set reorder points and quantities, with larger buffers on imported lines. |
| Supplier and import orders | Purchase orders and goods receipt | Raise purchase orders with an expected date and receive against them; balances update on submit. |
| Accurate retailer orders | Dispatch orders and picking lists | Link each order to a customer and warehouse and pick from a list. |
| Customer returns | Returns and logistics records | Record returned goods so the movement and reason are on file. |
| Wholesale and retail sales | Quotations, invoices and POS | Quote wholesale customers, convert accepted quotes to invoices, record payments, and record counter or shop sales through POS. |
| Shrinkage | Stock takes, adjustments and audit log | Count high-value bins, review automatically calculated variances, require admin approval and see who changed what. |
If you hold stock in more than one place, for example a main warehouse and a store in Cape Town or Durban, each can be a warehouse with bin locations and stock transfers between them. The CRM keeps customer and supplier contacts, notes and follow-ups together.
Ask VasKem, the read-only AI assistant, can answer questions such as which products expire this quarter, with links back to the source records. It cannot change records, and answers should be checked against those sources.
Book a demo on WhatsApp Take the product tour
Specialist needs VasKem does not cover
Check each of these against your requirements:
- Enforced FEFO. FEFO is supported only through the expiring-stock view. VasKem does not direct or block picks by date. See how FEFO works.
- Batch and lot tracking. No batch codes, lot traceability or recall tracing.
- Regulatory compliance. No management of product registrations, labelling approvals or safety documentation.
- Retailer EDI and portals. Not offered; integrations are scoped per system.
- Store and marketplace sync. Online store connections are not automatic and must be scoped.
- Promotions and trade spend. No promotional pricing engine, rebate tracking or demand forecasting.
- Kitting and gift sets. Building gift packs from component stock is not a standard workflow.
Demo checklist for FMCG and cosmetics businesses
- Import a variant range. Bring a CSV of one product line in all its sizes and shades and check each record stays distinct.
- Test the expiring-stock view. Load a few dated items and confirm the view gives your team what it needs to rotate stock.
- Receive an import. Raise a purchase order, receive it and check balances and low-stock alerts.
- Pick a retailer order. Create a dispatch order and work from its picking list.
- Invoice and get paid. Convert a quote to an invoice and record a partial payment.
- Process a return. Record damaged or expired goods coming back and check the movement history.
- Count high-value stock. Run a stock take on fragrances or skincare and walk through variance approval.
For more, see e-commerce fulfilment and the warehouse KPIs that matter.
Frequently asked questions
Does VasKem enforce FEFO picking?
No. VasKem's expiring-stock view shows which stock is approaching its date, so your team can pick and sell the oldest-dated stock first. It does not direct pickers to a specific batch or block a pick, so FEFO still depends on how you shelve and pick.
Can VasKem record batch codes for cosmetics?
No. VasKem does not offer lot, batch or serial tracking, so it cannot record which batch went to which customer. If you need batch traceability for recalls or complaints, you will need a separate process or a scoped custom project.
Can I manage stock for both retail customers and my online store?
Yes, the stock is held in one place and you can record dispatch orders, invoices and POS sales against it. Connections to online stores or marketplaces are not included by default; they can be scoped depending on the APIs available.
Does VasKem connect to retailer ordering portals or EDI?
No. EDI and retailer portal connections are not offered. Orders received from retailers are captured in VasKem as dispatch orders, and any integration would be scoped as a separate project.
Is VasKem suitable for a small cosmetics brand starting out?
It can be, if you hold stock in one or more locations and want product records, stock takes, reorder alerts, quotes and invoices in one system. Plans start from R4,500 per month excl. VAT for 3 users and 1 warehouse; your quote covers extra users, locations and onboarding. Try the product tour first to see whether it fits.
See VasKem on your own stock and workflow
Send a WhatsApp with what you stock, how many locations you run and where things go wrong today. We’ll walk you through how VasKem would handle it and confirm your price in writing.