Goods in transit can create a confusing gap between the stock a branch has dispatched and the stock another branch can sell. A delivery may be on the road, waiting at a receiving desk, or partly accepted because several cartons are damaged. Treating all three situations as completed transfers makes stock reports difficult to trust.
This guide explains how Kenyan retailers can keep goods in transit visible from picking through receipt. Explore Vega POS features and discuss goods in transit process available for your setup. For a demonstration using your branch workflow, call 0725345345. The aim is a clear operational record, with each movement connected to a person, location and next action.
1. Define when goods enter transit
Agree on the event that changes stock from available at the sending branch to dispatched. Preparing a transfer request is not the same as loading goods, and loading is not always the same as handing them to the driver. Staff need one agreed point that matches the physical operation.
Write this definition into the procedure and demonstrate it with a real product. If a prepared order remains overnight in the stockroom, the team should know whether it is reserved, available or already dispatched. Confirm how your software represents these states instead of assuming the label means the same thing to everyone.
2. Give goods in transit a unique reference
Create one reference that follows goods in transit through approval, picking, dispatch and receiving. Include the sending branch, destination, expected dispatch date and person responsible. A reference written only on a loose carton can disappear before the receiving team investigates a shortage.
Use the same reference on the packing list and related messages. When staff ask about a delayed delivery, they should identify goods in transit rather than describing it as yesterday’s boxes. A clear reference also distinguishes two deliveries containing identical products. Keep supplementary documents together so a supervisor can review the complete sequence without searching several unrelated conversations.
3. Check product identity before picking
A transfer quantity is useful only when both branches agree on the product. Check the code, description, size, colour and packaging unit before picking. Similar labels can hide different variants, especially where employees rely on memory or abbreviations that another branch does not recognise.
Pick against the approved list and record substitutions explicitly. Do not send a different variant simply because the requested one looks unavailable. Ask the destination to approve the change first. Review the Vega stock management guide when planning how product records, physical stock and branch responsibilities should fit together.
4. Count cartons and selling units separately
If a carton contains twelve items, three cartons represent thirty six items. Record the purchasing or transport unit alongside the base quantity used by the stock system. Otherwise, a sender may enter three while the receiver expects thirty six, creating an apparent shortage that is actually a unit mismatch.
Count opened cartons separately from sealed cartons. Record loose units clearly rather than rounding them into a full package. Where packaging varies by supplier or product, keep the conversion attached to the correct item. The receiving employee should be able to repeat the calculation without contacting the person who prepared the dispatch.
5. Confirm dispatch approval and handover
Name the person who can approve a transfer and the employee who confirms the physical handover. In a small business these responsibilities may sit with one manager, but the events should remain distinguishable. Approval authorises the movement; handover records what actually left.
At collection, compare the cartons with the packing list and note visible damage or missing packages. Retain the agreed acknowledgement through your normal business process. If the driver collects only part of goods in transit, record that quantity. Do not mark every item dispatched merely because transport arrived at the branch.
6. Keep goods in transit out of available stock
A destination should not promise goods to a customer simply because a transfer was created. Until the items arrive and pass receiving checks, they may still be delayed, damaged or incorrectly packed. Distinguish expected incoming quantities from quantities available for immediate sale.
During a software demonstration, ask to see the sending balance, transit balance and destination balance after dispatch but before receipt. Confirm which reports include each state. If your configuration uses another method, document it clearly. The useful question is whether employees can explain where the goods are without counting the same units as available at both branches.
7. Set a realistic receiving expectation
Record an expected arrival date or receiving window based on the route and operating hours. A shop that closes before a vehicle arrives needs a clear handover arrangement. Discuss these practical conditions before dispatch, especially when the receiving branch has limited storage or requires a manager to accept stock.
Keep changes visible. A revised arrival time should not erase the original expectation, because repeated delays may reveal a planning problem. Assign someone to follow up when a transfer misses its window. The retail reorder planning guide helps connect incoming stock with purchasing decisions and customer demand.
8. Receive against the actual delivery
At the destination, count what arrives before confirming receipt. Compare product identifiers, quantities and condition with the dispatch record. Check the contents where your procedure requires it; an intact outer package does not prove that the correct variant or quantity is inside.
Record differences as exceptions with a clear description. For example, write that two blue medium shirts arrived instead of two black medium shirts. A vague note such as wrong stock gives the next employee little to investigate. Keep the goods separated where necessary until the branch manager decides how the discrepancy will be resolved.
9. Handle partial receipts without losing the balance
Goods in transit often arrive in stages. A vehicle may carry part of an order today and the remaining cartons tomorrow. Record each receipt against the original reference and leave the undelivered balance open. Closing the entire transfer after the first delivery hides the outstanding work.
Ask your provider to demonstrate a transfer of twenty units with an initial receipt of fifteen. The destination should gain the accepted fifteen, while the other five remain explainable. Confirm how the system handles a later receipt, an agreed cancellation or a shortage investigation. These exceptions are more revealing than a demonstration where every quantity matches immediately.
10. Resolve damaged or missing stock with evidence
When goods arrive damaged, record the affected items and their condition before mixing them with saleable stock. Keep relevant photographs, dispatch evidence and receiving notes together. Identify whether the next action is inspection, return, replacement or an authorised adjustment.
Do not create a second unexplained stock movement just to make a report balance. Trace the original transfer and agree the correction through the responsible manager. If the issue also involves a supplier return, keep those records distinct. The supplier returns checklist explains how collection, replacement and settlement can require separate follow-up.
11. Review ageing goods in transit regularly
Prepare a short review of transfers that remain open beyond their expected receiving window. Useful fields include reference, sending branch, destination, dispatch date, outstanding quantity, last update and owner. Review the oldest unresolved cases and any transfer affecting a promised customer order.
An open balance is not automatically evidence of loss. It may reflect a missing receiving entry, a partial delivery or a genuine transport problem. Investigate the cause before making an adjustment. Use the cycle counting guide to support physical checks when records and shelf quantities disagree.
12. Close goods in transit with a clear explanation
Close goods in transit only when the full quantity has an agreed outcome. That outcome may include accepted stock, returned stock or an authorised correction supported by evidence. A completed status should help another employee understand the result, not conceal an unresolved discrepancy.
Review one finished transfer with a colleague who did not handle it. Ask them to identify what left, what arrived, who checked it and how differences were resolved. If they cannot follow the sequence, improve the references or notes. This small review is often more useful than adding fields that nobody knows how to maintain.
A practical branch transfer example
Imagine a Nairobi branch sends twenty four bottles to another outlet. Staff dispatch two sealed cartons containing twelve bottles each. On arrival, the receiver finds one carton complete and one carton with two damaged bottles. This is an illustrative process example, not a reported customer result.
The receiver records twenty two acceptable bottles and two damaged bottles awaiting a decision. The manager reviews the evidence and confirms the agreed handling. The record should not show twenty four saleable bottles merely because twenty four physically arrived. Equally, it should not lose the explanation for the damaged pair when the accepted quantity is posted.
Use this example during training, then add a delayed carton and a corrected product code. Ask staff to explain each balance aloud. A process that survives these variations is easier to operate during a busy day than one understood only by the employee who configured it.
Questions to ask during a Vega demonstration
Ask how the chosen setup records dispatch, receipt, partial delivery and corrections. Check which employee permissions control those actions and whether the history identifies the user and time. Bring an example from your own branches so the demonstration follows your actual handovers.
Review Vega’s current plans and confirm the configuration needed for multiple outlets. If a business needs a separate approval portal or specialised delivery workflow, discuss the requirement with Zama Web Experts. A link between providers does not mean that a particular integration already exists.
Related platforms for different operations
Choose tools according to the work they are designed to support. Prim focuses on salon, spa and barber operations, while TAS serves chama administration. PMS addresses property management, and Dereva is a professional driver marketplace. Review each service independently before adopting it.
Other online business models include JAAT and Saseni. These links provide additional platforms to explore; they do not imply automatic integration with Vega or replace the controls needed for physical stock transfers.
A short daily handover routine
Before the sending team finishes its shift, review every transfer prepared that day. Confirm which packages remain on site, which have left and which need a revised collection plan. Give the next shift a short list of exceptions rather than expecting them to infer the position from carton labels.
At the receiving branch, compare deliveries expected with deliveries checked. A vehicle arriving at the gate is not the final control point. Someone must confirm whether the goods were inspected, accepted and recorded. Where a receiving entry is delayed, name the employee responsible and set a clear completion time.
Keep the routine proportionate to the business. A small shop may need a brief register review, while several outlets may need a shared exception report. The essential requirement is that outstanding goods have a location, an explanation and an owner. Review patterns monthly to identify repeated picking mistakes, unsuitable delivery windows or unclear packaging descriptions.
Train relief employees on this routine too. Absence or a shift change should not leave a transfer dependent on one person’s memory. A well documented handover allows another authorised colleague to continue the work and answer a branch query confidently.
Frequently asked questions
Should both branches count the goods?
Yes, each handover needs an appropriate check. The sender confirms what leaves, while the receiver confirms what arrives. Matching records are useful evidence; assuming the other branch counted correctly leaves avoidable uncertainty.
Can an owner manage this with a register?
A controlled register can establish references and responsibility while the business evaluates software. Keep one agreed version and reconcile it with stock records. Avoid several informal lists that show different outstanding quantities.
Where should we start?
Choose one route and a small product group. Test dispatch, partial receipt and an exception before extending the procedure. For help assessing goods in transit with Vega POS, call 0725345345 and bring a sample transfer.