Are you having trouble with order fulfillment? Perhaps you have experienced some mishaps in your efforts to achieve your business goals. Katana software promises to fix it with its clever dashboard.
We all need to be worldly-wise when it comes to order management.
It is important to have a clear picture of all business operations before you jump in. The chain of transactions must be seamless. However, I must be organized and make many commitments. To make more, I must spend money. You are right, guys?
My enterprise must be successful. I need to use the best strategy that is capable of managing my inventory.
Inventory Management Solutions
Apart from this, I also need to use robust software that can protect me against almost all possible risks. Order delays can be a nightmare. We can’t forget about the costly charges , and negative reviews that hardly ever fade away.
Every merchant wants it to work out for everyone. Integrations can be a great deal. It is important that the software and my e-commerce channel are compatible.
This review covers everything you need to know. This review examines Katana’s pricing, production planning, and integration plugins with respected ecommerce platforms such as Shopify.
This is not all.
It considers its customer support, pros and cons. We also need to understand its suitability, which ultimately depends upon the user’s needs.
What is it that makes Katana so attractive to merchants?
Let’s see.
Katana Review: The Pros and the Cons
Katana Reviews: Pros
- Rates that are affordable
- SaaS technology is simple to use
- All information in one place, a comprehensive dashboard
- Comes with a manufacturing-oriented approach
- It seamlessly integrates with Shopify
- Integrates seamlessly with accounting software leaders
- According to screenshots, it works well with WooCommerce
- It is easy to import data from other platforms.
Katana Reviews: Cons
- It does not have a mobile app
- For a small business, it can be quite expensive
- There is no hook or API option to further integrate.
What is Katana Software?
It’s primarily a platform that is designed to help merchants scale up their business. It tirelessly works to make Direct-to-consumer(D2C) manufacturing a painless experience. It makes it easy for me to reach my customers in a new way, which sounds very inspiring.
Here’s an example.
Katana’s advanced logistics system makes my business successful. Its distribution model is, I have to say, quite unique. This saves me a lot of money as a retailer. I don’t need to deal with middlemen. Katana understands that my ultimate goal is to make my customers happy.
The best part?
It is always overwhelming to manually track my raw materials. Katana solves this problem with its automated dashboard, which is user-friendly.
My business has reached new heights because of this.
So let’s delve deeper.
Katana Software Review: What Is It?
A proficient dashboard
Katana dashboard looks very fast. It is so simple to use and understand the spreadsheets. I can use the demo account to get good information that will help me manage my business. The Sell Screen allows users to better understand all sales orders.
It updates me automatically with status information on every delivery, order, and stock count. It generates unique numbers for each sales order. It is amazing how simple it is to track and identify all orders. It also has a section called “Contacts” that allows me to save the details of my customers and the total price for each order.
What about manufacturing resource planning (MRP).
Its ability to specify a delivery date is even more impressive. The sales status is, however, very easy to understand.
Here’s why.
Its sales item availability tells me whether a product can be expected, in stock, or not. This is a wonderful feature that you can rely on! The status updates automatically. It’s easy to automate stock management. Katana’s software assembles all products in two different ways. You can either make your manufacturing orders via Make to Order (MTO), or Make to Stock(MTS).
What is the end result?
Let’s look at a real-world example. What happens when I get a sales order? The system will mark such a transaction’s availability status as “Expected”. It’s as simple as that.
Its production status is what makes it most useful. It reflects what is happening behind the scenes. It can indicate that work is progressing, for example, if the manufacturing process is already underway. It allows me to choose a delivery status in order to highlight products that are being shipped.
Katana Software Review: Pricing
Over the years, the pricing of Katana has varied. There used to be many pricing options, but now there are only two major options. The Essential plan is the most affordable and most cost-effective plan. It costs $99 per monthly. The Proplan is the second option. It costs $299/month (billed annually) or $349/month (billed monthly).
The Essential Plan
The Essential plan includes all the necessary features to run a workshop or factor. Support is available for one user and up three warehouses. Integrations with eCommerce platforms such as WooCommerce or Shopify are also included. Integrations with accounting platforms like QuickBooks Online and Xero are also possible.
Chat support is included in the Essential plan. You can also add users to the service for $29/month.
The Pro Plan
Katana Software’s Pro plan is an advanced package that costs $299/month if purchased annually. $349 per monthly if you prefer the flexibility of monthly payments.
While the Pro plan offers everything in the Essential package, you only get support for one user. You can still connect to unlimited warehouses and have access to batch and lot number tracking. You can also connect to a mobile app at floor level, and add up to three floor-level operator.
You can add more users to your Pro plan for $39 per person or add operators for $9 per per month, per operator.
Katana Features
Katana MRP must be kept up-to-date in order to stand out as a leading tool for manufacturing resource planning. This means that you can add many useful features to improve your business optimization strategies.
Business leaders can see what’s going on behind the scenes at their company with Katana manufacturing software. This allows you to see the entire workflow at a higher level, which makes it easier to improve your business’s efficiency. Katana can tell you when enough raw materials are in stock so you can start production. The service can also be used to quickly buy any items you are missing.
A priority-based system allows you to monitor inventory movements and provides real-time updates. This allows business leaders to set re-order points and establish stock for high demand periods. Katana’s main features include:
- Make-to-order and make-to-stock functionality:Save your bill-of materials (BOMs), and let Katana automatically adjust your inventory, calculate operations costs, and assign your raw inventory as they are generated.
- Multichannel multilocation performance Katana brings all your sales orders into one visual dashboard. This allows you to see the entire inventory. It is simple to track the status of orders in different warehouses or locations.
- Floor control for manufacturing: Th Katana software makes it easier to forecast and manage your manufacturing operations with a simplified view. It makes it easy to manage ERP (enterprise resources management), assign tasks to team members, and track project progress. It is possible to track how long people spend on particular tasks.
- Outsourcing manufacturing: If your products are not made in-house, Katana can be connected to your job shop so that you have full control over your manufacturing process. It is easy to manage raw materials, orders and manufacturing operations.
- Production planning There are many customization options that can make it easier for every company. Drag and drop priority items into place to manage manufacturing tasks. You can also track availability of critical materials. Real-time status updates allow you to identify delays and forecast completion dates.
- Inventory optimization Get end-to-end traceability using your MRP-system solution. You can track the expiry dates of items in multi-channel environments. You can manage multiple products and raw materials inventory from different warehouses.
- Fulfillment of sales orders: Make sure you keep your small business customers satisfied. Drag-and-drop priority customer orders and track product availability. You can also identify delivery issues quickly. It is possible to sync orders from multiple channels into one dashboard, and track each SKU.
- Shop floor management: Workshop users have the ability to create and remove shopfloor operators in minutes. They can also receive task information for incoming orders and re-assign work whenever they choose. You can track time and receive task status updates, as well as information about MO task and ingredients.
- Costing and purchasing: Enjoy on-time purchases that you can automate to meet your material needs. Track delays in your supply chain, and calculate manufacturing costs using product bills. You can also use the support to build product recipes for smart manufacturing budgeting strategies.
Katana integrates with many online services, allowing you to expand your small manufacturing business. Katana can be linked to everything, from Shopify and Xero. Integrations make it easier to track every invoice and work order.
Shopify Integration
Katana makes order fulfillment simple with its software. A brief video is available on the help centre guide. This gives an overview of the whole integration process. Katana connects to my Shopify store, and can handle orders professionally.
How do I create the configurations?
- Click on the “Integration” button in settings.
- The Shopify Logo will appear. Click “connect”
- Katana will require you to enter your Shopify store name.
- I have the option to select the information I want to link between the two platforms
Shopify Order Tracking
Katana lets me keep an eye on all orders through its ability to import are sales. I can also sync orders with both pending and paid status. All my products are displayed on the Items screen. This screen shows all variants that are similar to the ones I have in my Shopify shop.
Here’s the catch.
Katana is unique in its production management strategy. It lets me know whether a certain raw material is available. Merchants can then manufacture their products with complete confidence that everything is in order. You might be curious. What does it do for my manufacturing tasks?
Good question.
There are parts of work that take precedence over other manufacturing tasks in normal circumstances. The logic is quite simple. You could have a repeat customer who urgently needs the order. Katana’s dashboard allows me to drag and drop jobs that require immediate attention to the top.
It also accurately records all completion dates. A delayed delivery can lead to negative customer feedback. Its production scheduling is a great tool. It allows me to set flexible material supply times. This tool reduces the risk of delays that could ruin any logistics operations.
Its production status which auto-updates in-real-time is even more fascinating.
Shopify Inventory Tracking
Katana imports stock levels from Shopify and calculates the inventory. This software is a great tool for anyone who needs to be able to calculate exact numbers. The software allows for inventory control in an extremely complex way.
There are no more assumptions
All inventory transactions can be automated. A store owner can have a lot of problems if they don’t have enough data. While we all have had our fair share of setbacks, we still strive to achieve our business goals. Katana sees the positive side. All the activities are important to me.
Here’s an example.
I can determine the number of products that are available for shipment. I also get a better estimate of all the raw materials in stock. Katana’s dashboard shows all product variants I have in my Shopify shop. All product descriptions, sizes, and photos are included. All the materials I will need to create a product when an order is placed.
Literally speaking, it is a great experience to get such details. It will pay off over time. This allows the user to make informed decisions about manufacturing and order fulfillment. It is amazing to see how the order entry point creates a complete inventory count. Katana allows the user to delegate tasks to all employees, and records precise pricing for all production costs.
Katana Software Integrations
Shopify is a well-known integration option for Katana. However, it’s not all that great. Native integrations are also possible with WooCommerce, Xero and QuickBooks Online. Katana Software supports Zapier integrations and marketing connections to partners such as Arka and Packhelp.
Integration
The QuickBooks Katana integration automates accounting processes, so your orders can be synchronized automatically without the need for tedious manual data entry. You can track sales orders statuses in a visual grid and sync invoices. You can also convert your Katana purchase orders to QuickBooks bills with just one click.
Katana stores all customer and supplier information. Invoices and bills automatically transfer from Katana into QuickBooks. Once the tools are connected, you can create invoices and bills in Katana. They’ll then automatically update in your QuickBooks account.
Xero Integration
Katana’s Xero integration uses a similar approach as the Katana or QuickBooks solutions. Keep your orders synchronized across both systems to avoid inconsistencies in record keeping. Users can convert bills and purchase orders into invoices in Xero. You can also keep all of your contacts in sync.
When you connect Katana and Xero, any time you create an invoice in Katana or a bill in Xero it will automatically sync with your Xero account.
WooCommerce Integration
WooCommerce integration with Katana allows manufacturers to manage their company operations and inventory. You can also manage product recipes and make sure you get the right materials. You can easily avoid stock shortages by setting up alerts and managing changes in production requirements of your team members. You don’t have to worry about missing delivery deadlines.
WooCommerce and Katana allow you to sync products instantly between WooCommerce, Katana, and WooCommerce, ensuring that inventory levels are always correct. Automated order management is also available. The Katana module automatically imports sales orders from customers who make purchases in your store.
You can also set up alerts when you run out of stock or materials with the integration between WooCommerce and Katana.
Customer Support
Katana is always available to assist its users. If you have any questions, they have a live chat widget that can be accessed. You can also find tutorial videos in their help and support section that show how to use its features.
You might want to look at the Frequently Asked Questions guide. Their social media accounts provide quick feedback. Katana is very active on Facebook, LinkedIn and Instagram.
You will find a lot of useful content in the blog section.
Wrapping up
The right tools are crucial for any business, whether you’re selling physical products online, offering webinars to your customers or dealing with software sales.
It seems like Katana is breaking new ground in the ecommerce sector. It can handle all manufacturing processes, inventory, and Shopify integrations with great precision. Katana is worth a look by any serious retailer. It offers a free trial for all new users. Although it is not the best on the market, it does have all the essential features you would need.
