Product availability and reservations for a shop
How the spare-parts approach would apply to a retail catalogue: answer availability questions, capture reservations, and pass the rest to staff.
The situation
A shop with a few branches sells mostly to customers who message first. Staff spend their time confirming whether an item is available, in which size or colour, and at which branch.
The catalogue changes often, so answers given from memory are sometimes wrong.
How the workflow would run
- 1
Customer asks about a product
They describe the item, size, colour or model in their own words.
- 2
Assistant checks the catalogue
It replies with the matching products, the price, and the branch that holds them.
- 3
Customer reserves or orders
They reply with the item and quantity. Stock is checked first.
- 4
Staff prepare it
The reservation appears on the dashboard for the branch to confirm.
What staff would see
- A list of reservations and orders with status.
- An inbox for customers who ask for a person.
- A product list they can edit or import from a spreadsheet.
What we need from you to set it up
- A product list with prices, variants, stock and branch.
- A business WhatsApp number.
- Shop policies for returns, delivery and payment.
Is this close to how your business works?
Tell us what your customers ask you most often. We will show you the working spare-parts system and explain what would change for you.