For veterinary practices, high-demand seasons—whether the busy Christmas holiday period, spring kitten and puppy influx, or seasonal wellness campaigns—can put immense pressure on your inventory management. Running out of critical supplies or overstocking products not only affects your bottom line but also impacts the client experience and team morale. The good news? With the right strategies, you can stay ahead, optimise stock levels, and keep both clients and staff happy.

Analyse Past Trends to Forecast Accurately

One of the most effective ways to prepare for a busy season is to review what’s happened before. Examine your sales, treatment volumes, and product usage from previous years.

Ask:

• Which vaccines, medications, or consumables sold out fastest?
• What items lingered on the shelves?
• Did any products have unexpected spikes or drops in demand?

By identifying these patterns, you can identify trends that inform your seasonal planning. For example, if flea and tick preventives always sell out in late spring, ordering slightly earlier than usual ensures you don’t disappoint clients. Using such historical insights allows you to forecast demand with confidence, reducing stress for both your team and your suppliers.

Modern practice management systems like Covetrus Ascend can simplify this process by providing automated sales and usage reports that highlight high-demand products and seasonal trends, saving your team valuable time during planning.

Establish a Tiered Stock System

Categorising products into tiers helps balance cash flow and availability:

• Essentials – Core medications, surgical consumables, and preventive care items. Maintain higher safety stock for these.
• Fast movers – Products with high turnover that can be ordered frequently (e.g., parasite preventives, ear cleaners).
• Nice-to-haves – Lower-priority or promotional items that can be ordered as needed.

A tiered system reduces the risk of stockouts and overstocking, creating a smoother, more predictable workflow.

Implement a Just-in-Time Ordering Strategy

It’s tempting to over-order before busy periods, but that often leads to expired stock and tied-up cash. A Just-in-Time approach—ordering smaller quantities more often—keeps inventory lean, minimises storage requirements, and maintains flexibility.

Key success factors:

• Reliable supplier relationships – Know delivery schedules and communicate your forecast needs.
• Accurate demand forecasting – Use data, not intuition, to plan.
• Structured ordering routines – Set clear ordering days and accountability.

When done well, JIT prevents cluttered shelves, minimises waste, and ensures vital products are always available. It also gives your team confidence that they can meet client needs without overstocking.

Leverage Technology for Real-Time Monitoring

Most practice management systems have stock-tracking tools, but many clinics don’t utilise them to their full capabilities. Start by cleaning up your database: merge duplicate entries, remove inactive items, and define minimum and maximum quantities. Then set up your system to:

• Track stock in real time
• Flag low inventory levels
• Generate re-order reminders
• Forecast future needs based on trends

Digital inventory systems reduce human error, save time, and empower your team to make informed decisions. With accurate, up-to-date information, staff can manage stock more effectively, identify potential shortages early, and maintain smooth operations—even during the busiest days.

The Ascend Extend mobile app makes this even easier, allowing your team to scan barcodes and update inventory on the spot during stocktake, improving accuracy and freeing up hours each week.

Use Point-of-Sale Scanners for Accuracy and Efficiency

Point-of-sale (POS) scanners are one of the simplest tools to tighten inventory control—and yet they’re often underused in veterinary practices. Scanning each item at the time of sale automatically deducts it from stock levels, giving you live visibility into what’s actually on the shelf.

Benefits include:

• Accurate stock data – Every sale is instantly recorded, reducing manual entry errors.
• Better forecasting – Sales trends become clearer when linked directly to inventory movement.
• Time savings – Staff spend less time counting and adjusting stock manually.
• Accountability – It’s easier to identify missing or misplaced items when POS and stock data don’t match.

To get the most from POS scanning, ensure all products are correctly barcoded in your software and staff consistently scan items for every sale and use. When combined with your practice management system, POS integration can become one of the most efficient, low-cost ways to manage inventory in real time.

Build Strong Supplier Relationships

A proactive relationship with your suppliers is invaluable during high-demand periods. Communicate your seasonal forecasts, establish priority shipping arrangements, and negotiate flexible order quantities. Reliable suppliers who understand your practice’s needs can help you navigate unexpected spikes in demand without stress. Strong supplier partnerships also provide access to expert advice, bulk discounts, and quicker resolution when urgent orders are required.

Conduct Regular Inventory Audits

Even with forecasting and technology, regular physical checks are essential. Schedule weekly or bi-weekly audits during high-demand periods to reconcile stock, identify discrepancies, and adjust orders as needed.

Regular audits can:

• Catch issues before they become crises
• Reinforce accountability among team members
• Keep data aligned with real stock levels

A well-audited inventory ensures your practice can meet client needs without interruptions. They maintain control and confidence, ensuring your shelves match your reports.

Digital stocktake tools, like those available in Covetrus Ascend and the Ascend Extend app, can make this process more efficient by recording counts directly from your device, ensuring accuracy and consistency across every location.

Introduce Regular Reporting

Inventory data is only useful if it’s reviewed consistently. Establish a simple reporting system that tracks the key numbers your team needs to stay in control of inventory management.

Consider including:

• Stock turnover rates – How quickly items are used or sold.
• Top 10 high-value or high-risk items – Products that significantly impact cash flow or patient care.
• Expired and slow-moving stock – Items that tie up money and shelf space.
• Monthly spending (COGS) vs. budget – Ensures purchasing decisions align with financial goals.

Share this report at management or team meetings so everyone understands what’s working and where adjustments are needed. Over time, these reports become powerful planning tools that highlight trends, expose hidden costs, and support smarter purchasing decisions.

Regular reporting keeps the focus on prevention, not reaction—helping your clinic maintain balance, control, and profitability throughout the year.

Train Your Whole Team

Your inventory management system is only as effective as the people using it. Ensure your whole team understands stock procedures, reporting requirements, and how to handle shortages. Engaged and informed staff are more likely to flag issues early, communicate with suppliers proactively, and help your practice stay ahead rather than reactively solving problems. Training staff also builds confidence and efficiency, creating a smoother workflow during high-demand periods.

High-demand seasons don’t have to be stressful or chaotic. With a little planning, smart systems, regular reporting and strong team awareness, your practice can operate efficiently and confidently. By analysing trends, organising stock strategically, leveraging technology, building strong supplier relationships, conducting audits, and training your team, you’ll set your clinic up for success. Effective inventory management doesn’t just protect your revenue—it strengthens client experience, team morale, and overall performance.

At Crampton Consulting Group (CCG), we specialise in helping veterinary practices optimise their operations, from inventory management to team performance. Our expert consultants can guide your practice through high-demand seasons, implementing strategies that save time, reduce stress, and improve profitability. Partner with CCG to ensure your practice is prepared, productive, and ready to deliver exceptional care no matter how busy the season gets.  Contact our team today to learn how CCG can support your practice with tailored training, consulting, and in-practice solutions that make a lasting impact.

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