Excel
Excel fits better when
Small, stable assortments with one planning owner, few data sources, and infrequent planning changes.
Operating-model comparison
VOIDS vs. Excel
Excel is often the right starting point for a small, stable assortment. VOIDS becomes relevant when data, markets, warehouses, campaigns, and purchase orders become too complex for one file to explain what should happen next.
Reviewed September 5, 2026Source-based comparison of official product information
The short decision
VOIDS
VOIDS fits better when
Growing consumer brands with many SKUs, channels, or warehouses, recurring reorders, and a need for traceable decisions instead of manual file maintenance.
VOIDS and Excel, compared directly
The comparison evaluates total effort, planning quality, ownership, and time to value rather than license cost alone.
| Criterion | VOIDS | Excel |
|---|---|---|
| Best starting point | Recurring planning across many SKUs, channels, markets, and warehouses | Manageable assortment, one accountable owner, and stable processes |
| Forecasting | SKU, channel, and market forecasts with seasonality, trends, and product life cycles | Fully flexible, but formulas, assumptions, and updates must be built and maintained internally |
| Outliers and stockouts | Stockout correction, events, campaigns, and launches as visible planning assumptions | Only as reliable as the corrections and documentation maintained by the team |
| Replenishment and POs | Prioritized reorders, MOQ logic, PO templates, status, and expected receipts | Reorder recommendations and PO tracking require custom models, exports, and handovers |
| Data and collaboration | Shopify, Amazon, and additional systems in a repeatable workflow with roles and alerts | Exports, versions, and file access must be coordinated with discipline |
| Cash flow and marketing | Inventory value, revenue risk, cash priority, and stock-aware Google Ads in the same model | Possible, but only through additional data models and manual updates |
| Dependency | Documented process, central data foundation, and ongoing guidance | High risk that logic and context remain tied to individual people |
Do not compare demos. Compare your decisions.We run the same SKUs, lead times, open POs, and campaign assumptions and show how reorder decisions, cash requirements, and team workload change.30 minutes, concrete data, and a candid fit assessment.
Book inventory auditWhat VOIDS covers in day-to-day operations
The comparison table shows the key differences. This is the complete capability set you can evaluate against your current process during a pilot.
Forecasting and demand
- Forecasts by SKU, channel, and market
- Historical stockout correction
- Seasonality, growth trends, and product life cycles
- Events, campaigns, and product launches
Inventory and warehouses
- Inventory coverage and inventory value
- Multi-warehouse planning and transfers
- Turnover, stockout rate, and slow movers
- Personalized dashboards and custom KPIs
Replenishment and purchasing
- Profitability-based reorder prioritization
- MOQ management at variant and product level
- Purchase orders, approvals, and expected receipts
- PO templates plus PDF and Excel exports
Suppliers and execution
- On-time, in-full, and OTIF analysis
- Lead-time consistency and quantity variance
- Custom PO labels, payment status, and notes
- Reorder, transfer, top-seller, and overstock alerts
Finance and commercial control
- Cash-flow and working-capital prioritization
- Revenue-loss and overstock impact in currency
- Revenue targets at shop and category level
- Demand shaping and stock-aware Google Ads control
Data, roles, and implementation
- Shopify, Amazon, and guided custom integrations
- Exports for forecasts and monthly inventory
- Roles and permissions for teams and external partners
- Personal onboarding, process design, and recurring check-ins
Software plus experts
A planning system is only as good as the decisions your team makes with it.
VOIDS combines the platform with data and model setup, process design, and recurring operational guidance. Founder Jannik Semmelhaack specializes in inventory planning, replenishment, and purchasing for ecommerce and consumer brands.
- More than 250 ecommerce operators work with VOIDS.
- Experience with ecommerce and consumer brands across DACH and increasingly the United States.
- Forecasting, finance, marketing, and purchasing are connected in one operating process.
Jannik SemmelhaackFounder & CEO of VOIDSWhat changes in practice
Excel is not automatically the wrong choice
Jannik Semmelhaack explicitly advises small teams to stay in Excel as long as it remains practical. The move is not justified by a newer interface, but when complexity, repetition, and error cost overtake manual planning.
From formula to operating decision
A spreadsheet can represent almost any calculation. VOIDS connects calculation, data refresh, prioritization, alerts, POs, and supplier status into a repeatable workflow more than one person can understand.
The relevant cost question
Do not compare license cost with license cost. Compare the total internal time spent on exports, maintenance, alignment, and debugging, plus the financial impact of late or incorrect orders.
Frequently asked questions
Primary evidence
Reviewed sources
The operating-model comparison is based on documented product capabilities, official help content, and the published VOIDS methodology.
Compare using your real data.A useful pilot uses the same SKUs, lead times, open POs, and campaign assumptions. We prepare that comparison with you.
Book inventory audit