Jewellery shop management software: running the whole shop in one place

What jewellery shop management software actually covers

Most shops start with a billing program and keep everything else in registers, Excel sheets and someone’s memory. The trouble starts when these don’t agree: the stock register says one thing, the galla says another, and nobody knows which customer still owes for last Diwali.

Shop management software puts the whole day in one place. A bill takes the piece out of stock, adds the old gold you took in, records cash and UPI, and updates what the customer owes. At night, the figures add up on their own, because they all came from the same bills.

People search for it under many names: software for jewellery shop, jewellery shop software, jewellery retail software India or a jewellery billing app. The name matters less than whether it handles the jobs below.

Morning to afternoon: rates, the counter and old gold

Morning rates. The day starts with the bhav. You set today’s gold and silver rates once, for each purity, and every new bill uses them. Check that an open estimate keeps the rate it was quoted at, so a customer who comes back after lunch isn’t surprised.

Counter billing. Scan the tag, and the piece is priced from weight, purity, making and stones, line by line. The customer sees how the price was reached, and the HUID goes on the bill.

Old gold on the same bill. Weigh the customer’s old gold, test the purity, and the software works out the fine weight, values it at your old-gold rate and takes it off the amount to pay. No second slip, no working on a calculator.

Estimates, orders and repairs. Many customers ask for a price before they decide. Estimates, returns, orders and repairs should sit on the same screen as the bill, so nothing is written twice. For a deeper look at the bill itself, read our billing software guide.

Customers, dues and schemes

Customer history and KYC. Search by name or mobile and see what a customer bought, the old gold they gave and what they still owe, before you quote. KYC documents should be stored privately, not lying in a drawer or a phone gallery.

Dues and WhatsApp reminders. Every unpaid bill in one list, oldest first, with part payments recorded. A polite WhatsApp reminder with the amount and bill date gets money back without an awkward phone call.

Credit limits. Set how much each customer can owe, and let the counter see a warning before a bill takes them over.

Schemes (kitty) and loyalty. Monthly gold schemes need each member’s payments tracked, reminders before each one is due and a clear record when the scheme is redeemed against a bill. Loyalty points and gift vouchers bring customers back for weddings and festivals.

Evening: the galla and the day-end hisaab

The worst part of many days is closing the galla. Cash in the drawer should match opening cash plus cash received, minus cash paid out and expenses. If the software keeps a cash book, it can show what should be in the drawer at any moment, so a gap is found the same evening, not at month end.

The day’s hisaab should be on one screen: sales, money received by cash, UPI and card, old gold taken in, and what is still owed on today’s bills. Some shop software also sends the owner these figures on WhatsApp every night, which helps when you aren’t at the shop.

Staff, discount limits and cost price

• Once more than one person works the counter, access matters. Look for these:
• Own login for each person, with a role such as owner, store manager, salesperson or accountant, so each sees only their part.
• A discount limit for each salesperson. A bigger discount waits for the owner’s yes, from a phone or computer.
• Cost price and margin hidden from anyone you choose. Salespeople sell at the tag price; you and your CA see the figures.
• A history of every change: who saved the rates, who changed a bill and who approved a discount, and when.
• Access turned off in one tap when someone leaves.

Karigars, branches and GST month-end

Karigar and job work. Know which piece or metal is with which karigar, and when it is due back. Bigger workshops also need production stages, karigar pay and wastage.

More than one branch. Each branch needs its own stock, bills, cash and staff, with transfers between branches recorded, and the owner able to see all of them.

GST month-end with the CA. Every bill should be a GST bill: 3% GST as CGST and SGST, or IGST for a customer in another state. At month end your munim or CA needs GSTR-1 and GSTR-3B figures and the HSN summary, with an Excel or Tally export. A separate read-only login for the CA saves the monthly pen drive. Stock and HUID are covered in our stock guide.

Phone or computer, cloud or desktop, Hindi or English

• Cloud software runs in the browser. You can check the day’s sales from your phone at home, and nothing needs installing. The catch is that it needs internet at the counter.
• Desktop software keeps records on the shop’s own computer and keeps working when the net is down. The catch is that you look after that computer and its backups yourself.
• Offline concerns are real. If your area loses internet often, ask any seller plainly what happens at the counter when the net goes, and don’t accept a vague answer.
• Language. If your staff are more at ease in Hindi, check that each person can pick their own language, not one setting for the whole shop.

Your data: safety, and taking it with you

Your bills, stock and customers are the shop’s memory. Before you choose, ask who can see your data, including the software company’s own support staff, and whether you’ll know when they do. Ask whether your data is kept separate from other shops’ and sent encrypted.

Most of all, ask how you leave. You should be able to export your records to Excel at any time, even after a trial ends or you stop paying. Software that holds your hisaab hostage is a bad deal at any price. If you’re comparing costs, our price guide explains what to look for.

Jewellery ERP software or simpler shop software: who needs which

• A single counter, owner-run: simple shop software is enough. Billing with old gold, stock, dues, the galla and GST figures cover the day.
• A family shop with a few staff: add staff logins, discount limits, hidden cost price, schemes and automatic reminders.
• Several branches, B2B or a workshop: this is where jewellery ERP software in India earns its place: branches with transfers, memo, trade accounts in cash and metal, purchase books, production and karigar pay.
• Watch out for buying too much. A full ERP your staff won’t use costs more than a simpler system they use every day. Start with what you need, and make sure you can grow into more later.

How CaratOS handles it

CaratOS is jewellery billing and shop management software made for Indian jewellers by Izara Gems Pvt. Ltd. It runs in the browser on a phone, tablet or computer, with nothing to install, and each person in the shop can use it in English or Hindi.

It covers the day described above: today’s rates, billing with old gold on the same bill, estimates, orders and repairs, stock with HUID, customer history with private KYC documents, dues with WhatsApp reminders, the cash book and the day’s hisaab, karigar jobs, and GST figures with a free read-only login for your CA. Roles, discount limits and hidden cost price are on Team and access; dues and the galla on Dues and money; schemes and loyalty on Customers and schemes. Growth adds 5 people, more than one branch, kitty schemes, automatic reminders and the nightly WhatsApp summary. CaratOS does not do girvi (gold loans) or RFID today.

CaratOS runs online today, so the counter needs internet. For shops that want their records on their own computer, CaratOS Desktop is coming soon; it isn’t out yet and there is no date. How CaratOS looks after your data, and how to export it, is on Your data. See all features, compare pricing, or book a demo.

Questions shop owners ask