The Financial-Proxy Approach
Ezra Inventory tracks supply spend as a percentage of relevant revenue for each location and category. This spend-to-revenue ratio is benchmarked against trailing averages—configured for the window that makes sense for each operation (30-day, 60-day, 90-day). Deviations from the trailing average trigger exception flags automatically.
Why This Works Better Than Physical Counts Alone
Physical inventory counts require time, staff, and data entry—and they're frequently inaccurate. Financial controls are already happening: you're buying supply and generating revenue. Ezra reads the financial record of those two activities and flags when the ratio between them breaks pattern. No new data collection required.
Category-Specific Thresholds
Supply cost norms vary dramatically by category. Products have different margins than services. Consumables have different volatility than major supply items. Ezra's thresholds are operator-validated and category-specific, ensuring that exception flags reflect meaningful deviations rather than normal category variation.
Exception Reporting Across the Network
Ezra surfaces supply cost exceptions as a prioritized feed—the highest-deviation locations and categories first, with the supporting data visible immediately. No spreadsheet required to identify which location's supply spend is running 15% above its 60-day trailing average.
Supply Intelligence as Part of the Operating Layer
Supply cost intelligence is most actionable when connected to other operational data. A location whose supply spend is running above baseline coinciding with a loss prevention anomaly may have a different cause than one whose supply spend is above baseline during a period of unusually high revenue. Ezra connects both signals in one view.