Budget Hair Supply Chain
Real-time inventory and point-of-sale system — managed monthly by Lumis Studios.
2024
Overview
Budget Hair Supply Chain was built for a fast-moving hair and beauty supply business where stock accuracy is critical — a single oversell means a customer order can't be fulfilled. The platform gives every member of the team — from warehouse staff to sales reps — a live, accurate view of inventory. When stock moves, every connected device updates in under a second. The POS module handles retail transactions on the same system, eliminating the data gap between sales and inventory. The system is delivered as a monthly subscription: Lumis Studios manages hosting, monitors the platform, handles issues, and ships additional features as the business grows — so the client never has to think about the tech.
Our Role
Designed the database schema, built the Express.js API, implemented real-time Socket.io stock broadcasting, and developed the Nuxt 4 frontend including the POS and inventory management interfaces.
Tech Stack
Key Features
Real-time Stock Management
Every stock movement — sales, restocks, adjustments — is broadcast via Socket.io to all connected clients instantly. A warehouse worker updating stock in the back room and a sales rep at the counter see the same numbers at the same time.
Point of Sale
Integrated POS module handles retail transactions directly within the platform. Sales automatically deduct from inventory — no separate reconciliation step, no spreadsheet updates at end of day.
Stock History & Audit Trail
Every stock movement is logged with timestamp, quantity change, reason, and the user who made the change. Managers can trace any discrepancy back to its source without guesswork.
Low Stock & Out-of-Stock Alerts
Computed inventory states automatically flag items below the low-stock threshold and items at zero. Reorder alerts surface before stockouts happen, not after a customer tries to buy something unavailable.
Role-based Access
Admin users manage stock levels, prices, and users. Workers access the POS and view inventory but cannot modify master stock records. JWT authentication enforces role boundaries at the API level.
PWA for Mobile Workers
The app installs as a PWA on Android and iOS. Field sales reps can check stock availability from their phones without carrying a laptop. Network-first caching ensures data stays fresh even on intermittent connections.
Monthly Managed Service
The platform is delivered as a subscription. Lumis Studios handles hosting, uptime monitoring, bug fixes, and ongoing feature development — giving the business a dedicated tech team without the cost of hiring one.
How It Was Built
The backend is an Express.js API connected to MySQL with tables for products, stock levels, stock history, orders, and users. Socket.io runs on the same Express server and maintains a real-time channel for stock updates — when the database is modified, the server emits a broadcast to all connected clients. The frontend is built with Nuxt 4 (Vue 3) and Nuxt UI, using Pinia stores with a Socket.io state machine that tracks connection status, queues pending updates when offline, and flushes them when connectivity is restored. The stock store exposes computed getters for low-stock items (quantity < 5) and out-of-stock items (quantity = 0), giving the UI instant access to reorder-critical data. SweetAlert2 handles modal confirmations for destructive operations like stock adjustments.
Highlights
- Sub-second stock updates across all connected devices via Socket.io
- POS and inventory on the same platform — no reconciliation gap
- Full audit trail — every stock movement logged with user and timestamp
- Offline resilience — pending updates queued and flushed on reconnect
- Low-stock and out-of-stock computed states surfaced automatically
- Role-based access enforced at API level for admin vs worker permissions
- Monthly subscription model — Lumis Studios manages, monitors, and continuously improves the system
Build with us
Want something like this for your business?
We build web apps, mobile apps, and cloud infrastructure for African businesses.