Software built for the specific realities of tile retail — shade lots, dye lots, and customers who change the specification.
Shade-lot mismatches ruin tile projects. A generic stock system does not track them. IBIOS treats shade lots and dye lots as first-class data objects, with lot-level stock quantities and goods-in checked against the supplier order, so short or wrong deliveries show at goods-in. Coming soon: lot-level low-stock alerts.
Import your own tile and bathroom catalogue. Supplier quote PDF read into quote lines in about 60 seconds, then matched to your own products. Early access by waiting list.
What generic software misses about tile retail
If you have tried to run a tile business on a generic stock platform, you will have met the problem immediately: the product is one record, and the batch number is a note somewhere. When a customer returns six months later needing more tiles for an extension, you have no reliable way to know whether the right shade lot is still available.
Shade-lot and dye-lot mismatches are not edge cases. They are a regular, everyday risk that every tile merchant manages — or fails to manage. A customer with wall tiles from lot 3A and floor tiles from lot 3B has a floor that looks wrong under certain lighting. The SKU is technically identical. The tiles are not the same.
Then there is the supplier complexity. Multiple suppliers for the same brand. Different discount rates. Different lead times. Samples going out and sometimes not coming back. Surplus stock from cancelled orders that needs to be matched against future customers.
IBIOS was built inside a trade showroom because none of the available software handled this combination of requirements.
Where tile retail software usually falls short
✕Shade-lot mismatches caught too late
✓Lot-level stock tracking, with goods-in checked against the supplier order so short or wrong deliveries show before tiles leave your warehouse.
✕Different discount rates per supplier are a manual calculation
✓Multi-supplier, per-brand pricing held in IBIOS. Correct margin applied automatically on every quote.
✕Supplier quote PDFs are retyped line by line to turn them into a customer quote
✓AI document processing: IBIOS reads the PDF into quote lines in about 60 seconds, then matches them to your own products. Review flagged items, then send the quote.
✕Customer calls about delivery when you are serving someone in the showroom
✓Coming soon: the AI Receptionist will check the live supplier order and answer without interrupting you.
✕Surplus tiles from cancelled orders hard to match to future needs
✓Surplus stock logged with shade-lot reference and visible when quoting matching products.
Six capabilities built for tile showrooms
Not adapted from warehouse software designed for boxed goods. Built with tile-specific workflows at the core.
Shade and dye lot tracking
Every tile product holds multiple lots with individual stock quantities. Goods-in is checked against the supplier order, so short or wrong deliveries show at goods-in. Coming soon: lot-level low-stock alerts.
Multi-supplier pricing per brand
Your discount rate per brand per supplier is held separately. IBIOS applies the correct margin automatically when you build a quote. Import your own catalogue and add brands as needed.
Sample management
Track sample tiles out and in using the standard stock module. Coming soon: a dedicated sample loan workflow with customer links and return reminders.
Installation job linking
Every installation job is linked to the sale. Survey date, install date, fitter, supplier orders — all in one record. Supplier deliveries timed against the fitting date.
AI Receptionist for range enquiries (coming soon)
Coming soon: will answer calls about tile ranges, shade availability, and delivery status by querying your live inventory before responding — not a cached snapshot.
Deposit and balance payments
Pay-by-link sent on quote approval for the deposit. Balance link generated on completion. QR codes on printed documents for on-site payment collection.
Key numbers
Import
your own tile and bathroom catalogue
Per brand
supplier pricing and discount rates
~60 sec
supplier PDF to quote lines, before matching
Early access
join the waiting list
Buying guide
Choosing software for a tile showroom: batches, trade customers and the boxes in between
Written by the IBIOS team. IBIOS was built inside a working bathroom showroom in Northern Ireland, where it runs the business day to day. Last updated 17 October 2026.
How do you choose software for a tile showroom?
Choose by how the software treats a box of tiles. In a tile showroom the product code is only half the story: the batch it came from decides whether it can go on the same wall as the last delivery. Software that cannot hold that difference will let you down on the jobs that matter most.
- Batch-level stock. Quantities held per shade lot (batch), not just per product, so the person at the counter can see whether there is enough of one batch for the whole room.
- Reserving to the customer. Once a customer has paid a deposit, the batch they were shown should be set aside for them, not sold to the next tiler who walks in.
- Goods-in against the order. When a pallet arrives, check it against the supplier order and record the batch before it goes on the shelf.
- Trade and retail in one place. Tilers, builders and homeowners all buy from you. One customer record each, with their quotes, orders and payments.
- Supplier prices. Several suppliers, several brands, different terms. Quotes should start from supplier documents, not retyping.
- More than one stock location. Showroom, warehouse, sometimes a second branch. You need to know which batch is where.
Why does the batch matter more than the product code?
Two boxes with the same product code can differ in shade, and sometimes in size, depending on the production run. Customers rarely notice in the showroom and always notice on the wall. The fix is boring but effective: record the batch at goods-in, sell from one batch per job, and keep enough of that batch back for the customer who comes back for "just two more boxes".
IBIOS holds stock per shade lot and lets you reserve a batch to a job. That is live today and runs in a working showroom.
Can one system serve tilers at the counter and homeowners in the showroom?
It has to, because most tile businesses do both. The homeowner needs a quote, a deposit and a delivery or collection date. The tiler wants to know what is in stock and pay. Look for one customer record per buyer with every quote, order and payment against it.
Be clear about the counter itself. IBIOS handles quotes, orders, stock and payments by link today; a till-style counter sale (EPOS) and barcode scanning are coming soon, not live yet.
Returns: what the law says and what your policy says
Across the UK, including Northern Ireland, a sale made face to face in your showroom carries no legal right to change one’s mind; any "return unused boxes" policy is your own choice. Orders taken by phone, online or in the customer’s home generally carry a cancellation right under the Consumer Contracts Regulations, with exceptions such as goods made to the customer’s specification.
Whatever your policy, returned boxes should go back into stock against their original batch. A returned box with no batch recorded is a box you cannot safely sell again.
What about samples and coverage?
Many showrooms lend samples and lose a share of them. IBIOS has no separate sample-loan workflow; showrooms that use it track samples as ordinary stock items.
Working out how many boxes a room needs, with an allowance for cuts and breakages, is still done by your staff. An AI coverage calculator is coming soon and is not live yet.
Retail EPOS, merchant ERP, spreadsheet or IBIOS?
How the usual options tend to work out for a tile showroom that sells to both trade and retail customers.
| Option | Best for | Watch out for |
|---|---|---|
| Retail EPOS / till system | Fast counter sales of boxed stock and card payments. | Often one stock figure per product code, with the batch kept in a note or not at all. |
| Builders’ merchant ERP | Large multi-branch merchants with heavy counter and delivery volumes. | Usually priced and sized for much bigger operations; quoting a homeowner’s room can feel bolted on. |
| Spreadsheet and accounts package | Very small showrooms starting out. | Batch reservations live in someone’s head. It breaks the first time two people sell the same pallet. |
| IBIOS | Showrooms that quote rooms, take deposits, order from several suppliers and track shade lots. | Early access by waiting list. Counter sale (EPOS), barcode scanning and shelf-level locations are coming soon, not live yet. |
What you need in place before you switch
- A stock count that records the batch on every product you hold, not just the quantity.
- Your supplier price lists and your own catalogue as files.
- Your rule for how much spare you hold back per batch for repeat customers.
- Your returns policy in writing, so staff apply it the same way.
- A list of stock locations: showroom, warehouse, any second site.
What it costs
The expensive moment in a tile business is the re-tile: a wall finished in two batches, a customer who will not accept it, and labour you end up paying for twice. Weigh any software against how often that happens to you.
Founding prices for waiting-list members are explained on the pricing page. You can start with stock or quoting on its own and add other products later.
Last reviewed October 2026.
What people get wrong
- Recording the batch at sale instead of at goods-in, when it is too late to spot a mismatch.
- Selling the last boxes of a batch that a deposit-paying customer was promised.
- Putting returned boxes back on the shelf without their batch.
- Choosing a till system first and trying to make it quote whole rooms.
- Letting each salesperson keep their own supplier price list.
- Assuming every return is a legal right, or that none are; the answer depends on how the sale was made.
Related reading
- Stock control and shade lots
- Matching tile shade lots: a worked example
- Warehouse goods-in
- Quoting software buying guide
- VAT and deposit calculator
Tile showroom software FAQs
Can IBIOS track tile shade lots?
Yes. IBIOS holds stock per shade lot and lets you reserve a batch to a customer’s job.
Does IBIOS have a till for counter sales?
Not yet. Counter sale (EPOS) is coming soon; today you take payment by link and record deposits and balances against the order.
Can IBIOS hold stock in a showroom and a warehouse?
Yes. Stock can be held across more than one location; aisle, bay and shelf positions within a site are coming soon.
Can I quote from a supplier’s PDF?
Yes. IBIOS reads the supplier’s PDF into quote lines and matches them to your own products for you to check before sending.
Will IBIOS work out how many boxes a room needs?
Not yet. An AI coverage calculator is coming soon; until then your staff work out quantities as they do now.
How do I get IBIOS?
Join the waiting list. IBIOS is in early access and there is no free trial.
Want to check it against your own stock?
Bring a real job: a room, the batches you hold and the supplier quote. We will show you how it runs in IBIOS and tell you plainly what it does not do yet.
IBIOS Limited · company no. NI743167 · 10 Ballyclare Road, Doagh, Ballyclare BT39 0PE · Production is hosted in the UK.
Shade lots tracked. Dye lots flagged. Quotes without the retyping.
Early access by waiting list. Import your own catalogue. See IBIOS working with your supplier brands.