Right dye lot. Right fitter. Right day.
IBIOS tracks dye lots and carpet batches from order to delivery, and links material arrival to the fitting appointment. Coming soon: AI answering of “has my flooring arrived?” calls without interrupting your team.
Why flooring retail has problems generic software cannot solve
Flooring retail has a shade-lot problem every bit as significant as tile retail. A carpet ordered in one dye lot delivered in another looks wrong in the room. A vinyl floor where the seam falls between two batches shows a visible line. The problem is only discovered after fitting, at which point the cost of replacement — and the damage to your reputation — is significant.
The other challenge is coordination. Fitting is scheduled independently from the order. The material supplier and the fitting team are different. Between ordering, delivery, and fitting, there are three separate dates that all have to align. When a delivery slips — which it does — the cascade of calls, reschedules, and customer apologies costs as much in time as it does in goodwill.
IBIOS tracks dye lots on every order and links material delivery to the fitting appointment. Coming soon: AI call answering for the enquiry volume that comes with a busy showroom.
Common problems. Specific solutions.
Dye-lot mismatches on carpet and vinyl deliveries
Batch and dye-lot tracking on every order line — IBIOS compares the incoming dye lot against the order at goods receipt and flags mismatches before fitting
Fitting date not linked to material delivery
Order Management links the delivery date to the fitting appointment, so you can see when a delivery slips past the fitting date. Late-delivery alerts are coming soon
Samples sent to customers with no tracking
Inventory Control tracks samples checked out to customers with expected return dates
“Has my flooring arrived?” calls interrupting the showroom
Coming soon: the AI Receptionist will check the job record and answer delivery status calls — without disturbing your team
Collecting deposit at order and balance on completion
Pay by Link — deposit link at quote acceptance, balance link at fitting completion, both reconciled to the job automatically
Quotes involving room measurements and wastage
Quote Studio stores room dimensions and calculates required quantities including your wastage allowance
Dye-lot
Tracking on every delivery
Soon
Coming soon: enquiry calls answered when you can’t
2
Payment links per job — deposit + balance
Built for how flooring retailers operate
Dye-lot tracking
Record the dye lot and batch on every carpet, vinyl, or LVT order line. IBIOS compares the received batch against the order at goods receipt.
Fitting appointment linking
Link the fitting date to the material supplier order, so you can see if a delivery is going to arrive after the fitting date. Late-delivery alerts are coming soon.
Room measurement storage
Store room dimensions on the quote. Calculate required quantities including wastage percentage automatically.
Sample tracking
Track sample boards checked out to customers — product, customer name, and expected return date — from Inventory Control.
AI Receptionist for flooring enquiries (coming soon)
Coming soon: will handle “has my flooring arrived?” and “when is my fitting?” calls by checking the live IBIOS job record, without interrupting your team.
Deposit and balance payments
Send a deposit link at quote stage and a balance link on fitting completion. Both reconcile to the job record; accounting sync is coming soon.
Buying guide
Choosing software for a flooring business: dye lots, measures and fitting days
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 18 October 2026.
How do you choose software for a flooring business?
Flooring is sold by area and supplied by the roll, the pack or the batch, then fitted on a day that depends on the room being ready. Choose software by how well it links the measure, the stock and the fitting date for each job.
- Measures and home visits. Home measures, showroom appointments and phone consultations in one diary.
- Batch and dye lot. Carpet, vinyl and wood from different production runs can differ in colour. Stock should be held per batch.
- Rolls, cuts and remnants. Ask any vendor exactly how they handle part-rolls and offcuts, because the answer varies a lot.
- Quotes from supplier prices. Supplier price lists and quotes turned into your quote lines without retyping.
- Deposits and balances. Deposit to order, balance on fitting, each with a reference against the job.
- Fitter scheduling. Fitters booked to rooms that are ready, with the right materials on the van.
Why does the dye lot matter?
Two rolls of the same carpet from different dye lots can look different side by side, and with wood and luxury vinyl the batch can affect shade too. If a customer’s stairs and landing come from different lots, you will hear about it.
IBIOS holds stock per shade lot, the same batch tracking that a tile showroom uses, and lets you reserve a batch to a job.
What about rolls, cuts and remnants?
This is where flooring differs most from other retail. A roll becomes a cut, a cut leaves a remnant, and the remnant is either sold or written off. Some specialist flooring systems track every cut length; many general systems only hold a quantity.
IBIOS tracks quantities and batches across more than one location. It does not claim to manage individual cut lengths on a roll, so if that is central to your business, ask us to show you how it would work before you decide.
How do you work out quantities?
Today your estimator measures and allows for pattern repeat, roll width and waste, as they always have. An AI coverage calculator is coming soon and is not live yet.
If you sell in the customer’s home, the Consumer Contracts Regulations generally give them a cancellation period, across the UK including Northern Ireland, though goods cut or made to the customer’s specification can be an exception. Make sure your quote terms say which applies.
Flooring retail system, EPOS, spreadsheet or IBIOS?
How the usual options tend to work out for a flooring retailer that measures and fits.
| Option | Best for | Watch out for |
|---|---|---|
| Specialist flooring retail system | Shops where roll and cut-length tracking is the heart of the business. | Check how well it handles bookings, deposits and supplier orders on the same job. |
| Retail EPOS / till system | Counter sales of packs and accessories. | A measured room with a deposit and a fitting date does not fit a till receipt. |
| Spreadsheet and diary | A small shop starting out. | Batches and remnants are remembered, not recorded. |
| IBIOS | Flooring businesses that measure, quote, take deposits, order from suppliers and track dye lots. | Early access by waiting list. Does not track individual cut lengths. Counter sale (EPOS), barcode scanning and the coverage calculator are coming soon, not live yet. |
What you need in place before you switch
- A stock count with the batch or dye lot recorded on every roll and pack.
- Your rules for remnants: what you keep, what you sell and what you write off.
- Supplier price lists and your own catalogue as files.
- Your measure sheet and your deposit terms.
- A list of fitters and the days they work.
What it costs
For flooring retailers the costly moments are a mismatched dye lot, a short measure that needs a second roll from a different batch, and a fitting day lost because the room was not ready. Compare software on which of those it helps you prevent.
Founding prices for waiting-list members are explained on the pricing page. You can start with stock, quoting or bookings on its own.
Last reviewed October 2026.
What people get wrong
- Recording the dye lot on the invoice but not on the stock.
- Ordering a top-up roll without checking it is the same batch.
- Assuming every system tracks cut lengths, without asking to see it.
- Booking fitters before confirming the room is ready.
- Not stating in the quote whether cut-to-size goods can be cancelled.
Related reading
- Stock control and shade lots
- Bookings and calendar
- Inventory control
- Stock-take best practices
- VAT and deposit calculator
Flooring business software FAQs
Can IBIOS track carpet and vinyl dye lots?
Yes. IBIOS holds stock per shade lot (batch) and lets you reserve a batch to a job.
Does IBIOS track cut lengths and remnants on a roll?
Not as individual cut lengths. IBIOS tracks quantities and batches, so ask us to show you how it would handle your rolls before deciding.
Will IBIOS calculate how much flooring a room needs?
Not yet. An AI coverage calculator is coming soon; until then your estimator works out quantities.
Can I book home measures in IBIOS?
Yes. Bookings cover home surveys, showroom visits and phone consultations in one diary. Walk-in bookings are coming soon.
Does IBIOS have a till for counter sales?
Not yet. Counter sale (EPOS) is coming soon; today customers can pay by link and deposits are recorded against the order.
How do I get IBIOS?
Join the waiting list. IBIOS is in early access and there is no free trial.
Rolls on the racks, fitters on the road?
Show us how a job runs, from the measure to the fitted floor. We will tell you where IBIOS fits and be plain about what it does not track.
IBIOS Limited · company no. NI743167 · 10 Ballyclare Road, Doagh, Ballyclare BT39 0PE · Production is hosted in the UK.
Right dye lot. Right fitter. Right day — every time.
IBIOS for UK flooring retailers: dye-lot tracking and fitting scheduling. Coming soon: an AI receptionist to answer enquiries when you can’t. Early access by waiting list.