Can AI build me a free inventory tracker?
Yes. For a small shop or home inventory, AI can set up a spreadsheet with formulas for stock levels, reorder alerts and value totals.
01Why bot
- Spreadsheet formulas are a strong AI use.
- Small inventories don't need a paid app.
- It gets harder with many users or locations.
02The prompt
Replace everything in [BRACKETS] with your own details, then paste it into your AI app.
You are a spreadsheet expert. What I track: [PRODUCTS OR ITEMS] Fields I need: [NAME, SKU, QUANTITY, COST, REORDER LEVEL] Tool: [GOOGLE SHEETS OR EXCEL] Your task: design the tracker. Rules: - MUST give exact columns and formulas for stock value, low-stock flag and totals. - MUST include one example row to test the formulas. - NEVER use add-ons or scripts unless I ask. Give me: the column list, the formulas with their cells, and setup steps.
03Steps
- List your items and fields.
- Run the prompt.
- Test with a few rows before entering everything.
04What can go wrong
- Back up the sheet.
- Several people editing at once can cause mistakes.
05What to use
06Our test runs
2 runs, each with a different made-up sample. 0 of 2 passed every check.
The made-up sample:
[PRODUCTS OR ITEMS]Office supplies – pens, notebooks, staplers, printer paper, and sticky notes.[NAME, SKU, QUANTITY, COST, REORDER LEVEL]Name, SKU, Quantity, Cost per Unit, Reorder Level[GOOGLE SHEETS OR EXCEL]Google Sheets
- Provide exact column list
- Give formulas for stock value, low‑stock flag and totals
- Include one example row
- Never use add‑ons or scripts
- Made up details we never gave it
Details it made up: “Pens”, “PEN-123”, “0.50”
What came back (excerpt):
Here's the design for your office supplies tracker: **Column List:** 1.
Read the full answer
Here's the design for your office supplies tracker: **Column List:** 1. **Name** (Column A) 2. **SKU** (Column B) 3. **Quantity** (Column C) 4. **Cost per Unit** (Column D) 5. **Reorder Level** (Column E) 6. **Stock Value** (Column F) 7. **Low-Stock Flag** (Column G) 8. **Total Stock Value** (Cell F9) **Formulas and Cells:** 1. **Stock Value** (Cell F2): `=C2*D2` (multiply Quantity by Cost per Unit) 2. **Low-Stock Flag** (Cell G2): `=IF(C2<=E2,"Low Stock","")` (check if Quantity is less than or equal to Reorder Level) 3. **Total Stock Value** (Cell F9): `=SUM(F2:F8)` (sum up all Stock Values) **Setup Steps:** 1. Open Google Sheets and create a new spreadsheet. 2. Set up the column headers in Row 1: * A1: Name * B1: SKU * C1: Quantity * D1: Cost per Unit * E1: Reorder Level * F1: Stock Value * G1: Low-Stock Flag 3. Enter an example row in Row 2: * A2: Pens * B2: PEN-123 * C2: 50 * D2: 0.50 * E2: 20 4. Enter the formulas: * F2: `=C2*D2` * G2: `=IF(C2<=E2,"Low Stock","")` 5. Copy the formulas down to Row 8 by selecting Cell F2, then pressing Ctrl+C (or Cmd+C on Mac), selecting Cells F3:F8, and pressing Ctrl+V (or Cmd+V on Mac). Repeat for Cell G2. 6. Enter the Total Stock Value formula in Cell F9: `=SUM(F2:F8)` **Example Row:** | Name | SKU | Quantity | Cost per Unit | Reorder Level | Stock Value | Low-Stock Flag | | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | | Pens | PEN-123 | 50 | 0.50 | 20 | 25.00 | | Note: The Stock Value for the example row is calculated as 50 (Quantity) x 0.50 (Cost per Unit) = 25.00. The Low-Stock Flag is blank because the Quantity (50) is greater than the Reorder Level (20).
Verify that all required formulas and the example row are present.
The made-up sample (a messier one):
[PRODUCTS OR ITEMS]hand‑crafted wooden toys, assorted puzzles, art supplies, and a few seasonal décor items (some items still pending SKU assignment)[NAME, SKU, QUANTITY, COST, REORDER LEVEL]Item Name, SKU (or code), Qty on Hand, Cost per unit, Reorder Threshold[GOOGLE SHEETS OR EXCEL]Google Sheets
- Provide exact columns and formulas for stock value, low‑stock flag and totals
- Include one example row to test the formulas
- Never use add‑ons or scripts unless asked
- Give column list, formulas with their cells, and setup steps
- Made up details we never gave it
Details it made up: “A2: Wooden Toy Car”, “B2: WTC-001”, “C2: 10”, “D2: 5.00”, “E2: 5”
What came back (excerpt):
Here's a design for your inventory tracker in Google Sheets: **Column List:** 1.
Read the full answer
Here's a design for your inventory tracker in Google Sheets: **Column List:** 1. **Item Name** (Column A) 2. **SKU (or code)** (Column B) 3. **Qty on Hand** (Column C) 4. **Cost per unit** (Column D) 5. **Reorder Threshold** (Column E) 6. **Stock Value** (Column F) 7. **Low-Stock Flag** (Column G) 8. **Total Stock Value** (Cell F1) **Formulas:** 1. **Stock Value** (Cell F2): `=C2*D2` (multiply quantity on hand by cost per unit) 2. **Low-Stock Flag** (Cell G2): `=IF(C2<=E2,"LOW","OK")` (check if quantity on hand is less than or equal to reorder threshold) 3. **Total Stock Value** (Cell F1): `=SUM(F2:F)` (sum up all stock values) **Setup Steps:** 1. Create a new Google Sheet. 2. Set up the column headers in Row 1: - A1: Item Name - B1: SKU (or code) - C1: Qty on Hand - D1: Cost per unit - E1: Reorder Threshold - F1: Total Stock Value (formula: `=SUM(F2:F)`) - G1: Low-Stock Flag - F1 will be used for the total, but we'll also use it for individual stock values, so we'll overwrite this later. 3. Enter an example item in Row 2: - A2: Wooden Toy Car - B2: WTC-001 - C2: 10 - D2: 5.00 - E2: 5 4. Enter the **Stock Value** formula in Cell F2: `=C2*D2` 5. Enter the **Low-Stock Flag** formula in Cell G2: `=IF(C2<=E2,"LOW","OK")` 6. To display the **Total Stock Value**, go back to Cell F1 and enter the formula: `=SUM(F2:F)` 7. Drag the formulas in Cells F2 and G2 down to apply them to subsequent rows as you add more items. **Example:** | Item Name | SKU (or code) | Qty on Hand | Cost per unit | Reorder Threshold | Stock Value | Low-Stock Flag | | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | | | | | | | Total Stock Value: |=SUM(F2:F)| | | | Wooden Toy Car | WTC-001 | 10 | 5.00 | 5 | =10*5 | =IF(10<=5,"LOW","OK") | This setup should give you a basic inventory tracker with the required fields and formulas. You can add more items and adjust the formulas as needed.
Watch for the extra total column that may confuse the layout.
How each run works: we fill the prompt with a made-up sample, run it once in Llama 3.3 70B, and GPT-OSS 120B grades the answer against the prompt's own rules. Word limits are counted by code, and every quote flagged as made up is checked against the full answer. Your results can differ. How we test.