Many people who are thinking of purchasing sales management software are confused by the large number of types, such as cloud-based sales management software and on-premise sales management software (installed sales management software). Sales management software is a system for centrally managing transaction information for companies and other organizations, and its convenience differs depending on whether you use the cloud or on-premise.

Sales management software can be broadly divided into the following categories:

There are three types of sales management software.

Of these, the most popular at the moment is “cloud sales management software.”

Introducing cloud-based sales management software has many merits, such as being able to manage sales from anywhere and being able to easily add users. For example, if you can manage sales on the cloud and operate the sales management software while on a business trip or at a sales location, you will no longer have to go back to the office just to perform sales management tasks.

However, for those who use standalone sales management software or network sales management software, changing the sales management software they are currently using and migrating to cloud-based sales management software can be quite a challenge. Small and medium-sized enterprises and small business owners in particular may feel anxious and stressed about changing their current sales management software.

In fact, by using applippli Cloud, you can migrate to the cloud while continuing to use the licenses for installed sales management software, such as standalone sales management software and on-premise sales management software, that you currently handle.

In this article, we will explain what type of sales management software should be chosen for small and medium-sized enterprises and small business operators, disclosing the merits and demerits of each, and ultimately explaining the recommended sales management software.

Updated March 25, 2025 This article can be read in 5 minutes

Recommended sales management cloud services

This sales management cloud service does not provide cloud-based sales management software, but is a cloud service that converts on-premise products (package software, software, etc.) such as installed sales management software, accounting software, and payroll software into the cloud. Normally, when multiple people use on-premise software, a server is needed, but applippli Cloud replaces the server, thus there is no need to manage the server. In addition, various on-premise software can be migrated to the cloud, so you can migrate the software you are currently using to the cloud as it is. When sales management software is cloud-based from the start, it is often necessary to use accounting software and payroll software that are linked to the sales management software, but with this cloud service, such problems do not arise. You can migrate your current sales management software and accounting software to the cloud and work in a cloud environment. Cloud-based sales management software

1.What is sales management software?

Sales management software (sales management system) is a system for centrally managing transaction information (from orders to receipt of goods and shipping information, etc.) of companies and other organizations. Sales management software

specifically has the following functions:

What is sales management?

Sales management is the process of determining the 5W3H of “when, where, to whom, what, why, how, how much, and at what price” and managing the process until payment is collected (ensuring revenue and profits).

In the series of sales management steps from order receipt to delivery (shipping) and billing (collection), purchasing management, inventory management, and customer information are carried out.

Sales management is a management method that is particularly necessary in the distribution, wholesale, and retail industries.

2.The need for sales management software

We explained sales management software above, but if you don’t use sales management software, many people probably manage their sales using Excel.

It is possible to manage sales using Excel.

However, there are some issues and things to be aware of when using Excel for sales management.

We will explain these issues and points to be aware of below.

Why Excel management is no good

There are small and medium-sized businesses that use Excel for sales management, but the reasons why you shouldn’t use Excel for sales management are as follows.

Lack of safety

Using Excel for sales management has the advantage of reducing the cost of the sales management software, but it is dangerous to manage sales management information, which contains important personal information, on Excel, which anyone can easily use.

If information managed in Excel were to be leaked, it would cause huge losses.

Therefore, we think that sales management software should be used, even though it incurs costs.

It becomes personal

Basically, Excel is not run on the cloud, so it is managed by one person.

Therefore, the settings, character strings, and wording in Excel will be original. With such data, it becomes difficult to share information and handover becomes very difficult.

There is a risk that it will become too difficult to manage.

When you first start managing sales, you may be able to manage them using Excel since the number of transactions is small.

However, as the number of transactions increases, it will take a considerable amount of time to input and view information using Excel alone.

The possibility of input errors also increases, therefore if the number of transactions increases, we recommend introducing sales management software.

In this way, we explained that it is fine to manage sales using Excel while the number of transactions is small, but that if the number of transactions increases, you should purchase sales management software and manage your transactions using the sales management software.

So what are the merits of using sales management software?

Benefits of using sales management software

The merits of using sales management software are as follows.

Improved business efficiency through centralized management of information

As explained about sales management, sales management is a series of steps in sales management from order receipt to delivery (shipping) and billing (collection), and requires management of purchasing and inventory, as well as customer information.

Therefore, there are many things that must be managed in the course of business at any one time. Sales management software is what can centralize this much management information.

If you can manage all of this information together, it will lead to more efficient business operations.

Data becomes easier to view and analyze.

As we mentioned in the Excel section, one of the disemerits of using Excel for sales management is that it becomes dependent on a person.

However, by using sales management software, this problem of dependency on a person can be eliminated. Sales management software is also becoming more effective in performing data analysis.

By using neatly organized data and performing data analysis, it is possible to utilize it in marketing activities!

Cut costs and reduce errors by eliminating data entry

Using sales management software reduces the amount of data entry work that was previously done manually.

In addition, since input errors that come with manual data entry are also eliminated, the accuracy of the data can be improved.

Since data accuracy is also related to the trust between companies, sales management software that can handle data accurately plays an important role for companies.

3.Types of sales management software (cloud and on-premise)

There are two main types of sales management software.

They are cloud-based sales management software that runs on the cloud, and on-premise (non-cloud) sales management software that runs on a server or desktop

If we divide on-premise sales management software further, we can categorise it into standalone sales management software and network sales management software, which are explained in the image before the table of contents.

Related articles➤ Comparison of cloud and on-premise How to migrate on-premise to cloud

What is on-premise sales management software?

On-premise type (on-premise) sales management software refers to sales management software that is run by purchasing a package and installing it on a server or desktop.

Before cloud services became widely spread, the most commonly used sales management software was this on-premise type.

Merits of on-premise sales management software

The merits of on-premise sales management software are as follows:

You have the peace of mind of knowing that you have the products at hand

Unlike cloud-based software, on-premise sales management software cannot be used unless it is delivered to you.

Therefore, there is no need to worry about paying money and not actually being able to use it.

If you are unsure about the cloud, we recommend using on-premise sales management software, especially if it is your first time using sales management software.

Customizability

Unlike cloud-based software, on-premise sales management software runs on a company’s own servers or desktops

Therefore, it can be freely customized and linked to other products.

It can also be linked to systems other than the sales management software used within the company, so if you want to operate your company’s own sales management software, on-premise sales management software may be a good choice.

With applippli Cloud, you can put your customized sales management software, such as integrations, on the cloud! Click here for details ➤ applippli Cloud

Not dependent on communication environment

For better or worse, on-premise sales management software is based on running on a server or offline.

As a result, you can work with stable performance regardless of the internet environment.

What is cloud-based sales management software?

As the name suggests, cloud-based sales management software is sales management software that runs only on the cloud.

Because it runs on the cloud, there is no need to purchase a package, but it is common to sign a contract over the Internet and use the service.

Also read ➤ What is the cloud? The merits and demerits of using the cloud

Merits of cloud-based sales management software

The merits of using cloud-based sales management software are as follows.

Low initial costs

Cloud-based sales management software is basically charged on a monthly subscription basis.

This means that you can start using it at an affordable price, and that the initial costs are significantly cheaper than on-premise software.

It can be used anywhere

The biggest merit of the cloud is that it can be used anywhere there is an internet connection.

With on-premise sales management software, you can only work in a designated location (your office or your desk) unless you connect to a VPN, whereas with cloud-based sales management software you can use it on the go (at a cafe or at home) or at a client’s location (on a business trip or at a wholesale market, etc.).

Easy to operate

Cloud-based sales management software does not require a server because it can be operated as long as there is an internet connection.

As a result, the only thing the person using the sales management software needs to prepare is an internet connection and a computer device.

As long as the internet connection is in place, the provider of the cloud-based sales management software will prepare the service so that it can be used at any time, making operation of the sales management software very easy.

Which is better: cloud-based sales management software or on-premise sales management software?

So far, we have listed the merits of cloud-based sales management software and on-premise sales management software.

So which should you choose?

The bottom line is that it’s important to choose the one that’s right for your company.

So, we’ll use a table to explain what criteria you should use to make your choice.

[Comparison table] How to choose between cloud-based sales management software and on-premise sales management software

The criteria for choosing sales management software are as follows.

It is important to choose based on the above criteria.

4.3 Recommended Sales Management Software [For Small Businesses and SMEs]

1.Yayoi Hanbai (Yayoi Co., Ltd.)

[Features] Sales management software for small and medium-sized businesses ■ Easy… Product design that anyone can use. Yayoi’s cloud to streamline business operations (You cannot use the +cloud functions unless you subscribe to the secure maintenance support. The main functions of +cloud are smart evidence management, data backup service, etc. Yayoi products themselves cannot be handled on the cloud.) Click here to cloudify your sales management software ➤ applippli Cloud ■ Peace of mind… Thoroughly responds to legal and tax reforms. (Invoice system compatible) Peace of mind that you can use it forever. ■Dependable…You can ask questions and get advice, and consult with customer support about problems with operation or work. A versatile sales management software that is easy for anyone to use.

[Features] Sales management software for small and medium-sized businesses ■ Easy… Product design that anyone can use. Yayoi’s cloud to streamline business operations (You cannot use the +cloud functions unless you subscribe to the secure maintenance support. The main functions of +cloud are smart evidence management, data backup service, etc. Yayoi products themselves cannot be handled on the cloud.) Click here to cloudify your sales management software ➤ applippli Cloud ■ Peace of mind… Thoroughly responds to legal and tax reforms. (Invoice system compatible) Peace of mind that you can use it forever. ■Dependable…You can ask questions and get advice, and consult with customer support about problems with operation or work. A versatile sales management software that is easy for anyone to use.

2.Hanbai Oh (Sorimachi)

[Features] Sales management software for small and medium-sized businesses ■Ease of use… Sales management software that makes it simple to create and manage reports. High functionality + smooth operation makes it easy to create reports. ■Full of functions… Easy setup by answering questions. Switching from other companies’ products is also easy. ■Customer management/quotes… You can set up your own tabs. You can also create your own quotes. Click here for the Sales King homepage ➤ Hanbai oh Click here for Sales King’s cloud version ➤ applippli Cloud

[Features] Sales management software for small and medium-sized businesses ■Ease of use… Sales management software that makes it simple to create and manage reports. High functionality + smooth operation makes it easy to create reports. ■Full of functions… Easy setup by answering questions. Switching from other companies’ products is also easy. ■Customer management/quotes… You can set up your own tabs. You can also create your own quotes. Click here for the Sales King homepage ➤ Hanbai oh Click here for Sales King’s cloud version ➤ applippli Cloud

3.Akinai Bugyo (OBC)

[Features] Sales management software for small businesses ■Functions that even beginners can use…Intuitive input screen. Even those who have been managing sales by hand or using Excel can easily get started. ■Use only the functions you need…General sales management software allows you to centrally manage sales management, purchasing management, and inventory management, but the Kanjo-Bugyo series allows you to use Shohogyo (sales management) and Kura-Bugyo (purchasing management, inventory management) separately or together. ■ Document creation…You can intuitively create documents based on the data accumulated in Akinai Bugyo. Creating documents can be useful for marketing and business analysis. Click here for Akinai Bugyo’s page ➤ Akinai Bugyo

[Features] Sales management software for small businesses ■Functions that even beginners can use…Intuitive input screen. Even those who have been managing sales by hand or using Excel can easily get started. ■Use only the functions you need…General sales management software allows you to centrally manage sales management, purchasing management, and inventory management, but the Kanjo-Bugyo series allows you to use Shohogyo (sales management) and Kura-Bugyo (purchasing management, inventory management) separately or together. ■ Document creation…You can intuitively create documents based on the data accumulated in Akinai Bugyo. Creating documents can be useful for marketing and business analysis. Click here for Akinai Bugyo’s page ➤ Akinai Bugyo

Also, if you want to cloudify these sales management software, we recommend applippli Cloud!

5.Summary

Other useful information ➤ Resolving business problems