The differences between WMS and inventory management tools are nuanced, but important.
Inventory management software is primarily concerned with tracking the quantity and cost of inventory items to ensure stock levels are able to meet sales demands. This can include sourcing raw materials and tracking assembly, but it also involves sales forecasting and understanding seasonality and trends.
Warehouse management, on the other hand, is concerned with tracking and managing the operations of the warehouse that typically stores the inventory. It includes fulfillment tasks, like picking and packing, as well as how items are organized and stored.
It’s not uncommon for one software to provide both inventory and warehouse management functionality.