Abstract
Background: Inventory management and selling price determination are critical in wholesale trading companies because inventory represents a substantial portion of working capital, while pricing decisions depend on accurate cost information. Previous studies have generally examined accounting information systems (AIS) for inventory management and selling price determination separately or within single-company case studies. This leaves a gap in empirical evidence integrating AIS-based inventory cycle efficiency with variable costing and selling price determination across comparable publicly listed wholesale companies.
Objective: This study examines how inventory AIS supports inventory cycle management and selling price determination through a variable costing approach, while identifying the relationship between inventory turnover and implicit mark-up.
Methods: A descriptive-comparative quantitative approach was applied to the audited financial statements of five companies listed on the Indonesia Stock Exchange UNTR, HEXA, KOBX, INTA, and AKRA over the 2022–2025 period. Financial data were standardized into millions of Indonesian rupiah and analyzed using inventory turnover (ITO), days inventory outstanding (DIO), gross profit margin (GPM), and implicit cost-plus mark-up.
Results: The findings reveal substantial differences in inventory efficiency and pricing patterns. AKRA recorded the highest inventory turnover, reaching 16.12 times in 2025, with the lowest mark-up of 9.78%, whereas KOBX recorded the lowest inventory turnover, at 1.02 times in 2023, and a substantially longer inventory age.
Conclusion: Reliable inventory AIS supports more accurate cost information, enabling companies to align selling prices and mark-up strategies with inventory behavior and business conditions.