Inventory glossary
What is Supplier onboarding?
Supplier onboarding is the process of setting up a new supplier so you can order from them reliably, including their contact details, pricing, lead times, minimum order quantities and payment terms.
For a small Shopify store, poor onboarding causes real problems later. If you do not record a supplier's lead time or case pack sizes up front, your purchase orders will be wrong and you will chase corrections by email every time you reorder.
Treat onboarding as a one-time setup cost. Get the supplier's full product list with SKUs, costs, minimum order quantities, lead time and shipping method in writing before you place the first order. Store this somewhere you can find it again, not just in an old email thread.
Example
You start sourcing candles from a new supplier. During onboarding you confirm their lead time is 15 days, their minimum order is 100 units, and they sell in case packs of 24. Six months later when you place a reorder, you already know to round your order up to 120 units instead of guessing or emailing to ask.
Common mistakes
- Not confirming case pack size or minimum order quantity before the first order, leading to rejected or delayed POs.
- Skipping written confirmation of lead time, so reorder timing is based on guesswork.
- Losing supplier details in email instead of keeping them in one place you can reference for every future order.
Supplier onboarding and SteadyShelf
Once a supplier is onboarded with its lead time and case pack size, SteadyShelf uses that information to calculate order-by dates and round suggested order quantities for every purchase order to that supplier.
SteadyShelf is launching on the Shopify App Store. Join early access to get the install link first.
Related terms
Lead time · Case pack · Minimum order quantity · Purchase order · Supplier
FAQ
What information should I collect when onboarding a new supplier?
Get their lead time, minimum order quantity, case pack or unit pack size, unit costs, payment terms and shipping method before placing your first order.
Does supplier onboarding happen every time I place an order?
No. It happens once when you start working with a new supplier. After that you just place regular purchase orders using the details you already confirmed.
Let SteadyShelf do this math for every SKU
Order-by dates per supplier, seasonal forecasts and draft POs for your Shopify store. $29/month after a 30-day free trial.
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