How-to guides
Inventory how-to guides
232 practical answers on forecasting, reordering, suppliers and purchase orders for Shopify store owners.
- How far ahead should you order for the holidays
- How many days of stock should you keep
- How much inventory should a new Shopify store buy
- How much inventory should you keep on hand
- How much safety stock should a small store keep
- How often should you count inventory
- How often should you reorder inventory
- How to account for growth in your forecast
- How to adjust a forecast after a viral spike
- How to adjust reorder points when sales change
- How to adjust safety stock for peak season
- How to audit your inventory
- How to avoid overstocking
- How to avoid stockouts
- How to build a reorder spreadsheet
- How to build a supplier scorecard
- How to build an inventory budget for the next quarter
- How to build an inventory dashboard
- How to buy inventory for a new collection
- How to calculate a reorder point for a new product with no sales history
- How to calculate average daily sales
- How to calculate carrying cost
- How to calculate cost of goods sold for a small store
- How to calculate days of inventory on hand
- How to calculate economic order quantity
- How to calculate GMROI
- How to calculate gross margin per product
- How to calculate how much cash is tied up in inventory
- How to calculate inventory turnover for your store
- How to calculate landed cost per unit
- How to calculate lead time demand
- How to calculate lost sales from stockouts
- How to calculate safety stock with variable demand
- How to calculate safety stock with variable lead times
- How to calculate sell through rate
- How to calculate stockout cost
- How to calculate weeks of supply
- How to cancel or change a purchase order
- How to choose a reorder frequency
- How to choose between air and ocean freight
- How to choose days of cover for each product
- How to choose inventory KPIs for a small store
- How to combine orders to hit a supplier minimum
- How to communicate with overseas suppliers
- How to create a reordering routine that takes 15 minutes a week
- How to decide between ordering more often or ordering more each time
- How to decide how much inventory to order the first time
- How to decide how much safety stock to keep
- How to decide how much to reorder each month
- How to decide if a bulk discount is worth it
- How to decide when to discontinue a product
- How to decide when to hire help for inventory
- How to decide which products to stock and which to dropship
- How to do a physical inventory count
- How to do ABC analysis on your products
- How to do cycle counts in a small store
- How to evaluate a new supplier
- How to exclude wholesale orders from your retail forecast
- How to finance inventory for a small store
- How to find products that are losing you money
- How to find your best selling products
- How to fix inaccurate inventory counts
- How to follow up on a late purchase order
- How to forecast demand for a new color or size
- How to forecast demand for a new variant of an existing product
- How to forecast demand for a product that keeps selling out
- How to forecast demand for a subscription product
- How to forecast demand for accessories that sell with a main product
- How to forecast demand for products with sizes and colors
- How to forecast demand for slow moving products
- How to forecast inventory for Black Friday and Cyber Monday
- How to forecast inventory for the holiday season
- How to forecast sales when a product was out of stock for weeks
- How to forecast when sales are falling
- How to forecast when your store is growing fast
- How to forecast without Stocky
- How to free up cash tied up in inventory
- How to get rid of dead stock
- How to handle a short shipment from a supplier
- How to handle a supplier price increase
- How to handle a supplier that ships late
- How to handle backorders when you run out
- How to handle carryover stock between seasons
- How to handle damaged goods from a supplier
- How to handle inventory shrinkage
- How to handle long lead time products
- How to handle one big order that skews your forecast
- How to handle partial deliveries
- How to handle supplier minimums when cash is short
- How to improve inventory turnover
- How to keep a purchase order history
- How to keep a supplier list organized
- How to keep inventory costs under control
- How to know if you're ordering too little
- How to know if you're ordering too much
- How to know when your inventory spreadsheet is no longer enough
- How to label shelves and bins
- How to lower freight costs per unit
- How to manage end of season inventory
- How to manage inventory as a one person Shopify store
- How to manage inventory for a product being replaced by a new version
- How to manage inventory for a Shopify store with 50 SKUs
- How to manage inventory for a store with two warehouses
- How to manage inventory for bundles and gift sets
- How to manage inventory for consignment products
- How to manage inventory for custom and personalized products
- How to manage inventory for fragile products
- How to manage inventory for gift cards and digital products
- How to manage inventory for limited edition products
- How to manage inventory for made to order products
- How to manage inventory for oversized products
- How to manage inventory for perishable products
- How to manage inventory for products with expiration dates
- How to manage inventory when you sell on Shopify and in person
- How to manage inventory with a 3PL
- How to manage multiple suppliers for the same product
- How to manage packaging and shipping supplies inventory
- How to manage returned inventory
- How to measure forecast accuracy
- How to measure supplier lead time variability
- How to move off inventory spreadsheets
- How to move supplier data out of Stocky
- How to name SKUs
- How to negotiate better payment terms with suppliers
- How to negotiate lower minimum order quantities
- How to negotiate price breaks with suppliers
- How to negotiate shorter lead times with suppliers
- How to number purchase orders
- How to order less often without running out
- How to order to case packs without overbuying
- How to organize a small stockroom
- How to organize variants for easier reordering
- How to place a small test order with a supplier
- How to plan an open to buy budget
- How to plan around tariff changes
- How to plan inventory around paid ads spend increases
- How to plan inventory for a bundle promotion
- How to plan inventory for a pop up shop or market
- How to plan inventory for a product feature in the press
- How to plan inventory for a product launch
- How to plan inventory for a restock drop
- How to plan inventory for a sale or promotion
- How to plan inventory for a store selling in multiple countries
- How to plan inventory for a store with lumpy demand
- How to plan inventory for a store with steady demand
- How to plan inventory for a trade show
- How to plan inventory for an email campaign
- How to plan inventory for back to school
- How to plan inventory for Christmas
- How to plan inventory for complementary products
- How to plan inventory for domestic suppliers
- How to plan inventory for Father's Day
- How to plan inventory for free gift with purchase offers
- How to plan inventory for Halloween
- How to plan inventory for handmade products
- How to plan inventory for influencer campaigns
- How to plan inventory for Mother's Day
- How to plan inventory for overseas manufacturing
- How to plan inventory for print on demand plus stocked items
- How to plan inventory for private label products
- How to plan inventory for products with unreliable suppliers
- How to plan inventory for samples
- How to plan inventory for subscription boxes
- How to plan inventory for summer products
- How to plan inventory for TikTok demand
- How to plan inventory for Valentine's Day
- How to plan inventory for wholesale orders on top of retail
- How to plan inventory purchases around cash flow
- How to plan inventory when freight times are unpredictable
- How to plan inventory when shipping times vary by region
- How to plan inventory when suppliers require deposits
- How to plan inventory when you dropship some products
- How to plan inventory when your supplier closes for Chinese New Year
- How to plan inventory with net 30 supplier terms
- How to plan safety stock for your top sellers
- How to plan size curves for apparel
- How to prevent overselling
- How to price clearance inventory
- How to prioritize which products to reorder first
- How to read an inventory aging report
- How to rebuild purchase orders after leaving Stocky
- How to receive inventory against a purchase order
- How to reconcile a supplier invoice with a purchase order
- How to recover from a stockout
- How to reduce inventory without losing sales
- How to reorder when cash is tight
- How to report on inventory to a business partner
- How to restock returns
- How to scale up orders after a successful test
- How to send purchase orders to suppliers
- How to set approval rules for purchase orders
- How to set low stock alerts that actually work
- How to set par levels for supplies
- How to set reorder points for seasonal products
- How to set up a backup supplier
- How to set up a weekly inventory review
- How to set up SKUs for a new store
- How to switch suppliers without running out
- How to take preorders while waiting for stock
- How to tell if a product is dead stock
- How to test demand before ordering inventory
- How to track open purchase orders
- How to track raw materials for products you make
- How to track supplier lead times
- How to train a team member to do reordering
- How to use min max inventory
- How to use moving averages to forecast sales
- How to use the two bin system in an online store
- How to use year over year data to forecast
- How to work with suppliers that require minimum order quantities
- How to write a purchase order
- What inventory reports a small store needs
- What to ask a new supplier before your first order
- What to do when a supplier misses a delivery date
- What to do when sales suddenly drop
- What to do when sales suddenly spike
- What to do when your best seller runs out
- What to do when your forecast is wrong
- What to do with excess inventory after the holidays
- What to include on a purchase order
- What to look for in inventory software for Shopify
- What to track in an inventory spreadsheet
- When should you place your holiday inventory order
- When should you reorder a product
- When should you use a 3PL
- Why inventory accuracy matters
- Why lead time matters more than you think
- Why safety stock is not wasted money
- Why simple forecasts often beat complex ones
- Why you have too much inventory
- Why you keep running out of stock
- Why your reorder points keep being wrong
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