Inventory how-to

How to combine orders to hit a supplier minimum

Group several SKUs from the same supplier into one purchase order and add quantity across them until you reach the minimum.

Short answer: Group several SKUs from the same supplier into one purchase order and add quantity across them until you reach the minimum. Pull forward items that are close to their order-by date, rather than padding quantity on a single slow SKU.

Why minimums cause problems

A supplier minimum does not care about your forecast. If each SKU on its own only needs a small quantity, you end up either over-ordering one item or missing the minimum entirely. The fix is to treat the minimum as a property of the whole order, not of one SKU.

Pick the right SKUs to combine

Start with SKUs from the same supplier that are already close to their reorder point. Add quantity to those first, since you would be ordering them soon anyway. Only after that should you pull forward SKUs that still have weeks of stock left, and only in small amounts, so you don't end up overstocked on slow movers.

Order to cover, not just to hit the minimum

Once you have a combined quantity that clears the minimum, check it against a sensible days-of-cover target for each SKU. If the minimum pushes you well past that, it is often cheaper to accept some extra stock on fast movers than to dump all the surplus into one slow SKU.

Step by step

  1. List every SKU you buy from the supplier and its current days of stock.
  2. Sort by order-by date, soonest first.
  3. Add planned order quantities together until the combined total meets the supplier's case pack and minimum order requirements.
  4. If still short of the minimum, add quantity to the next SKUs in line, favoring ones with decent sell-through.
  5. Round each line to its case pack size.
  6. Recalculate days of stock per SKU after adding the extra quantity, so you know what you are carrying.
  7. Send the combined order as one purchase order to that supplier.

Worked example

Supplier X has a $500 minimum. SKU A needs 10 units at $20 each ($200), SKU B needs 8 units at $15 each ($120), both close to their order-by date. That totals $320, still short. SKU C has 5 weeks of stock left but comes in a case pack of 12 at $12 each ($144); adding one case brings the order to $464. Adding one more case pack of SKU A (10 more units, $200) would overshoot badly, so instead you round SKU B up to 12 units ($180), bringing the total to $524, which clears the minimum without heavy overstock on any one item.

How SteadyShelf helps

SteadyShelf already groups suggested quantities by supplier and applies each supplier's case packs and minimums when it drafts a purchase order, so it does most of this combining for you. It does not decide which slow SKU to pad for you based on margin or shelf space, that judgment call is still yours before you approve the draft.

$29/month flat, unlimited products and suppliers, 30-day free trial. Run the numbers now with the free reorder point calculator.

SteadyShelf is launching on the Shopify App Store. Join early access to get the install link first.

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FAQ

Does SteadyShelf automatically add extra SKUs to hit a minimum?

It suggests quantities per SKU based on forecast and rounds to case packs, then checks the combined order against the supplier's minimum. If the draft falls short, you choose which SKU to bump up before approving.

What if one supplier's minimum is much higher than what I normally order?

Order less often but in bigger batches from that supplier, and size your safety days and lead time settings around that lower order frequency so the reorder point still triggers in time.

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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