Workflow: Replenishment Alerts with Demand Forecasting (AI-powered)

1. User Benefits

This workflow predicts when each SKU will run out of stock and triggers smart replenishment alerts before it happens. Instead of reacting to out-of-stock situations, you receive clear, actionable warnings like: “Item X will be out of stock in 12 days.”

• Fewer stockouts and lost sales on marketplaces and shops
• Better purchasing decisions based on real demand forecasts
• Less manual monitoring of stock and sales reports
• Improved cashflow by avoiding overstock and dead stock
• Clear priorities: which products to reorder, when, and how many

Result: Stable availability of your bestsellers and fewer emergency orders.

2. How the Workflow Works

2.1 Data Collection

The workflow aggregates all relevant data per SKU:

• Sales history (daily/weekly units sold)
• Current stock levels per warehouse/location
• Incoming stock and open purchase orders (if available)
• Seasonality factors or campaigns (optional)
• Minimum stock levels or safety stock (if defined)

2.2 AI-Based Demand Forecasting

The AI calculates the expected future demand per SKU:

• Average daily sales and current trend (rising/falling/steady)
• Smoothed forecasts to avoid reacting to one-time spikes
• Optional: separate forecasts per marketplace or channel

On this basis, the system estimates the exact number of days until stockout. Example output: “Item X will be out of stock in 12 days.”

2.3 Replenishment Logic

Using the forecast, the workflow calculates recommended actions:

• When to reorder each SKU (e.g., 20 days before expected stockout)
• How many units to reorder (based on forecast and lead time)
• Which SKUs are critical (red), warning (yellow), or safe (green)

Reorder rules can be configured by:

• Supplier lead time
• Minimum order quantities
• ABC analysis (A/B/C products)

2.4 Alerts & Notifications

When a SKU approaches a critical threshold, the workflow sends alerts via:

• Email, Slack, Teams, or similar
• Daily or weekly replenishment reports (PDF/CSV)
• Dashboard views (e.g., Airtable/Sheets) with all critical SKUs

Example alert:

“Item X (SKU 12345): forecasted stockout in 12 days. Recommended reorder: 180 units.”

2.5 Export to Purchasing / ERP

Recommended reorder quantities can be:

• Written back into purchasing lists (Airtable, Google Sheets, ERP export)
• Provided as CSV for import into ERP or WMS
• Optionally used to prefill purchase order drafts

3. Time Savings for the User

Typical manual effort for stock monitoring and replenishment:

• Checking stock & sales per SKU: 1–3 minutes
• Estimating days until stockout: 1–2 minutes
• Creating reorder lists: 2–5 minutes (per supplier/group)

Total: easily 3–8 minutes per SKU per planning cycle

With this workflow:

• Effort per SKU: 0–1 minute (only reviewing alerts and approving reorders)

Typical weekly time savings:

• 100 active SKUs → approx. 5–10 hours saved
• 500 SKUs → approx. 25–40 hours saved
• 1,000+ SKUs → 50+ hours saved

Replenishment management shifts from reactive firefighting to proactive, data-driven planning with minimal manual effort.