News & Updates Archives - FAQ - Inventory Ahead

🚀 Big News from Inventory Ahead: No More Split FBA Shipments! 🚚

E. Mauas — Thu, 19 Oct 2023 14:39:38 +0000

Dear Thriving E-Commerce Entrepreneurs,

We hope this newsletter finds you thriving and full of energy! At Inventory Ahead, we’ve been hard at work to bring you an electrifying update that’s been on everyone’s wish list – the power to eliminate split FBA shipments!

Why is This a Game-Changer?

Split FBA shipments can be a colossal pain. They eat into your time, inflate your shipping bills, and leave customers scratching their heads as packages trickle in one by one. But guess what? Your days of split shipments are officially over, thanks to our revolutionary new feature!

Introducing the “Unite and Conquer” Feature

Unified Shipment Management: Picture this: With a few clicks, you can bundle your products, select shipping options, and make sure your entire inventory rides together on the same shipment. No more playing hide and seek with your products!

Real-Time Stock Vigilance: Our system’s got your back 24/7. Say goodbye to worrying about running out of stock in one place while it piles up in another. Keep your inventory intact, and your stress levels low!

Maximized Cost Efficiency: Who doesn’t love saving money? Bypassing split shipments means you’ll see substantial savings on shipping costs. It’s a win-win situation – faster deliveries at a lower cost!

Enhanced Customer Satisfaction: Happy customers equal more sales. With no more split shipments, you’re guaranteed to level up your customer satisfaction game. Imagine the positive reviews and repeat business that await!

How to Blaze Through with This Feature

Enabling the “Avoid Split Shipments” feature is as easy as a breeze on a summer day. Follow the steps outlined in this informative article to kickstart the process. Our user-friendly system will walk you through the entire process, ensuring you have an absolute blast.

Thank you for choosing Inventory Ahead as your trusted inventory management partner. We’re here to take your e-commerce journey to the stars and beyond. If you have any questions, ideas, or just want to share your excitement, reach out to our friendly support team.

Await more great features like these,

Zindy Feuerwerger
Founder & CEO
Inventory Ahead

P.S. Stay tuned for more electrifying updates and features. Coming Up: Ability to send Single SKU pallets on FBA shipments.

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How to Avoid the Splitting of FBA Shipments

E. Mauas — Thu, 19 Oct 2023 14:34:47 +0000

Have you ever found yourself frustrated with Amazon’s tendency to split your carefully planned FBA shipments, causing delays and extra expenses? We understand your pain, and that’s why we’re excited to introduce the “Re-Route” feature in Inventory Ahead, designed to put the control back in your hands and prevent those split shipments.

How Does the “Re-Route” Feature Work?

Let’s take a closer look at how this feature operates and how it empowers you to keep your shipments intact:

1. Accessing the “Re-Route” Option

The “Re-Route” option becomes available in the second step of the planning process, under the “Plan Status” of FBA shipments. This is where you have the chance to regain control over your FBA shipments.

Note: This option is only available for shipments selected to send by “individual” units.

2. Table Display

When you click on “Re-Route,” a table will appear, providing you with key information to make an informed decision. Here’s what you’ll find in this table:

SKU (Stock Keeping Unit): This column lists all the SKUs within your shipment.
Original Qty: The “Original Qty” column shows the quantity you initially set for each SKU when creating the shipment. This represents the quantity you intended to send to Amazon.
Split Qty: This column displays the quantity Amazon has suggested for each SKU, which is often the cause of the splitting issue.
Suggested Qty: The “Suggested Qty” column is where Inventory Ahead shines. We provide a new quantity suggestion based on a sophisticated calculation. This calculation is designed to outsmart Amazon’s system of splitting shipments by optimizing the quantity to maintain the shipment’s integrity.

3. “Retry with New Suggestion” Button

The real magic happens when you click on the “Retry with New Suggestion” button. This action prompts our system to reevaluate your shipment based on the suggested quantity. We recalculate and optimize the quantity to prevent the splitting of your shipment, ensuring that your products stay together during the fulfillment process.

Note: Once clicked on “Retry with New Suggestion”, give it a minute to load, and “View contents” for new results!

Ready to reclaim control over your FBA shipments? Try out the “Re-Route” feature today and experience the benefits for yourself!

Opting Out of Amazon’s Multiple Destinations Option

Another way to avoid split shipments is by opting out of Amazon’s Multiple Destinations program. This program offers discounts, but if you prefer not to participate, you can opt out by following these steps:

Send an email to fba-ops-mipo@amazon.com.
Include your merchant token in the body of the email.
Clearly state that you want to opt out of the Multiple Destinations program.

For more information on this option, you can refer to the following Help pages:

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How to Configure Your Vacation Settings

E. Mauas — Mon, 18 Sep 2023 16:56:45 +0000

Are you considering taking a well-deserved break or planning a vacation? Maybe you aim to enjoy your holiday without any interruptions. Follow these straightforward steps to activate the vacation mode for your inventory, ensuring a peaceful holiday period.

Here’s how to go about it:

Go to “Settings” > “Inventory Rules”.

On the next page, you can either modify an existing rule or create a new one.

To modify an existing rule, simply click on the rule name.
To add a new rule, click on “Add new rule” at the top right-hand corner of the page.

Now, you have three options to set up the vacation mode.

Option 1: Manual Inventory Setting

In the “Inventory” field, input the number “0” (or any number you desire).
Under the “Assign to” field, assign the rule to your desired store(s).

This number will remain static and this action will notify all your assigned channels that the stock in your local warehouse is at zero ensuring you won’t receive any orders during your vacation.

Option 2: Fulfillment Latency Setting – (Only works for Amazon stores).

Click on “Advanced options.”
Under “Fulfillment latency,” enter the number of days it will take you to fulfill your orders.
Under the “Assign to” field, assign the rule to your desired store(s).

With this setting enabled, your current inventory will be displayed on your channel, along with the specified fulfillment time.

Option 3: Restock Date Setting – (Only works for Amazon stores).

From your Inventory rule, click on “Advanced options.”
Under “Restock date,” enter the date when you will start shipping out the orders.
Under the “Assign to” field, assign the rule to your desired store(s).

With this setting enabled, your current inventory will be showcased on your channel, along with the expected restocking date.

Option 4: Release Date Setting – (Only works for Amazon stores).

From your Inventory rule, click on “Advanced options.”
Under “Release date,” enter the date when you will begin fulfilling orders.
Under the “Assign to” field, assign the rule to your desired store(s).

With this settings, you can can choose a date which will display on Amazon, of the time you will continue fulfilling orders.

This is what it will look like on Amazon:

Note: If you select both a Release Date and a Fulfillment Latency, the number of latency days will be added in addition to the release date.

Once you have configured all the necessary fields, click on the “Save rule” button, and you are now prepared for a relaxing vacation!

After your vacation, be sure to revisit and modify the rule to accurately reflect your warehouse’s current stock levels. This step is crucial to ensure that your inventory management remains up-to-date and aligned with your business operations.

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🎉 Exciting News: Introducing Inventory Ahead’s Enhanced Bulk Product and Inventory Uploads! 🚀

E. Mauas — Thu, 24 Aug 2023 14:26:13 +0000

Dear Valued Customers,

We are thrilled to announce a game-changing enhancement to Inventory Ahead – your trusted partner in seamless inventory management! Our dedicated team has been hard at work, listening to your feedback and innovating to bring you a more user-friendly and efficient experience.

Introducing the Bulk Product and Inventory Uploads Enhancement – a feature designed to make your inventory management tasks a breeze. Whether you’re an existing customer or a potential one, this update is set to revolutionize the way you handle your inventory.

What’s New:

Effortless Bulk Uploads: We understand that managing a large inventory can be time-consuming. With our new enhancement, you can now upload multiple products and update inventory quantities in one go! No more manual entries or tedious processes. Simply prepare your data in a compatible format, upload it, and watch as your inventory gets updated seamlessly.

User-Friendly Interface: Our updated interface is designed with you in mind. You don’t need to be a tech expert to navigate through the process. The intuitive design ensures that you can effortlessly manage your inventory uploads, saving you time and reducing the chances of errors.

Real-Time Validation: Worried about data accuracy? Our new feature includes real-time validation checks, alerting you to potential errors or inconsistencies in your data before finalizing the upload. This means fewer headaches caused by incorrect information and more confidence in your inventory management processes.

Data Security: We take data security seriously. Rest assured that your sensitive inventory data is protected throughout the upload process. Your trust in us is paramount, and we’ve implemented measures to ensure your information remains safe.

Seamless Integration: Our Bulk Product and Inventory Uploads Enhancement seamlessly integrates with your existing Inventory Ahead account. No need to learn a new platform or disrupt your workflow – it’s all there, ready to enhance your inventory management efficiency.

Getting Started:

For our existing customers, simply log in to your Inventory Ahead account and explore the new enhancement in the menu.

We’ve also attached sample template to remove the tedious step of creating headers and formatting the upload template, to help you make the most of this feature.

Our new feature includes real-time validation checks, alerting you to potential errors or inconsistencies in your data before finalizing the upload.

If you’re new to Inventory Ahead, there’s never been a better time to join our community. Say goodbye to inventory management headaches and hello to a streamlined, efficient process that empowers your business growth.

At Inventory Ahead, we’re committed to providing you with the tools you need to succeed. This enhancement is just one of the ways we’re working to make your experience exceptional.

Thank you for choosing Inventory Ahead as your inventory management solution. We’re excited to embark on this enhanced journey with you!

Best regards,
The Inventory Ahead Team

P.S. Have questions or need assistance? Our support team is here to help! Feel free to reach out via email Support@inventoryahead.com or our support portal. Let’s take your inventory management to the next level, together!

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What Can I do If Inventory Ahead Displays an Incorrect Image for One of my SKUs?

Zissy Schwartz — Mon, 07 Aug 2023 17:46:55 +0000

If an incorrect product image accidentally shows up in Inventory Ahead, fret no more! We have implemented a feature so that our users can update images themselves in a blink of any eye. As of now, a SKU must have an Amazon listing to allow users to update the product image on the front end. For SKUs that don’t have an Amazon listing, reach out to Inventory Ahead Support to get it updated for you. In the future, a feature will be added to allow updating images for other marketplaces as well.

Kindly head to the SKU, and klick on it to get to the Product Details page. Select the listings and hit ‘Actions’.

You’re all done! A success message will pop up on the bottom saying that the action was successful.

Clear cache, and the image should be updated.

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How to Set Up Favorite Settings

E. Mauas — Thu, 03 Aug 2023 21:23:25 +0000

To establish a global setting in your inventory management system, you’ll want to follow these steps, with a primary focus on your “Favorite Store” and the corresponding “Threshold Level.”

1. Access Inventory Rules

Begin by navigating to the ‘Settings’ section in your Inventory Ahead software. Here, you will find the ‘Inventory Rules’ option.

2. Define Your Favorite Settings

Within ‘Inventory Rules,’ locate the option to “Create Favorite Settings.” This step is pivotal for efficient global inventory management.

Select a “Favorite Store”: Here, you’ll choose a specific store as your “Favorite Store.” This designation means that all your inventory data will be reported for this particular store until it reaches zero stock.
Choose a “Threshold Level”: The “Threshold Level” signifies the stock quantity at which you want the last inventory report to be generated for all stores, except for your designated “favorite store.”

3. Apply Your Preferences

Now, it’s time to apply your chosen settings. You have two options:

“Apply to New Products”: Opt for this option if you want to apply these favorite settings to all items that currently lack specific settings. It streamlines the process for new additions to your inventory.
“Apply to All Products”: Choose this alternative if you wish to apply the favorite settings to all items, effectively overwriting any existing configurations.

4. Save Your Settings

Once you’ve made your selections, don’t forget to hit the “Save” button to ensure your preferences are securely stored.

5. Designate “Favorite Products”

To further refine your inventory management, you can assign specific products as “Favorite Products.” This is based on their order history and ensures a more accurate representation of your most crucial inventory items.

6. Assign and Review

By clicking the “Assign” button, you can effortlessly designate favorites to your products, prioritizing those with the highest order history. However, be cautious when using the “Reset & Assign” option, as it will overwrite your existing product favorites data.

These steps will empower you to create a robust global setting in your Inventory Ahead software, enhancing your inventory management capabilities and facilitating more informed decision-making.

How to override your global settings:

While global settings offer a streamlined approach to inventory management, there may be instances where you want to override these settings for specific items. Here’s how you can do that:

1. Access Product Details Page

To manually override global settings for individual items, begin by navigating to the product details page within your Inventory Ahead software.

2. Locate “Favorite Settings”

Scroll down to the bottom of the product details page. On the bottom left-hand corner, you’ll find the “Favorite Settings” section.

3. Edit Preferences

Within “Favorite Settings,” you can make the following adjustments:

Favorite Store: Choose your preferred store for this specific item.
Favorite Product Amongst All Subs: Select the specific product that stands out within its category or among similar items.
Threshold Amount: Define the threshold level for this particular item.

4. Save or Cancel

Once you’ve made your desired changes, you have two options:

Save: Click this button to confirm your modifications, ensuring that the customized settings take effect.
Close: If you decide not to proceed with the changes, simply click “Close” to cancel any adjustments.

Should you require further assistance or have any inquiries, our dedicated support team is readily available to address your questions, comments, and concerns.

Your inventory management experience is our priority!

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Mastering Multi-Marketplace Success: Introducing Inventory Ahead’s Seamless Inventory Management Solution

E. Mauas — Thu, 03 Aug 2023 21:21:38 +0000

Unlocking the Power of Seamless Inventory Management

Dear Valued Sellers,

Are you familiar with the nail-biting experience of managing multiple marketplaces while juggling limited inventory? We understand the challenges you face when striving to maintain stock levels across various platforms, ensuring that your valued customers never encounter the dreaded “out of stock” message. Inventory management nightmares can become a thing of the past with the revolutionary solution brought to you by Inventory Ahead.

Introducing Our Game-Changing Solution: Avoiding Overselling with Precision

Our cutting-edge technology is designed to alleviate your biggest fear – the fear of overselling on multiple marketplaces. Picture this scenario: your assortment is spread across different platforms, and orders are pouring in from all directions. But here’s the kicker – your warehouse is left with only a handful of items. How can you guarantee that every marketplace reflects accurate stock availability simultaneously? Enter Inventory Ahead, your ultimate safeguard against inventory woes.

Unveiling the Mechanics: How Inventory Ahead Works for You

Our innovative approach is composed of several strategic components that seamlessly harmonize to ensure your inventory remains perfectly aligned across your marketplaces:

Smart Product Selection: Our sophisticated system identifies the product that has garnered the highest sales over the past year. We fondly call this the ‘Favorite Listing.’

Strategic Store Preference: Your input matters. You have the freedom to choose your “favorite” store based on your unique preferences. Generally, this will be your top-performing store, but the choice is entirely yours.

Threshold Configuration: Set your inventory threshold, that magic number which, when reached, triggers your concern. This threshold represents the minimum stock level that raises the alarm.

Putting the Plan into Action: The Synchronized Inventory Dance

Let’s break it down further. Suppose your threshold is set at 5 units. Here’s how Inventory Ahead’s orchestrated dance of precision unfolds:

As your inventory dwindles to 5 units, our system springs into action.

5 units are promptly dispatched to your designated favorite store and favorite listing.

Simultaneously, all other stores and listings are seamlessly updated with a 0 inventory count.

Elevate Your Strategy: Embrace Peaceful Nights with Inventory Ahead

Don’t let inventory anxiety keep you awake at night. Embrace the power of Inventory Ahead’s ingenious feature and experience the tranquility that comes with knowing your inventory is effortlessly managed across every marketplace.

Ready to Dive In? Learn How to Harness This Breakthrough Feature!

Curious to learn how you can wield this remarkable tool to its full potential? We’ve prepared a comprehensive guide to help you seamlessly integrate and optimize this feature within your own account. Unlock the true potential of multi-marketplace selling and ensure your inventory worries become a thing of the past.

Click Here for a detailed breakdown of how to embrace this feature and take your inventory management to the next level.

At Inventory Ahead, we’re committed to empowering you with the tools you need for success in today’s competitive e-commerce landscape. Say goodbye to stockouts and overselling woes – say hello to efficiency, tranquility, and growth.

Sincerely,

The Inventory Ahead Team

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Store Warehouse Links

E. Mauas — Fri, 23 Jun 2023 14:31:31 +0000

Exciting news! We have introduced a new feature that allows you to map a warehouse from your merchant marketplace to an internal warehouse within Inventory Ahead.

The primary advantage of this new mapping feature is that Inventory Ahead automatically deducts inventory from your chosen warehouse when orders are received from merchant channels. This means that your inventory counts will be updated in real-time, providing you with an accurate representation of your available stock at any given moment.

To make use of this feature, follow these simple steps:

1- Navigate to the Settings menu and select Selling Channels.

2- Locate your merchant store within the list.

3- On the right-hand side, click on the three dots to access additional options.

4- Choose “Store Warehouse Links” from the dropdown menu.

Once you’ve reached this point, you’ll find the following options available to you:

Warehouses – Select the desired Inventory Ahead warehouse where all activities related to the mapped store will be recorded. This serves as the central hub for managing your inventory.

Store Locations – This option presents you with a list of your warehouses associated with the selected store. Here, you can select the specific local warehouse that corresponds to the mapped merchant warehouse.

Please note that with this feature, you have the ability to map multiple warehouses per store. However, it is important to keep in mind that you cannot map two identical local warehouses to a single marketplace warehouse. Each local warehouse should be uniquely mapped to a corresponding warehouse within the marketplace.

Currently, this feature is compatible with the following stores: Shopify, Overstock, and Wayfair. If your business operates on any of these platforms, you can take full advantage of this feature to streamline your inventory management workflow and maintain accurate stock levels across your various warehouses.

Take advantage of this exciting new feature today and unlock the potential for more efficient and streamlined inventory management in your business.

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You have SKUs that are not synching inventory correctly

E. Mauas — Tue, 30 May 2023 17:18:22 +0000

You may have observed an orange banner spanning across the Inventory Ahead platform, displaying the message: “You have x SKUs that are not syncing inventory correctly. Download Report.”

What this means, is that our system is currently reporting inventory for your merchant-fulfilled product(s) to your marketplace. However, the inventory data is being rejected as invalid due to one of three possible reasons.

Download the report to see a detailed breakdown of the reason, which is displayed in column ‘G’ in the CSV file:

Here’s what each of the reasons means:

UnknownMarketplaceInventory – This message can appear for various reasons. We recommend contacting us at Support@inventoryahead.com so that our team can investigate the issue and provide you with further information and assistance.
InventoryInOtherMarketplaceWarehouse – In Walmart or Shopify, you may have set up a secondary warehouse. Since our system can only report to one warehouse per marketplace. This can lead to conflicting data when we receive information from two warehouses.
SkusUploadingInventoryWithoutLinkRule – You may have had an inventory rule assigned to this product. However, if the rule was subsequently removed without being replaced, our system would be unable to determine the appropriate number to report.

Naturally, this report is intended for informational purposes, providing you with awareness of your inventory and how it is reported to your marketplace. Ideally, it is best to ensure that all products report accurate inventory to avoid any confusion, discrepancies, or overselling situations.

With that being said, here’s how you can effectively manage your inventory:

1. If you encounter any unknown reasons or issues regarding inventory, please get in touch with us so that we can provide guidance based on the information available in our records.

2. For secondary warehouses in Walmart or Shopify, it is recommended to either zero out the inventory in your secondary warehouse/facility or remove it entirely. This ensures that Inventory Ahead will report inventory only from your primary warehouse. If you need assistance in locating your secondary fulfillment center in Walmart, please refer to the provided article.

Where do I locate my secondary warehouse in Walmart?

3. Assign a valid inventory rule or set it to ‘Manual’ to ensure consistent reporting of inventory.

Please note: The orange banner will only disappear once all products have been addressed to report accurate inventory.

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What is NARF?

Zissy Schwartz — Thu, 30 Mar 2023 15:24:42 +0000

NARF, which stands for North American Remote Fulfillment program, provides several benefits to Amazon sellers. Here are some advantages of using NARF:

1. Expanded Market Reach: With NARF, sellers can display their inventory stored in U.S. warehouses on Amazon’s Canadian and Mexican marketplaces. This allows sellers to tap into a larger customer base without the need to ship and store inventory in those specific countries.

2. Centralized Inventory: Your U.S.-based inventory becomes a centralized cache. So if you have 300 units available in the U.S., those 300 units will automatically become available to customers using .ca and .mx.

3. Simplified SKU Management: NARF utilizes a single global SKU for your product, eliminating the need for different FNSKUs for each marketplace. This simplifies inventory management and reduces the complexity of creating multiple listings for the same product.

4. Cost Savings: The NARF program is an ideal way for Amazon eCommerce sellers based in North America to save money and reach more customers. NARF helps businesses experiment with global expansion without having to go beyond their existing operations.

How Do You Enroll in Amazon’s NARF Program?

To enroll in NARF visit this page (you must be logged into Seller Central).

From that link, registration is as simple as a couple of clicks of your mouse.

To view more information, click on the below link:

https://www.ecomcrew.com/what-is-amazons-narf-beta-program/

Happy Selling!

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