Get Started with Automatic Replenishment
Automatic replenishment in Quant are based on the principles of the Min/Max model. They support both fully automatic and semi-automatic modes. Automatic replenishment works with sales data which allows you to eliminate overstocks or understocks. At the same time, they are integrated with planograms, so they can also take into account spatial constraints. Thanks to this, they avoid exceeding the shelf capacity limit and instead increase the frequency of orders.
This manual describes these functions:
How do orders work?
For each combination of product, store and day, based on the defined criteria, we determine MIN orders (blue horizontal line in the order chart) and MAX orders (red horizontal line in the order chart). On the order day (green vertical line in the order chart) we decide if the product needs to be ordered. If, based on the sales forecast, the situation arises that by the time the next order is delivered the stock at the store would be below MIN, we decide to order. We order a volume such that there will be MAX volume in the store at the time the order is delivered.
Ordering Chart
Order status
- Draft - in this state, you can change the approved volume.
- Ordered - the order is considered as sent and you cannot change the approved volume in this state. The approved volume is counted as stock on the way for the next order.
- Delivered - the order is physically delivered to the store. The stock on the way is reduced by the approved volume in the respective order.
- Canceled - the order has been completely cancelled. The stock on the way is reduced by the approved volume in the respective order.
Basic settings for orders
Supplier Settings
As a first step, you need to specify the Supplier and assign individual products to each supplier based on the filled Supplier ID in the product attributes. In case you have only one supplier or you order through one central warehouse, you create one supplier for all products by leaving the Supplier ID blank.
Then, set up the suppliers for whom you would like to generate orders using the Automatic Replenishment checkbox. At the same time, set the days on which orders are to be generated in the Ordering Days row. To these, assign information about when the order will be delivered in the Lead Time row. In case you have different order days for the same supplier but different stores, set this in the Supplier Store Settings section.
For more information, see the Suppliers manual.
Category settings
In the Categories or Category Store Settings section, you can choose at which stores and for which categories to generate orders using the Automatic Replenishment and Automatic Replenishment Definition fields. You can also specify what the Min Days Reserves and Max Days Reserves should be for each category.
For more information, see the Categories in Automatic Replenishment manual.
Min/Max Settings
An essential part is the setting of minimum and maximum values. In Quant, it is set as:
Min and Max Days Reserve
- Indicates the number of days for which the supply should last.
- The advantage of this setting is that it calculates sales data and the calculated values are variable and can thus respond to changes in sales.
Min and Max Volumes
- Here you set the fixed values of Minimum and Maximum.
- These values are not based on sales.
Minimums and Maximums can be set for entire categories or for individual products. Quant also takes into account Minimums and Maximums obtained from planograms, thanks to which Automatic Replenishment also takes into account space constraints.
For more information, see the Min and Max Values manual.
Setting specific requirements for ordering volume
Orders can take into account a number of specific requirements for ordering volume, such as the ability to order only packs of a certain number of pieces (6-pack of bottles) or minimum ordering volume requirements. You can also set the Super Fresh flag on a product or category, where Automatic Replenishment does not take into account the stock of the product.
Product multiples
For more information, see the Specific Requirements on Ordering Volume manual.
Order Types Settings
The next step is to set the Order Types, where you can divide orders into groups. Here you can define, for example, which all products you want to be included in automatic orders such as Order Planogram Products Only. Define your ordering criteria such as Respect Max Planned Units from defined planograms, or Stock On The Way Strategy.
More information can be found in the Order Types manual.
MinMax Ordering Automatic Task Settings
The last step you need to do in Quant is to set up an automatic task based on which orders will be generated. You need to turn on the automatic task and set the time at which automatic orders should be created.
For more information, see the Automatic Order Tasks manual.
List of orders
In addition to the web, you can view the generated orders directly in Quant.
In the Orders section you will find two tables:
- The top table lists all orders sent for all stores.
- The bottom table shows the contents of the selected order from the top table. Here you will find a list of all products in the order, including information about the volume ordered.
The store can view their orders on the website in the Orders section. If the order is in Draft status, the approved volume can also be modified. If necessary, they can give feedback on why they modified the order in the Note column. The order and number of columns the store sees is fully customizable.
For general information about orders on the web, please refer to the manual Automatic Replenishment on Web. For a detailed description of setting up the appearance of automatic orders on the web, see the manual Automatic Replenishment Web Settings.
Automatic and semi-automatic mode
Once the order is generated, there are several ways how it can go.
- It can be displayed for the store on the web interface where the store has a chance to edit it, for example, within 2 hours before it is sent to the central warehouse. (so-called semi-automatic mode)
- It can be displayed to the store on the web interface without the possibility of editing or it doesn't have to be displayed at all. If there is a possibility of connection to your ERP, then the order is automatically sent. (so-called automatic mode)
The automatic and semi-automatic ordering mode is described in more detail in Automatic and Semi-automatic mode manual.
- The order can be approved in the system the store is used to working with. In that case, the order data exchange needs to be set up correctly.
The exchange of order data in the customer approval process is described in more detail in the manual Orders Data Exchange During Customer-side Approval.
- Quant automatically monitors when an order is delivered based on the delivery times set and changes its status accordingly. In case it is not possible to determine the exact delivery of the order in advance, it is possible to send this information to Quant for each order separately.
The exchange of order data for customer-side delivery management is described in more detail in the manual Order Data Exchange During Customer-side Delivery.
Order Export
The order can be delivered to the supplier or to the central warehouse in several ways:
- Via FTP server - the csv file with the orders is uploaded to the FTP server at a specified time via an automatic MinMAx Orders Confirmation task.
- Via REST API - orders can be exported based on your request via REST API using the automatic REST API export orders task.
- Via email - an approved order can be sent directly by Quant to various supplier email addresses as an xlsx or csv attachment, for example.
- Download from web portal - the store can download the order in a predefined format on the web and further process it themselves, for example upload it to the supplier's B2B portal.
Detailed settings of automatic tasks can be found in the section Data Integration of Automatic Replenishment.