You can create a test purchase order (PO) right away, but you’ll need to complete some simple configuration to make full use of purchasing in Inventory Planner Essentials. Follow the steps below to get everything set up ready for you to start replenishing.
Your checklist to get started purchasing
1. Add vendors
When you create a vendor record, you can add their basic details like their address and currency. This are inherited by any POs raised for the vendor, so it’s good to have them in place first. You can also set a default lead time and days of stock based on how long it takes the vendor to ship orders and how often you want to place POs. Setting these fields will ensure Inventory Planner Essentials recommends purchasing the right amount at the right time.
2. Assign vendors to your variants
Once a vendor is created, the next step is to assign it to the variants you buy from them. Then you can set their unique attributes for each variant, such as the cost price and MOQ.
You can easily find any variants that don’t have a vendor assigned by using the Unknown vendor view in the Variants screen.
3. Update the information shown on the PO template
You can update the information on the PO template used when emailing a PO to a vendor in your account settings. Add your company’s billing and shipping address, upload your logo and configure your starting PO reference. Learn more about your account settings here.
The PO template also includes your vendor’s address, so make sure this is set in the vendor record.
Vendor management best practices for ongoing changes
You should keep your vendor and variant catalogs up to date to keep everything running smoothly.
For example, if your vendor’s lead time increases during a peak period or over holidays, you can update their default lead time then apply it to all their linked variants to ensure Inventory Planner suggests creating POs in in time. Learn how to apply a vendor's default attributes to associated variants here.
When you create a new product in Shopify, you’ll need to assign a vendor in Inventory Planner and set their cost price and MOQ. To make this easier, the Variants screen has a New variants view that shows all items that are in the draft or active status in Shopify but that haven’t yet been published.