Overview
Launching Inventory Planner
The Inventory Planner Launch Guide walks through setting up a new account, account settings, catalog maintenance, forecasting and replenishment, and other key details to help with gaining success with Inventory Planner.
This guide is more specialized, as it explains how Inventory Planner can be configured when connecting directly through an Inventory Management System. Both guides will be useful references throughout your Inventory Planner experience.
What if I have multiple connections?
This guide is focused on configuring Inventory Planner with a custom CSV connection. If/When you have multiple connections with Inventory Planner beyond a custom CSV connection, you can refer to the following specialized guides:
Configure Connection(s) and Warehouses
To sync products & stock information from a custom ERP, users can setup a custom connector using a CSV integration. This configuration requires 2-3 separate CSV files via public link (eg. Google Drive, Dropbox) to define products & stock, sales orders, and purchase orders (optional).
Note: It's recommended in this case to work with an external developer to extract data from your connection and update the required files automatically. From there, Inventory Planner syncs the data from the connection automatically or anytime a manual sync is initiated from the interface; as it would from a direct integration.
Only one warehouse can be supported at a time currently using a CSV integration. In order to configure multiple warehouses, multiple CSV connections are required. When you connect multiple CSV integrations with Inventory Planner, the warehouses appear as options you can enable/disable in Account > Settings > Connections & Warehouses. Only enable locations/warehouses that you need to evaluate independently for forecasting and replenishment planning purposes.
You can create a Combined Warehouse to aggregate sales (and/or stock) information from multiple warehouses into a single view - to generate forecasted needs and replenishment recommendations based on totaled data.
Note: you do not need to enable individual warehouses if it's sufficient to include them the combined warehouse configuration.
In this example, the sales are combined from all 3 warehouses, but the stock is only combined from the main "CSV" warehouse. With this configuration, sales orders are captured in the 'combined warehouse' view for forecasting and replenishment planning purposes, but the stock in "CSV 2" and "CSV 3" is irrelevant in this case since the sales are fulfilled from the "CSV" warehouse.
Note: if you have multiple connections and/or duplicative listings of the exact same Variant/SKU connected to Inventory Planner, it is important to combine Listings first in order to maintain accurate reports using a combined warehouse.
Forecasting, Replenishment, and Reporting
Here are some videos and resources that Amazon users can reference related to forecasting, replenishment, purchase orders, and reports in Inventory Planner.
Replenishment and Edit Forecast are the key areas of Inventory Planner to generate your forecast and replenishment recommendations. Use the Replenishment Report for Variant/SKU level forecasting and replenishment analysis, and to create Purchase Orders using replenishment recommendations. Replenishment is an output of your Forecast Method & Settings, Forecast Edits, and your planning period (lead time + days of stock).
The Edit Forecast section shows a monthly breakdown of forecasted sales. Select the date range in the top right for your Report, then click on Columns (using the gear icon in the top right) and Filters to see the information you need. Metrics are calculated at the Variant (SKU) level. Use the top left dropdown to aggregate reports and/or override forecasts in different dimensions (eg. by category, by vendor, etc).
Purchase Orders and Transfer Orders
There are 3 methods that can be used for generating and managing Purchase Orders and Transfers using a custom CSV connection. It's recommended to use approach "a" below or "b" - but not both. Approach "c" is not recommended, since it is manual and duplicative; which is prone to errors.
a) Generate POs within Inventory Planner and work with a 3rd party developer to access the POs from our Inventory Planner Public API. The API includes PO details and information about receiving, so you can generate POs in Inventory Planner then receive in your ERP to send the receiving information back to Inventory Planner.
b) Export replenishment recommendations from Inventory Planner, import them into your ERP, then send the POs back into Inventory Planner through the CSV Integration PO file. As POs are received/closed in your ERP with this scenario, your developer can update the information in the CSV PO file accordingly so we can sync from there.
c) NOT RECOMMENDED: Generate POs within Inventory Planner, then after receiving them into stock in your ERP - simultaneously close the POs in Inventory Planner to reduce the "on order" quantity (stock levels would update after the next sync based on the CSV connection).
Planning for Bundles and Assemblies (Pre-Kitted Goods) using an Custom CSV Integration
A Bundle can also be referred to as a kit, a virtual bundle, or a gift set. Bundles are simply different ways of selling the Variants - eg. 10 total shirts = (1) 10PK or (2) 5PK or (10) 1PK. In this case, all of the stock is tied together - and goods are bundled after the sale occurs when the customer order is fulfilled.
Inventory Planner considers the sales from Bundles in directly with the sales of components/variants when producing a forecast and replenishment recommendation at the Variant level.
Bundle relationships cannot be automated when using a custom CSV integration. These relationships should be configured directly within Inventory Planner.
An Assembly must be produced from components (variants) before it can be placed into stock and available for sale. These goods are pre-assembled before the sale and fulfillment of an item.
Assemblies include any produced goods with a bill-of-materials (BOM), and bundles/kits that must be produced before sending to Amazon (or a different fulfillment warehouse).
Planning for Assemblies should only take place in warehouses where there are forecasted sales and accurate stock levels. If components are stocked and/or assembled in a different facility from where customer orders are fulfilled, configuring a combined warehouse allows you to aggregate the stock and/or sales information from multiple warehouses into a single warehouse for Assemblies Replenishment planning.
Whether you create a new Purchase Order, Assembly Order, or Transfer Order using recommendations from a combined warehouse or an individual warehouse view, you can select the 'true' Destination Warehouse once the new order is created.
Replenishment for Assemblies
Understanding forecasting and How Replenishment is Calculated for any item is key to understanding replenishment recommendations for Assemblies & Variants (components). The Bundle and Assemblies article goes in depth in the "Forecasting & Replenishment for Assemblies" section.
In order to calculate Replenishment for Assemblies and generate a schedule, the planning period and cycle details must be defined:
Select "Assemblies" in the top left of Replenishment, then configure your Forecast Method, Forecast Edits (if applicable), Assembly Time, and Assembly Cycle.
Select "Variants" in the top left of Replenishment, then configure your Lead Time and Days of Stock for component Variants. Note: if components are sold separately on their own, configure forecast method and/or forecast edits at the Variant level as well.
Recommended Workflow for Inventory Management Integrations:
Create Assembly Orders (production orders) to create new assemblies from component stock. Receive the AO in Inventory Planner to close the "On Assembly" quantity once stock levels have been adjusted in your CSV Product File respectively.
Create Purchase Orders (POs) to purchase component Variants from Vendors. Receive the PO in Inventory Planner to close the "On Order" quantity once stock levels have been adjusted in your CSV Product File.
Developers can access PO information using the Inventory Planner Public API. The API includes PO details and information about receiving, so users can generate POs in Inventory Planner and receive in an external system. The same API can be used to send receiving information back to Inventory Planner.
Vendors and Vendor Attributes
Vendors and Vendor Attributes (eg. Cost Price, Vendor Reference) can be synced automatically to Inventory Planner from a CSV integration. Alternatively, they can be inputted (or uploaded directly) into Inventory Planner. Check the Integrations Page to see which attributes are supported for automation.
Additional Resources for Custom CSV Integration
Vendors / Set Variants with Vendors: configure Vendors, and associate Variants with Vendors in order to populate information on Purchase Orders automatically as they are created.
IP Warehouse: to track extra stock manually. IP Warehouses can be added with other warehouses as part of a combined warehouse configuration.
Combined Warehouse: to aggregate sales (and/or stock) information from multiple warehouses into a single view - to generate forecasted needs and replenishment recommendations based on totaled data.
Listings: connect multiple listings of the same exact Variant/SKU (if you have multiple connections, or duplicative listings within a single connection).
Compare Warehouse Report: compare metrics across multiple warehouses, and optionally generate warehouse transfer recommendations.
Explanations of metrics, columns/filters, or other features:
Visit the Integrations Page for a full list of details Inventory Planner syncs from every integration, or experiment with features anytime in the Inventory Planner Demo Store.
Feel free to contact Inventory Planner directly at [email protected] or to schedule a call to review any other questions.