Reorder point calculation: a configurable sales velocity window and your lead time
Restoc's reorder point engine takes two inputs: a configurable sales velocity window of 7, 14 or 30 days, and the lead time you enter for a SKU. This article shows you how to set both, and what the number it returns means.
Restoc is not open yet, so anything on this page about what it does is what it is being built to do.
What this article helps with
Use this when a SKU shows no reorder point yet, or when the point you see looks wrong for how that item actually sells.
The engine needs two things from you. First, a sales velocity window: 7, 14 or 30 days of sales history that Restoc averages into a daily sales rate. Second, a lead time in days for the SKU: how long it takes for stock to arrive once you place the order. From those it returns the stock level at which you should order again, so the item is covered for the whole wait.
Short window, bursty item, jumpy number. Long window, steady item, calmer number. You pick which trade-off you want.
Set a reorder point for a SKU
- Open Settings, then Reorder rules
This is the screen that holds your velocity window and the lead time for each tracked SKU. Restoc is a web app, so open it in a browser.
- Choose your sales velocity window
Pick 7, 14 or 30 days. Restoc averages sales over that window to get a daily rate per SKU. Anything other than those three values is refused with an error rather than saved.
- Enter the lead time for the SKU
A whole number of days from 1 to 365. Count the full wait: placing the order, the supplier making or picking it, transit, and getting it receivable in your store. Values outside that range are rejected with a clear message.
- Save the row
Once a SKU has a lead time and a velocity window, Restoc computes its reorder point and starts watching that SKU around the clock. That is the product doing its job on your own stock.
- Check the number on your dashboard
The dashboard shows current stock, days of inventory remaining and reorder status for each active SKU, so you can see straight away whether that item is above or below its point.
What the number means
The reorder point is a stock level, in units. It is your average daily sales across the chosen window, carried across the lead time you entered, so the SKU is covered until the replacement arrives.
Change either input and the point moves. Shorten the window on an item that just had a spike and the point rises. Cut a lead time after a supplier gets faster and it falls.
When a SKU crosses its reorder point, Restoc fires an alert by email, and by Slack webhook on Growth and Pro. The weekly reorder report then lists every SKU below its point with a suggested order quantity, viewable in the app and exportable as CSV, so you have one list to order from rather than a dashboard to interpret.
If the number still looks wrong
- A SKU shows no reorder point. Check it has a lead time saved. Without one, there is nothing to carry the sales rate across.
- The reorder point is zero. That is what the engine returns for a SKU with no sales in the selected window. It is a defined answer, not an error, and it will move as soon as sales land in the window.
- The point feels too jumpy. Try a 30 day window instead of 7 on items that sell in bursts, and compare what each returns before you settle.
Still not right? Email support@restocapp.com with the SKU and the lead time you entered and we will look at the inputs with you.
Questions
Which sales velocity window should I pick?
Restoc offers 7, 14 or 30 days. A 7 day window reacts fastest and suits steady sellers you restock often. A 30 day window smooths out items that sell in bursts, so one busy week does not push the reorder point up for everything. If you are unsure, start at 30 and shorten it where a SKU moves predictably.
Can different SKUs use different windows?
Yes, on Pro. Pro includes a per-SKU sales velocity window override, so a fast line can sit on 7 days while the rest of the catalogue stays on your store default. Starter and Growth use one window for the whole store.
What happens for a SKU with less sales history than the window?
The calculation is a tested pure function and it still returns a defined, non-negative number: it works with the days of history it has rather than failing. Expect the figure to shift as more of the window fills in.
What lead time values does Restoc accept?
A whole number of days from 1 to 365, checked on the server. If you send something outside that, the save is refused with a clear error instead of storing a value that would quietly skew the reorder point.
Do I need to recalculate after changing a lead time or window?
No. The reorder point is computed from your current inputs, so saving a new lead time or window is enough.
Where do I see the suggested order quantity?
On the weekly reorder report. It lists the SKUs sitting below their reorder point with a suggested quantity for each, in the app and as a CSV export you can send to a supplier or paste into a purchase order.