Track Stock Quantity and History per SKU

Maintaining optimal stock levels for each SKU (Stock Keeping Unit) is critical for preventing stockouts and avoiding excess inventory. PayHelm provides real-time inventory tracking and historical stock data to help you make informed purchasing and inventory management decisions.

Understanding SKU-Level Inventory Tracking

PayHelm automatically syncs inventory data from your ecommerce platform and provides both current stock levels and historical trends:

Current Stock Data:
• Quantity on hand for each SKU
• Available quantity (accounting for pending orders, if configured)
• Reserved quantity (items in open orders awaiting fulfillment)
• Multi-location inventory (if you have multiple warehouses or stores)
• Real-time updates based on orders and inventory adjustments

Historical Stock Data:
• Daily snapshots of inventory levels
• Stock movement transactions (sales, returns, adjustments, receipts)
• Reorder history and purchase order receipts
• Stockout events and duration
• Inventory velocity trends over time

Data syncs from your ecommerce platform every 1-4 hours, with most platforms providing real-time updates for critical inventory changes.

Viewing Current Stock Quantity by SKU

Method 1: Inventory Dashboard

For quick access to current stock levels:

1. Navigate to Inventory from the main navigation
2. You'll see a searchable list of all SKUs with current quantities
3. Use the search bar to find specific SKUs by:
- SKU code - Product name - Barcode/UPC - Category or tag
4. Click on any SKU to see detailed information:
- Current quantity across all locations - Last sync time - Stock status (In Stock, Low Stock, Out of Stock) - Reorder point and recommended quantity

Method 2: Inventory Reports

For analyzing multiple SKUs or bulk data:

Creating a Stock Quantity Report:
1. Go to Reports → Create New Report
2. Select "Inventory Levels" or "Stock Status" from templates
3. Choose metrics:
- Current Quantity - Available Quantity - Reserved Quantity - Days of Inventory Remaining - Stock Status
4. Apply filters:
- By category, brand, or supplier - By stock status (low stock, in stock, overstock) - By location (for multi-warehouse operations)
5. Sort by quantity (low to high) to prioritize reordering needs
6. Export or save for regular monitoring

Grouping Options:
• By Category: See stock levels aggregated by product category
• By Supplier: View all SKUs from a specific vendor
• By Location: Compare stock levels across warehouses

This helps identify patterns like "All SKUs from Supplier X are running low."

Viewing SKU Stock History

Method 1: Individual SKU History

To view historical stock changes for a specific SKU:

1. Navigate to Inventory and search for the SKU
2. Click on the SKU to open the detail view
3. Select the History or Stock Timeline tab
4. You'll see:
- Graph showing quantity over time - Transaction log of all stock changes - Dates and reasons for changes (sale, return, adjustment, receipt) - Running balance after each transaction
5. Use date filters to focus on specific time periods

This view is ideal for:
• Understanding why a SKU went out of stock
• Identifying seasonal patterns in individual product demand
• Auditing inventory discrepancies
• Planning reorder timing based on historical consumption

Method 2: Historical Inventory Reports

For analyzing stock trends across multiple SKUs:

Creating a Stock History Report:
1. Go to Reports → Create New Report
2. Select "Inventory History" or "Stock Movement" template
3. Set your date range (e.g., last 90 days)
4. Choose metrics:
- Opening Stock (beginning of period) - Closing Stock (end of period) - Stock Added (purchases, returns) - Stock Sold (units sold) - Stock Adjusted (manual adjustments) - Net Change
5. Group by SKU to see each product's stock journey
6. Add filters for specific categories, suppliers, or stock thresholds

Advanced Historical Analysis:
• Compare stock levels month-over-month
• Identify SKUs with frequent stockouts
• Find products with declining inventory velocity
• Spot unusual inventory adjustments that may indicate issues

Method 3: Stock Movement Transactions

For detailed audit trails:

1. Navigate to Reports → Stock Movements
2. This shows individual transactions affecting stock:
- Order fulfillment (decreases stock) - Product returns (increases stock) - Purchase order receipts (increases stock) - Manual adjustments (increases or decreases) - Inventory transfers between locations
3. Filter by:
- Specific SKU - Date range - Transaction type - Location
4. Use for investigating discrepancies or understanding stock changes

Using Stock Data for Reordering Decisions

Setting Up Stock Alerts

PayHelm can notify you when SKU quantities reach critical levels:

1. Go to Settings → Inventory Alerts
2. Set up rules:
- Low stock threshold (e.g., notify when quantity drops below 10 units) - Out of stock alerts (immediate notification) - Overstock alerts (quantity exceeds X days of supply)
3. Choose notification method (email, dashboard alert)
4. Apply rules globally or per SKU/category

This ensures you never miss reorder opportunities or stockout risks.

Analyzing Historical Demand for Reorder Quantities

Use stock history to calculate optimal reorder quantities:

1. View SKU stock history for the past 90 days
2. Calculate average daily sales: Total Units Sold ÷ 90 days
3. Determine lead time from your supplier (e.g., 14 days)
4. Calculate safety stock: (Average Daily Sales × Lead Time) × Safety Factor (typically 1.5-2.0)
5. Set reorder point: Safety Stock + (Average Daily Sales × Lead Time)
6. Set reorder quantity based on desired days of inventory

PayHelm can automate this:
• Navigate to Inventory → SKU Detail → Reorder Settings
• PayHelm suggests reorder points and quantities based on historical sales
• Review and approve or adjust recommendations
• Enable automatic reorder point alerts

Creating Custom Stock Metrics

For specialized inventory analysis:

1. Go to Settings → Custom Metrics
2. Create SKU-specific metrics:
- Stock Coverage Days = Current Quantity ÷ Average Daily Sales - Stockout Risk Score = Function of stock level, velocity, and lead time - Reorder Urgency = (Reorder Point - Current Quantity) ÷ Average Daily Sales - Stock Change Velocity = (Current Stock - Stock 30 Days Ago) ÷ 30
3. Use these metrics in reports to prioritize reordering and identify issues

Exporting Stock Data

Export to Google Sheets

For inventory planning and analysis:

1. Create your stock quantity or history report
2. Click Export → Google Sheets
3. Choose export type:
- Current snapshot (one-time stock levels) - Historical data (stock levels over time) - Stock movements (transaction log)
4. Select export frequency:
- One-time for ad-hoc analysis - Daily for monitoring active SKUs - Weekly for inventory planning meetings

Use exported data to:
• Create custom inventory forecasting models
• Share with purchasing teams
• Build reorder worksheets
• Analyze inventory trends in pivot tables

CSV Export

For importing into inventory management or ERP systems:

1. Export current stock levels or historical data as CSV
2. Import into systems like QuickBooks, NetSuite, or SAP
3. Use for inventory reconciliation and accounting

Multi-Location Inventory Tracking

For businesses with multiple warehouses or stores:

Viewing Stock by Location:
1. In Inventory reports, add "Location" as a grouping dimension
2. See each SKU's quantity at each location
3. Identify transfer opportunities (move from overstocked to low stock locations)
4. Track location-specific stock history

Location-Specific Historical Data:
• Filter stock history by location to see movement at individual warehouses
• Analyze which locations have higher velocity for specific SKUs
• Plan inventory distribution based on location-specific demand patterns

Understanding Data Accuracy

Data Sync:
• Stock quantities sync from your ecommerce platform every 1-4 hours
• Real-time platforms (Shopify, BigCommerce) typically update within minutes
• Manual inventory adjustments in your platform sync on the next update cycle

Historical Data Retention:
• Daily stock snapshots retained indefinitely
• Transaction-level details retained for 2 years minimum
• Older data may be aggregated for performance (daily → weekly → monthly)

Handling Discrepancies:
• If PayHelm stock doesn't match your platform, force a sync: Settings → Integrations → Sync Now
• Allow 5-10 minutes for full inventory resync
• Check that your ecommerce platform inventory is accurate first
• Review stock movement transactions to identify the source of discrepancies

Best Practices for SKU Stock Management

Regular Monitoring:
• Review low stock report daily to catch reorder needs
• Analyze stock history monthly to refine reorder points
• Set up automated alerts for critical SKUs
• Conduct physical inventory counts quarterly and reconcile with PayHelm data

Optimizing Stock Levels:
• Use historical sales data to set appropriate reorder points (not gut feel)
• Adjust safety stock for seasonal variations
• Identify and reduce slow-moving inventory using stock history
• Focus on high-value or fast-moving SKUs for tightest control

Preventing Stockouts:
• Monitor SKUs with declining stock and increasing sales velocity
• Set up escalating alerts (warning at 10 units, critical at 5 units)
• Review supplier lead times regularly and adjust reorder points
• Consider backup suppliers for critical SKUs with long lead times

Reducing Excess Inventory:
• Identify SKUs with increasing stock and flat or declining sales
• Use stock history to find products that haven't sold in 90+ days
• Create clearance strategies for overstock items
• Adjust future purchasing based on actual consumption patterns

Troubleshooting

If stock quantities aren't updating:
• Verify ecommerce integration is connected (Settings → Integrations)
• Check last sync time and force a manual sync if needed
• Ensure your ecommerce platform inventory is enabled and tracking stock
• Allow 1-4 hours for automatic sync, or use manual sync for immediate update

If stock history is incomplete:
• Historical data starts from when you connected PayHelm to your platform
• Prior history isn't available unless imported
• Check that inventory tracking was enabled in your platform during the historical period
• Some platforms have limited historical data availability

If SKUs are missing:
• Ensure products are published and active in your ecommerce platform
• Check that inventory tracking is enabled for the product
• Force a product resync from Settings → Integrations
• Verify SKU codes are properly assigned in your platform

Next Steps

Once you're tracking stock quantity and history effectively:
• Set up automated low stock alerts for all active SKUs
• Create weekly stock level reports for your purchasing team
• Build custom dashboards showing stock status, reorder needs, and overstock items
• Use historical patterns to forecast future inventory needs by SKU
• Implement data-driven reorder points based on actual sales velocity, not estimates