Lots, expiry and serial numbers
Track batches and expiry dates, follow first-expired-first-out, and record serial numbers.
Please reach out to your account manager to enable Lots and expiry for your company.
Overview
Lot tracking records batches with manufacturing and expiry dates and ships the first to expire first. Serial tracking records each unit's serial number from receipt to the customer.
Why use it
- Sell perishable goods before they expire.
- Recall a batch and tell the customers who received it.
- Know which serial went to which customer.
Before you begin
- Lots and expiry is enabled for your company.
- Set tracking on each item before receiving it.
When you need it
Turn this on if any of these sound like your business. Your O2M account manager enables it for your company.
| If you… | Lots and expiry gives you |
|---|---|
| sell food, cosmetics or medicines | First expired, first out on every pick, and expired stock taken off sale on its own |
| sell on marketplaces with shelf-life rules | A minimum shelf life per channel, so short-dated lots never reach them |
| may have to recall a batch | A trace from the lot to every order and customer, and a recall e-mail in a few clicks |
| sell electronics | Serial numbers recorded from receipt to customer, and checked on returns |
Setting tracking
For goods with batches and expiry dates (food, cosmetics, medicines) or serial numbers (electronics), set the item's tracking on its item page: none, lot or serial, with an optional shelf life in days.
Lots
- Receiving: a lot-tracked item must name its lot on the goods receipt, with manufacturing and expiry dates (expiry is worked out from the shelf life when missing).
- First expired, first out: every movement takes units without a lot first, then the lot that expires first. Picklists name the lot to take.
- Expiry: each day, units of expired lots move to Quarantine, and a lot close to expiry raises an alert (30 days ahead by default).
- Minimum shelf life per channel: for example, Amazon may only receive lots with at least 90 days left. Short-dated lots are left out of that channel's number.
- Hold a lot: for a recall or a quality concern, its available units move to Quarantine. Release it if it is cleared.
- Trace: a lot's page shows where it is, which receipts brought it in, and which orders received it.
Recall notices
From a lot's page, Notify customers e-mails your own-store customers (Shopify, WooCommerce) who received that lot. Write the subject and message with placeholders for customer, order, product and lot, preview it and confirm. Marketplace orders are listed for download as CSV. Nobody is told twice unless you ask.
Serial numbers
- Serials can be listed when receiving goods.
- At the pack station, every unit of a serial-tracked item must be scanned, so you know which serial went to which customer.
- On a return the serial is checked: unknown, from another order, or already returned.
- Lots and expiry → Serials shows each serial's history.
Barcodes
Each item can have up to 20 barcodes. The scanner app and pack station read GS1-128 barcodes, taking product, lot, expiry and serial from one scan.