How to Set a Reorder Point for Shopify Stock

To set a reorder point for your Shopify stock, allow for sales while you wait for a delivery. Then include extra stock to cover delays or a busier stretch. Make that decision by variant, because sizes and colors can sell at different speeds.

Start with the variants whose stock will run out soonest. Check how quickly they sell, how long replenishment takes, and whether another delivery is already coming. Those checks help you decide whether to order now or investigate first.

What does a reorder point tell you?

A reorder point is the stock level that tells you to place the next supplier order. It gives the remaining inventory time to cover sales until the replacement arrives.

It answers when to buy. The quantity you buy is a separate decision, shaped by future demand, cash, storage space, and supplier minimums. Reaching the trigger does not mean you should buy that same quantity again.

Safety stock is the extra inventory you keep for uncertainty. It forms part of your reorder threshold, rather than replacing the stock needed for expected sales. A larger buffer can reduce the risk of a stockout, but it ties up cash and can leave unwanted stock.

Start with the variant that could run out first

Open Inventory Demand in By the Numbers and look at the variants you need to replenish. The report shows units selling per day per variant and how many days of stock are left.

Read those measures together. A variant selling quickly may have plenty of stock, while a slower seller may be close to empty. Days of stock gives you a common way to compare their urgency.

Next, compare that coverage with the time it takes your supplier to replenish the variant. If coverage is shorter than the wait, investigate immediately. If the two are close, a delay or stronger sales could leave you short.

Start with products whose absence would hurt the business most, then review less important items. This gives you a manageable buying list without treating a slow accessory like a core product.

Keep sizes and colors separate. A healthy total for a shirt can hide a shortage in its popular size. Consistent variant names and SKUs make these checks easier; see our SKU practices for inventory management.

Allow time for the stock to reach your shelves

Use the full wait from placing an order to having goods ready to sell. Supplier processing, production, shipping, receiving, and shelving can each add time. A dispatch promise is not the same as a delivery you can fulfill orders from.

Check recent deliveries against the supplier's estimate. If actual arrivals have been slower, use that experience when planning the next order. Ask whether the next shipment faces a different production schedule or shipping route.

Allow enough units for expected sales throughout that wait. Then include a separate buffer for the delays or demand changes you want to protect against. That combined quantity becomes the trigger you watch.

Choose the buffer around your product's risks. An important item with unreliable delivery may warrant more protection than a slow seller with a dependable local supplier. Short shelf life and limited storage can make extra inventory expensive.

If delays have forced you to buy emergency stock, use those experiences to judge how much protection you need. Avoid choosing the same buffer for unrelated products because it is convenient. Write down why you chose it, so the next review can test whether that reason still holds.

Walk through a reorder decision

Shopify's reorder point guide uses a chair example: five sell daily, delivery takes 35 days, and the buffer is 15 chairs.

During the delivery wait, expected sales would use 175 chairs. Including the buffer brings the reorder trigger to 190 chairs. Those figures illustrate the decision; they are not a recommended threshold for your store.

At that trigger, you would check incoming deliveries and outstanding customer commitments before placing another order. If no replacement stock is coming, the remaining chairs must cover the supplier wait and the buffer. If a confirmed delivery already covers the need, check its timing before duplicating that purchase.

The example also shows why the trigger needs updating. If the supplier starts taking longer, the same stock will have to last longer. If sales accelerate, those chairs will leave the shelves sooner.

The buffer gives you room for uncertainty. A longer delay or larger sales increase could still leave you short.

Check the forecast before choosing the order size

Use Inventory Forecast to look beyond the immediate shortage. It shows projected units for the next 30 and 90 days per variant, plus stock coverage. It also shows projected revenue for the next 90 days.

Focus on units when making the buying decision. Revenue can help you understand the commercial importance of a variant, but suppliers replenish physical goods. Compare the projected units with what you expect to have available.

Keep a separate record of confirmed incoming shipments and customer commitments when making that comparison. Check arrival dates as well as quantities: a large shipment arriving after a stockout will not cover the gap before it.

Before ordering, confirm these details:

Which variant needs replenishment, and why it needs attention now.
What stock is usable, what is committed, and what is already on order.
When the next delivery should be ready to sell.
Whether supplier minimums, case packs, cash, or storage constrain the order.

If you fulfill from several locations, check where the stock is needed. Stock elsewhere only helps if it can reach the selling location in time. Treat that as a separate operational check when reviewing the reports.

The product reporting page explains the available inventory reports. Use their demand and coverage figures as inputs to your buying decision, alongside the supplier information you maintain. Keep the order decision and supplier follow-up with the person responsible for buying.

Revisit the trigger when the business changes

Review the trigger after a change in sales pace, delivery time, or your planned selling activity. A threshold chosen during ordinary trading may be too low ahead of a promotion. One chosen during a sale may leave you overstocked afterward.

Look at why sales changed before extending that pace into the future. A temporary discount is different from sustained demand. For a seasonal product, compare the upcoming period with your seasonal inventory plan.

Be cautious with recent stockouts. Low sales while a variant was unavailable do not tell you how much customers wanted to buy. New variants also need closer judgment because their early sales may not represent an established pattern.

For broader planning, our Shopify sales forecasting guide covers the questions to ask before trusting a projection. For today's buying list, keep the decision concrete: identify the variant, check its coverage, confirm the supplier wait, and review incoming stock.

Record the reason for the order when you place it. At the next delivery, compare what happened with what you expected. Use that experience to adjust the supplier wait or buffer before the next reorder decision.

Keep reading

If you want the full picture on sales forecasting, start with how to forecast Shopify sales.

By the Numbers builds this into the dashboard. See sales forecasting.