The Inventory Forecasting Report helps sellers that are using ConnectStock accurately predict their inventory needs and make informed replenishment or purchasing decisions.
You can access this report by going to:
Reports > Inventory > Inventory Forecasting Report
Note: This report is not live. It updates automatically once per day, and the date and time in the top right show when the data was last refreshed. If you make changes that affect the report, like changing velocity or adding bills or purchase orders, click Recalculate. This starts a recalculation process that can take a few minutes, after which the report will refresh with the updated data.
1. Overview of Key Settings
Item-Level Purchasing Settings
Each item has its own purchasing and velocity settings, including:
Lead Time: Days from placing a purchase order to when it arrives.
Inventory Buffer: How many days of stock you want to keep on hand.
Reorder Frequency: How many days of inventory each reorder should cover.
Velocity Settings: Defines the historical sales period used to calculate future demand (e.g., last 30, 60, 90 days), with customizable weight distribution. For example: 40% weight from the last 7 days, 30% from the last 90 days, 30% from the last 180 days.
Override Velocity: You can manually set a fixed daily velocity for any item. This is especially helpful for new items or products with no sales history.
2. How to Configure Purchasing Settings
You can apply or update these settings in three ways:
On the Inventory Forecasting Report, by clicking on the velocity number.
On the ConnectStock items page click on the item, and navigate to the the "Purchasing" section.
In Bulk - On the ConnectStock items page click export, select purchasing settings, then import via the Items page.
3. Default Settings for New Accounts and New Items
When a new account is created, it starts with these default purchasing settings:
Lead Time: 30 days
Reorder Frequency: 30 days
Inventory Buffer: 30 days
This default setting will apply for all new items you create, unless you change the default by going to:
Stores & Files> Files > File Settings
Navigating to the Inventory Forecasting Report Settings
Setting the desired values for new items
4. How the Forecasting Logic Works
The report uses a combination of your inputs to determine when and how much to reorder:
Sales Velocity – Based on past sales or manual override.
Lead Time – Ensures reorders arrive before inventory runs out.
Inventory Buffer – Checks how much you want to keep on hand.
Reorder Frequency – Determines how long each reorder should last.
Note: If the system predicts a stockout before the next Purchase Order expected delivery, it will recommend placing a purchase order immediately.
5. Report Customization Options
You can customize the report display by:
Including or excluding items with zero reorder quantity.
Using visual indicators:
Reorder dates within 7 days appear in red.
Days of Stock Left under 7 days also show in red.
6. Understanding the Report Columns
Here are the main data points shown in the report:
Reorder Quantity: Number of units to order.
Reorder Date: When to place the next order.
Sales Velocity: Clickable average daily sales figure.
Total Inventory: Available Inventory + In transit.
Available Inventory: Physically in stock now and available to sell.
In Transit: Inventory currently in an In Transit Type warehouse, like Inbound to FBA.
Reserved: Units allocated to unshipped orders.
Incoming: Quantity expected from open purchase orders (clickable).
Days of Stock Left: Based on current available inventory and sales velocity, this does not include incoming Purchase orders.
The system takes the ETA of each purchase order into account. If you're projected to run low on inventory by your lead time, and the ETA of an existing PO is later than that lead time, the system will recommend placing a new purchase order now.
7. Important Clarifications
This is not an FBA restock report.
It is designed specifically as a replenishment and purchasing report.
For sellers using multiple warehouses or operating across regions:
The report supports regional forecasts.
You can configure non-sharing warehouses for independent calculations.
Advanced Configuration Options
The Inventory Forecasting Report includes advanced settings that allow sellers to fine-tune how inventory is managed across multiple warehouses and regions. These options are ideal for more complex fulfillment setups.
1. Non-Sharing Warehouses
By default, all warehouses share inventory. However, some sellers have dedicated warehouses—like safety stock locations or isolated regional facilities—where inventory should not be commingled.
What it does:
When a warehouse is set as non-sharing, its inventory will not be considered when calculating the needs of other warehouses.
Example:
If Warehouse 1 is non-sharing and Warehouse 2 is running low, the system will recommend a reorder for Warehouse 2—even if Warehouse 1 has plenty of inventory.
How to enable:
Go to the ConnectStock - Lists - Warehouses page.
Open the specific warehouse, Warehouse Settings
Enable the "Non-Sharing" option.
Important: Every in-transit type warehouse must be linked to a destination warehouse so the system knows where the inbound inventory is going. This is especially important when regions are in use. You can set the warehouse on the in transit warehouse settings page.
2. Regional Forecasting
Regions let you group warehouses into geographical or operational clusters for separate inventory calculations. This is especially useful when inventory should not be shared across countries or markets.
Use cases:
Separating U.S. and Canada inventory calculations.
Isolating Europe, Asia, or domestic vs. international stock.
Running different strategies for different distribution networks.
How to set up regions:
Go to Stores & Files > Inventory > File Settings> Purchasing Settings.
Enable Regions.
All warehouses will be placed in a default region initially.
You can then assign each warehouse to its appropriate region on the warehouse settings page.
Once configured:
The Inventory Forecasting Report will allow you to group and view inventory by region.
Replenishment recommendations will be calculated per region, not globally.
You can still configure non-sharing warehouses within regions for even tighter control.
Example Scenario
Let’s say you have:
Warehouse A in the U.S.
Warehouse B in Canada
Warehouse C in Germany
You configure:
Regions:
A & B in North America
C in Europe
Set Warehouse A as non-sharing.
Now, if Warehouse B is running low, the system will recommend a reorder—even if Warehouse A has excess stock—because:
A is non-sharing
B is in the same region but calculated independently
Meanwhile, Warehouse C in Europe will be treated as a separate group entirely, with its own velocity, buffer, and reorder logic.