How do I calculate a reorder point?

Use: reorder point = (average daily sales × supplier lead time in days) + safety stock. For example, an item selling 10 units a day with a 5-day lead time and 20 units of safety stock has a reorder point of 70 units — reorder when stock reaches that level.

Should every product have the same low-stock threshold?

No. Fast movers and slow movers need different reorder points based on their sales speed and supplier lead time. A single blanket threshold either over-stocks slow items or leaves bestsellers running out. Set thresholds per product and review them periodically.

How should low-stock alerts reach me?

Through a channel you actually check — a dashboard flag, email, or WhatsApp message. An alert that fires into a place you never look is useless. The best setups also link straight to the supplier so reordering is a single click.

Low Stock Alert System: How to Set It Up and Never Run Out Again

Why Stockouts Quietly Cost You

When a customer asks for your bestseller and you are out, you lose the sale — and sometimes the customer, to the shop or app that had it. Stockouts are invisible on your books because you never record the sale that did not happen. A low-stock alert system fixes this by warning you before you run out, so you reorder in time.

The Core Idea: Reorder Points

A reorder point is the stock level at which you should place a new order. Set it right and fresh stock arrives just as the old stock runs low. The simple formula:

Reorder point = (average daily sales × supplier lead time in days) + safety stock

Average daily sales: How fast the item sells.
Lead time: How long your supplier takes to deliver.
Safety stock: A buffer for demand spikes or supplier delays.

Example: an item selling 10/day, with a 5-day lead time and 20 units of safety stock, has a reorder point of (10 × 5) + 20 = 70 units. When stock hits 70, it is time to reorder.

Setting Up Alerts

Set a reorder point per product — not one blanket number. Fast movers and slow movers need different thresholds.
Enable automatic alerts in your inventory software so it notifies you when stock hits the point.
Choose the channel — dashboard flag, email, or WhatsApp — so the alert actually reaches you.
Link to suppliers so reordering is one click, not a hunt for contact details.

Tuning Thresholds Over Time

Seasonality: Raise reorder points before festival or peak seasons.
Trends: Review fast-rising items so their thresholds keep pace.
Dead stock: Lower or remove reorder points for slow movers — do not auto-restock items that barely sell. See how to handle dead stock.

Avoid These Mistakes

Using one reorder point for every product regardless of sales speed.
Ignoring supplier lead time, so stock arrives too late.
Setting alerts but sending them nowhere you check.
Never revisiting thresholds as demand changes.

Conclusion

Low-stock alerts turn reordering from a reactive scramble into a calm routine: the system watches your stock and tells you exactly when to act. Set per-product reorder points, route the alerts somewhere you will see them, and adjust for seasonality. Combined with barcode-accurate stock counts, you can genuinely stop running out. InfiBis tracks stock in real time and fires low-stock alerts automatically so bestsellers stay on the shelf.