Shopify reorder points: when to review stock and how much to order

Work through lead time, safety days, incoming stock and order cover in a Shopify reorder example. Understand manual minimums, shelf caps and forecast limits.

Published 2026-09-08 · 3 min read

A reorder point answers when to review replenishment. A suggested order quantity answers how much stock would reach a chosen coverage target. They use related inputs, but they are different decisions.

## Start with inputs you can verify

Average daily sales: RestockRadar uses the 30-day sales average for these calculations.
Lead time: days from ordering to expected receipt; a supplier override can replace the store default.
Safety days: additional time allowed for uncertainty.
Order cover: days of demand you want to cover beyond lead time and safety.
On-hand and incoming units: tracked stock and incoming quantities reported by Shopify. Confirm expected receipt dates before relying on incoming stock.

## A worked example: 34 units to review

This illustrative example assumes an eligible physical product, complete tracked inventory, no manual minimum and no shelf cap. It is a calculation example, not a merchant result.

Average daily sales: 2 units. Lead time: 7 days. Safety: 3 days. Order cover: 14 days. On hand: 10 units. Incoming: 4 units.

Reorder point: round up 2 × (7 + 3) = 20 units.

Effective stock: 10 + 4 = 14 units. Because 14 is at or below 20, review replenishment.

Target stock: 2 × (7 + 14 + 3) = 48 units.

Suggested order: round up (48 − 10 − 4) = 34 units. Negative results become zero.

Estimated cover: round down (14 ÷ 2) = 7 days using the app’s on-hand-plus-incoming convention. This does not model whether the incoming units arrive before current stock runs out.

## Why your product may show a different number

Supplier lead time and order-cover overrides replace store defaults. A stocking policy can cap the suggestion for the primary location. A manual minimum changes the reorder trigger, while an exclusion can remove the product from replenishment. Missing inventory tracking prevents an inventory-based suggestion from being reliable.

New or low-volume products need judgment. A recent-sales average is not a seasonal forecast and does not create demand evidence for a launch. Check the no-sales-data bucket and choose a manual quantity where necessary.

## Move from the suggestion to a supplier draft

Inspect the reason for the flag and last sync.
Confirm the supplier, lead time, incoming stock and expected demand.
Review the suggested quantity and any manual or shelf-cap adjustments.
On Pro, prepare a supplier-grouped PO draft and review its costs and quantities.
Export the draft where appropriate and communicate the order through your purchasing process. Creating or exporting a draft does not send an order to the supplier.

## Check the result after your next cycle

Compare the next receipt date and observed sales with your assumptions. Revise lead time or cover when evidence changes. Keep the purchasing decision tied to actual supplier commitments rather than treating days of stock left as a guaranteed date.

See RestockRadar’s workflow, plan limits and alerts. For a separate receipt-cost ledger, review CostLedger.