Article
How to perform a stocktake while online orders continue
A stock count is a snapshot of what physically exists at one moment. The problem is that a multi-channel business doesn't stop selling while someone walks the warehouse with a scanner.
Why "just overwrite the stock figure" doesn't work
If a count takes an hour and three sales happen during that hour, setting the system's stock figure to exactly what was counted can be wrong as soon as the count finishes. The result depends on whether those sold units were still physically present when counted and whether their movements occurred before or after the count's reference time.
The point-in-time approach
The count needs a defined reference time, not just a quantity. Items allocated to orders that existed before that point must be treated consistently during the physical count. The difference between the count and the stock expected at that reference time is then applied on top of the current figure, so later sales, receipts and adjustments are kept and the reconciled quantity represents the present rather than an hour-old snapshot.
- Start the stocktake and record its reference time and the stock expected at that moment.
- Identify the SKUs or supplier range being counted.
- Handle stock already committed to earlier orders consistently.
- Enter physical counts while ordinary stock movements continue.
- Review the differences, then apply them to the current figure so later movements are kept.
Reviewing deviations before applying them
Once the counts are in, each one should be compared against what the system expected the stock to be at the reference time. A small deviation might just be normal shrinkage or a miscount; a large one is worth investigating before it's applied as the new official figure.
How TrueSKU implements this
TrueSKU's stocktakes work this way: the stock expected at the start is recorded, counts are entered while sales continue, and the difference is applied on top of the current stock so movements during the count are kept rather than overwritten. Deviations can be reviewed before being applied. Stocktaking without stopping sales has a worked example.
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