stock levels - need a little guidance

[Kev Challis]

Hi all.

I'm updating stock levels to my website www.peppercorncottage.com

I want to make sure I'm doing it right before I go through about 300+ products.

I understand that if I want a product to show out of stock I click on stock monitoring - Estimated stock in hand 0

Our products are in and out of stock on a regular basis as it sells and is replaced by fresh stock. I have began to list the total amount available for each one, but notice when I add more then what I know is available to the basket it allows me to and check out.

My question is:

Do I need to also put the same value as what is in estimated stock in hand into the details tab in maximum quantity?

I checked this on one of my items and it does work for example if I have 6 in both estimated stock in hand and maximum quantity it doesn't allow more then 6 to put into the basket.

However does this continue to work as the numbers drop from 6,5,4 and so on? or do I have to do something different?

What I want to avoid is customers placing orders for items we don't have in stock as sometimes it can be some weeks in between ordering

Thanks for any help

Kev

[leehack]

Type 'Monitoring Stock' into the help in Actinic, you will get all the info you need and a great overview.

[Kev Challis]

thanks will do

Kev

[Kev Challis]

OK, sorry if this sounds thick lol!

I have just done a test order putting in more then the quantity available and it lets me put in any number and checks out.

The item will only show out of stock once I have downloaded the order and until this is done the item remains available for purchase.

Is there an option to not allow the customer to purchase more then what's available and if the item becomes out of stock is there an option to show this without having to download the orders? i.e updates in real time....

Sorry if it's obvious, but I cannot see it.

thanks
Kev

[peblaco]

Nope, unfortunately. You can automate downloads with the mole-end.biz plugin.

[leehack]

Can't something clever be done here using the stock in hand variable to be the maximum quantity amount?

[Kev Challis]

Nope, unfortunately. You can automate downloads with the mole-end.biz plugin.

well that's a pretty big floor in system then, even ebay runs out of stock when items are purchased in real time.

If you have a limited amount of stock available, i.e 10 of something and a customer purchases these items overnight and then another customer purchases more in the morning before you can update the orders, then you will customer's waiting for stock you don't have. Our customer base is all over Europe and I cannot sit in front of the PC all day.

We only place orders with our suppliers every couple of weeks and minimum order levels, means we have to wait until an order can be made up.

With advanced as Actinic is, I'm shocked it can't do this.... in fact for our type business has caused me a big headache...... If I knew it couldn't do this I would looked at other software.

Is there any plans to develop this in future?

Kev

[leehack]

Actinic is an offline solution Kevin, it sounds like you would ideally need an online solution. This has been a long standing problem with actinic, the mole end add-on recovers most of the shortcomings, but it will never be perfect this area. Much the same as if you have a surge of sales on ebay, how could your website ever know?

[Kev Challis]

Actinic is an offline solution Kevin, it sounds like you would ideally need an online solution. This has been a long standing problem with actinic, the mole end add-on recovers most of the shortcomings, but it will never be perfect this area. Much the same as if you have a surge of sales on ebay, how could your website ever know?

Well we started off using ebay, now if an item is purchased there and is sold out, the listing ends and no more orders can be placed for that item.

We list what we have for sale and then once fresh stock arrives that item is relisted.

I don't think for one minute I know how this all works or the technical side behind actinic, I'm still very much learning all of this. But surely if you have products listed within actinic with a total amount available, something could be built into the program to mark these out of stock once a order has been processed and paid for? I would have thought that would be pretty much standard practice?

oh well I guess for now, if and when it happens, we shall have to contact the customer and say the item is out of stock and offer a refund or wait for the item to be in stock.

Kev

[Kev Challis]

Well I certainly hope actinic will consider doing this, it would make the whole system would soo much more efficiently.

[los_design]

It can be achieved as Louise states with PHP/MySQL or SQL but to write a plug in and adapt to actinic would prove costly and cumbersome.

You would be better off using a PHP/MySQL based system or a bespoke solution if this is business critical to you.

TBH writing a shopping cart script (can be achieved with 3 small scripts) is not as hard as people imaging, but adding powerful features can be...

Talk of the elusive Enterprise Project has gone quiet which had this theme in mind.

Anyone at Act Towers care to elaborate?

Regards
Daren

[Jan]

If you want to try my plugin, there is a free trial here :

http://www.mole-end.biz/acatalog/One...r-Actinic.html

It can be setup to upload and download a regular intervals and can set the max quantity field to the number in stock before you upload.

It does a lot more than just automate stock updates but if that is all you are interested in then you can purchase just that part at a lower cost (it's called the stock control mole).

Regards,

[Kev Challis]

I have set the maximum quantity to suit all of our products to stop someone ordering a stupid amount that we cannot meet the order with, so at least that's something.

Kev

[Kev Challis]

If you want to try my plugin, there is a free trial here :

http://www.mole-end.biz/acatalog/One...r-Actinic.html

It can be setup to upload and download a regular intervals and can set the max quantity field to the number in stock before you upload.

It does a lot more than just automate stock updates but if that is all you are interested in then you can purchase just that part at a lower cost (it's called the stock control mole).

Regards,

excellent, I'll give that a go.

thanks a lot
Kev