The container that was due last month
You import dining sets and sideboards in containers from an overseas factory. Customers can order them before they land, with an expected date. The buying office keeps a spreadsheet of which customers are allocated to which container. Then the container is delayed at the port, and another one arrives short because the factory did not finish a style. Someone has to work out, by hand, which customers are affected, who gets the units that did arrive and what to tell everyone.
It takes days. Meanwhile, the website is still taking orders against the container's original date, and the showroom is promising dates that are no longer true.
Why container allocation is messy
- Customer orders are allocated to containers in a spreadsheet.
- Shipping updates arrive by email from the forwarder and are not linked to orders.
- Short shipments are found only when the container is unpacked.
- The website's available-to-sell figure does not know about allocations.
- There is no agreed rule for who gets priority when stock is short.
What manual allocation costs
| Problem | Cost |
|---|---|
| Late news of delays | Customers told after they should have been |
| Short loads | Customers promised units that did not arrive |
| Overselling | More orders than incoming stock |
| Unfair allocation | Newer customers served before older ones |
| Days of work | Buying office tied up re-planning by hand |
How we allocate incoming stock
- Each container, or each purchase order on it, is recorded with its lines, quantities and expected arrival date.
- Customer orders for those products are allocated to container lines by order date, or by another rule you set, such as priority for trade customers.
- The website and showroom sell only what is not yet allocated, and show the expected date for the next available unit.
- Forwarder and shipping line updates are read from emails or tracking links, and a changed arrival date updates all the linked orders.
- When a container is unpacked, the received quantities are entered. Any shortfall re-runs the allocation and lists the customers who will not be served from this container.
- Affected customers get a message you have approved, with their new expected date from the next container if there is one.
A delayed container, handled
The forwarder emails to say the container will be two weeks late. The date is updated, and every customer order linked to it moves. The customers get a message the same day. When the container lands, it is short by four sideboards. The allocation re-runs: the four customers with the most recent orders are moved to the next container, and they get a message with the new date. The website had stopped selling those sideboards against this container as soon as it was full, so nobody was oversold.
Rules you decide
Who gets priority is a business decision. Most retailers use order date, but some prioritise customers who have paid in full, or trade accounts, or orders with other items waiting. The rule is written down once and applied every time, so the answer does not depend on who is doing the spreadsheet. A manager can always override for a specific customer, with a note.
The same view helps the buying team plan. It shows how much of each incoming container is already sold, and which products are selling faster than containers can bring them in, so the next order to the factory can be adjusted while there is still time.
Deposits make the rule matter more. A customer who paid a deposit three months ago for a sideboard from a container has a reasonable expectation of being served before someone who ordered last week. The allocation shows every customer's order date, deposit and allocated container on one screen, so when a customer rings to ask why their date moved, the answer is clear and fair, and the staff member can explain it with confidence.
Signs you need this
- Container allocations live in a spreadsheet.
- Customers hear about delays late.
- Short shipments cause a scramble to work out who is affected.
- The website sells incoming stock that is already allocated.
- There is no fixed rule for who gets priority.