Amazon Embeds Restock Recommendations Directly Into Send to Amazon Workflow
Amazon added its Restock Recommendation engine to the Send to Amazon shipment wizard in early 2024, showing inline suggested quantities (e.g., “Send 120 units”) and sell‑through rates (0.8 units/day) alongside target arrival dates. Sellers can also input custom lead‑time and case‑pack size, and the system rounds recommendations to full cases.
Overview
Amazon has embedded its restock recommendation engine directly into the Send to Amazon shipment‑creation flow, so sellers now see inventory guidance while they build shipments. The change went live in early 2024 and eliminates the need to toggle between the Restock Inventory dashboard and the shipment wizard. Sellers who rely on FBA will see immediate benefits in planning accuracy and time savings.
Key Points
- Inline suggestions — While adding SKUs to a new shipment, the system displays a recommended quantity next to each item, for example showing “Send 120 units” for a fast‑moving product that currently has 30 units on hand.
- Sell‑through visibility — The sell‑through rate (units sold per day) appears beside inventory levels, such as “0.8 units/day” for a SKU with 200 units in the fulfillment center.
- Target arrival dates — Amazon proposes a delivery window, e.g., “Arrive by May 15” for a shipment that needs to replenish stock before a projected sales spike.
- Custom lead‑time entry – Sellers can input a 21‑day overseas production lead time for a private‑label brand, and the recommendation engine will adjust the suggested ship date accordingly.
- Case‑pack alignment – If a seller ships in 24‑unit cases, they can set the case‑pack size so the system rounds recommendations to the nearest full case, such as recommending 5 cases (120 units) instead of 118 units.
How the Recommendations Work
- Demand forecast calculation — Amazon pulls the past 12 weeks of sales data for each SKU; for a product that sold 1,200 units in that period, the algorithm predicts a weekly demand of roughly 100 units.
- Current inventory assessment — The tool reads the on‑hand quantity at all fulfillment centers; if the same SKU has 250 units already stored, the system subtracts that from the forecasted demand to determine a shortfall.
- Lead‑time and packaging adjustment — Sellers’ entered lead time (e.g., 18 days) and case‑pack size (e.g., 30 units) are applied, resulting in a recommendation to ship 3 cases (90 units) so the product arrives just before the projected depletion date.
Analysis & Recommendations
Why This Matters
Embedding restock suggestions directly into the shipment creation screen reduces the need to switch to the Restock Inventory dashboard, saving time and improving forecast accuracy. Sellers can instantly see recommended quantities, sell‑through rates and arrival windows, but must still adjust for promotions, MOQ or new‑product data to avoid stockouts or excess inventory.
Key Takeaways
- Inline recommendations appear in Send to Amazon, e.g., “Send 120 units” for a SKU with 30 units on hand.
- Sell‑through rate is displayed beside inventory, such as “0.8 units/day”.
- Custom lead‑time (e.g., 21 days) and case‑pack size (e.g., 24 units) adjust the suggested ship date and round to full cases.
- The engine uses the past 12 weeks of sales; a SKU selling 1,200 units yields a forecast of ~100 units per week.
Recommended Actions
- →In Seller Central, go to Inventory > Send to Amazon, create a shipment and review the inline “Recommended” quantity for each SKU.
- →If needed, edit the lead‑time or case‑pack size in the recommendation panel to match supplier constraints before confirming the shipment.
- →Cross‑check the suggested quantity with upcoming promotions or MOQ (e.g., increase from 150 to 200 units for a 20% discount) and adjust the shipmen...
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