Overview

Running out of inventory is one of the most costly mistakes an Amazon FBA seller can make. Lost sales, declining search rankings, and disrupted cash flow are just a few consequences of stockouts. Amazon's Replenishment Alerts feature helps sellers stay ahead of inventory shortages by sending automated email notifications when stock levels drop below a seller-defined threshold.

Key Points / What Sellers Need to Know

• Automated low-stock notifications - Replenishment Alerts send you an email when your fulfillable inventory at Amazon's fulfillment centers drops below a quantity you set, removing the need to manually monitor every listing.
• Two threshold options - You can set alerts based on a specific unit count or a weeks-of-cover metric, which calculates how many weeks of inventory you have left based on your sales velocity over the previous 30 days.
• Per-product customization - Thresholds can be configured individually for each product, allowing you to tailor alert levels to each item's unique sales pace and replenishment timeline.
• Visual indicators on inventory page - Listings with active alerts display a gold bell icon on the Manage FBA Inventory page. When inventory actually hits the alert threshold, the bell turns red for immediate visual identification.
• Bulk or individual setup - You can set alerts for a single product or select multiple listings at once, making it efficient to configure alerts across your entire catalog.

How Replenishment Alerts Work

Replenishment Alerts continuously monitor your fulfillable inventory levels at Amazon's fulfillment centers. When the quantity on hand drops to or below the threshold you have specified, the system automatically sends you an email notification. This gives you a built-in early warning system so you can begin the restocking process before your inventory runs out completely. The feature tracks either raw unit counts or weeks-of-cover, a dynamic metric that adjusts based on your recent sales history over the past 30 days.

Setting the Right Alert Threshold

Choosing the correct threshold is critical to making Replenishment Alerts effective. Amazon recommends basing your alert quantity on two factors: your average sales velocity and your total replenishment lead time, which includes the time to place an order with your supplier, receive the goods, and ship them to an Amazon fulfillment center. For example, if you sell approximately 100 units per week and your full replenishment cycle takes about three weeks, you should set your alert threshold to at least 300 units. This ensures you receive the notification with enough time to restock before inventory runs dry. If you prefer the weeks-of-cover method, simply set the threshold to match the number of weeks your replenishment cycle typically requires.