Aftermarket Catalog - Inventory & Fulfillment

A complete guide on how Ecommerce manages inventory, determines fulfillment sources, and gives you the tools to control it all.

How Ecommerce Inventory Works

Ecommerce automates your eCommerce inventory by consolidating stock data from multiple distributors into a single, unified catalog. Rather than manually tracking what each distributor has available, Ecommerce pulls inventory from every connected warehouse, applies your rules and settings, and presents accurate quantities and lead times to your marketplace listings.

Here is what happens behind the scenes every time Ecommerce updates your inventory:

1. Inventory Pull — Ecommerce retrieves current stock levels from each distributor warehouse you are connected to.
2. Rule Application — Your inventory rules (lead times, exclusions, drop-ship cutoffs) are applied to filter and prioritize the data.
3. Consolidation — When multiple distributors carry the same product, Ecommerce combines the information and selects the best source based on availability, lead time, and your preferences.
4. Listing Update — The winning source's pricing, quantity, and lead time are pushed to your marketplace listings.

This entire process is automated. Your job is to configure the rules that tell Ecommerce how to make these decisions.

The Fulfillment Hierarchy

When a product is available from more than one source, Ecommerce uses a strict priority order to determine which source wins. Understanding this hierarchy is essential to controlling how your orders get fulfilled.

Priority Order (Highest to Lowest)

Default Distributor Priority (for Tied Lead Times)

When two or more distributors have identical stock levels and lead times for the same SKU, Ecommerce breaks the tie using this default ranking:

How Each Level Works

Shelf Inventory / Lightspeed (Priority 1)

If you have uploaded shelf quantities for a product — or if Lightspeed has synced stock for it — that inventory always takes priority. The lead time is 0 days because the product is already in your hands.

Fulfillment Preference (Priority 2)

If you have set a fulfillment preference for a brand (for example, "always source Brand X from Turn14"), Ecommerce will honor that preference over any other distributor, even if another distributor has a faster lead time.

Fastest Lead Time (Priority 3)

When no shelf stock or fulfillment preference applies, Ecommerce selects the distributor warehouse that can get the product to you (or to the buyer, in drop-ship scenarios) the fastest.

Default Distributor Priority (Priority 4)

This is the tiebreaker. If two warehouses offer the same lead time and stock, the distributor ranked higher in the default list wins.

Configuring Inventory Rules

Inventory Rules are where you control the core behavior of Ecommerce inventory calculations for each distributor warehouse.

Navigation

Ecommerce Home Page > Settings > Inventory Rules

Settings Available Per Warehouse

Setting Lead Times

Lead time represents the realistic number of days between when an order is placed and when tracking can be provided to the marketplace. This is not the same as shipping speed — it accounts for:

• How long it takes the distributor to process and ship to you
• How long it takes you to receive, repackage (if needed), and ship to the buyer
• Any handling time on your end

Example: If a distributor warehouse typically ships to your store in 3 business days, and it takes you 1 day to process and reship, your lead time for that warehouse should be set to 4 days.

Excluding a Warehouse

Check the Exclude Warehouse box to completely remove a warehouse from your inventory calculations. This is useful when:

• A warehouse is too far away and lead times are unreliable
• You are having account issues with a specific distributor location
• You want to temporarily stop sourcing from a warehouse without deleting your configuration

When excluded, the warehouse will not contribute any inventory, lead times, or drop-ship eligibility to your listings.

Understanding Drop-Ship Logic

Drop-shipping allows a distributor to ship directly to your customer, skipping your shop entirely. Ecommerce uses the Drop-Ship Cutoff setting to control when this happens.

How It Works

• Each warehouse has a configurable Drop-Ship Cutoff value (a dollar amount).
• When a product's MSRP is equal to or greater than the cutoff, Ecommerce considers it eligible for drop-ship from that warehouse.
• Drop-ship eligible items receive a 1-day lead time, which is a significant advantage for your marketplace listings.
• When a product's MSRP is below the cutoff, standard lead times apply instead.

Drop-Ship Cutoff Examples

When to Use a High Cutoff ($9,999)

Some distributors do not offer drop-ship services at all. For these distributors, set the cutoff to an extremely high value like $9,999 so that no products will ever qualify. Then make sure you have set an accurate standard lead time for that warehouse, since all orders will ship through your store.

Managing Fulfillment Preferences

Fulfillment Preferences give you brand-by-brand control over which distributor sources a particular brand's products. This overrides the normal "fastest lead time" logic for the brands you configure.

Navigation

Ecommerce Home Page > Settings > Fulfillment Preferences

Creating a Fulfillment Preference

1. Navigate to Settings > Fulfillment Preferences.
2. Click New Preference.
3. Select the brand you want to configure.
4. Select the distributor you want to source that brand from exclusively.
5. Save the preference.

Once saved, Ecommerce will source that brand's products exclusively from the distributor you selected, regardless of whether another distributor has faster lead times or lower pricing.

Use Cases for Fulfillment Preferences

Suspending a Brand's Inventory

Creating a fulfillment preference with no distributor selected effectively zeroes out all inventory for that brand. This is a quick way to temporarily pull a brand's listings without deleting any configuration. To restore inventory, either assign a distributor or delete the preference entirely.

Managing Shelf Quantities

Shelf Quantities represent the physical inventory you have on hand in your store. When shelf quantities are uploaded for a product, that inventory takes the highest priority in the fulfillment hierarchy — above all distributor sources.

Important Notes About Shelf Quantities

• Ecommerce automatically decrements shelf quantities for each online sale.
• Ecommerce only tracks sales made through your online marketplace listings. In-store sales are not tracked.
• Because of this, regular updates are recommended to prevent overselling.
• Shelf inventory always receives a 0-day lead time, giving your listings the best possible delivery promise.

Method 1: Update Via the Ecommerce Interface (Best for Small Updates)

Use this method when you need to update quantities for a handful of products.

1. Open your Aftermarket Catalog in Ecommerce.
2. Use the filters or search to locate the product you want to update.
3. Click on the product's MPN (Manufacturer Part Number) to open its detail page.
4. Scroll down to the Shelf Quantities section.
5. Enter the quantity you have on hand.
6. Optionally, enter a Sale Price if you want to override the standard price for this shelf stock.
7. Save your changes.

Method 2: CSV Upload (Best for 20+ Products)

Use this method for bulk updates when you have a large number of products to manage.

1. Prepare a CSV file with the required columns (MPN, quantity, and optionally sale price).
2. Navigate to the Shelf Quantities upload area in Ecommerce.
3. Upload your CSV file.
4. Review the import summary to confirm the quantities were applied correctly.

When to Update Shelf Quantities

Lightspeed Integration

If your dealership uses Lightspeed as your point-of-sale system, Ecommerce can sync your Lightspeed inventory directly into the system. This integration writes to the same Dealer Inventory table as manually entered shelf quantities.

Key Details

• Sync frequency: Every 6 hours, Ecommerce pulls your current Lightspeed inventory data.
• Priority: Lightspeed-synced inventory is treated exactly the same as shelf inventory — it sits at the top of the fulfillment hierarchy with a 0-day lead time.
• Automatic: Once configured, the sync runs without any manual intervention.

Because the sync happens every 6 hours, there can be a window where your Lightspeed inventory and Ecommerce are slightly out of sync. If you sell a high volume of items in-store between syncs, keep this lag in mind and consider manual adjustments for fast-moving products.

Using the Calculate Inventory Tool

The Calculate Inventory tool is a diagnostic report that shows you exactly how and why Ecommerce is displaying a particular SKU's inventory the way it is. It does not change anything — it is purely informational.

How to Access It

1. Navigate to the SKU you want to investigate in your catalog.
2. Click the Calculate Inventory button.

What the Report Shows

What You Can Learn From It

• Why a SKU shows as out of stock — Perhaps all warehouse stock is excluded, stale, or below minimum buffer.
• Why a lead time seems wrong — The winning warehouse may not be the one you expected. Check fulfillment preferences and lead time settings.
• Why a specific distributor is not being used — It may be excluded, have stale data, or lose to a faster warehouse.
• Drop-ship eligibility — Whether the product's MSRP qualifies it for drop-ship from each warehouse.

Inventory/Lead Time Explanation Link

Within the Calculate Inventory report, you will find an Inventory/Lead Time Explanation link. This opens a full breakdown of the fulfillment logic Ecommerce used for that specific SKU, walking through each step of the hierarchy.

Remember

The Calculate Inventory tool is read-only. No actions can be taken from it. It is a diagnostic tool to help you understand Ecommerce decisions. If something looks wrong, use the information to adjust your settings in Inventory Rules or Fulfillment Preferences.

Stock Freshness and Data Staleness

Ecommerce enforces a freshness requirement on distributor inventory data to prevent listing products based on outdated information.

The 3-Day Staleness Rule

• Inventory data from most distributors must be less than 3 days old to be considered valid.
• If a distributor's stock data is older than 3 days, Ecommerce treats that inventory as unavailable and excludes it from calculations.
• This protects you from overselling based on stale warehouse data.

Exception: Turn14 (TU)

Turn14 is the one exception to the staleness rule. Turn14 inventory data bypasses the 3-day freshness check and is always considered valid regardless of age.

What This Means for You

If you notice a distributor's inventory suddenly disappearing from your listings, it may be a data freshness issue rather than an actual stock-out. Use the Calculate Inventory tool to check when the last successful inventory pull occurred for that warehouse. If the data is more than 3 days old, the issue is on the data feed side, not your settings.

SKUs Under Review

Occasionally, a SKU may be placed under review within Ecommerce (via a Revision Request). When this happens:

• The SKU's inventory is zeroed out across all sources.
• The product will show as out of stock on your marketplace listings.
• This is intentional — it prevents sales of products that may have data issues (incorrect fitment, wrong pricing, etc.).

SKUs under review will return to normal inventory status once the review is completed. No action is required on your part, but if you notice a product unexpectedly showing zero stock, a pending revision request may be the cause.

Best Practices and Recommendations

Lead Time Configuration

• Vary lead times by warehouse. A warehouse across the country should have a longer lead time than one in your region.
• Prioritize nearby warehouses by giving them shorter, more accurate lead times. Ecommerce will naturally prefer them.
• Start conservative. It is better to over-promise on delivery time and surprise the customer with early delivery than to miss a deadline. You can always tighten lead times as you gain confidence.
• Always have at least one fast option. Make sure at least one warehouse is configured for drop-ship or has a 1-day lead time, so your listings remain competitive.

Drop-Ship Configuration

• If a distributor supports drop-ship, set the cutoff based on your business model — lower cutoffs mean more items qualify for 1-day lead times.
• If a distributor does not support drop-ship, set the cutoff to $9,999 and ensure the standard lead time is accurate.
• Review your cutoffs periodically. As your business grows, you may want to adjust which products qualify for drop-ship.

Shelf Quantities

• Update shelf quantities regularly, especially if you have significant in-store sales.
• Use CSV uploads for bulk updates to save time.
• Remember that Ecommerce decrements quantities for online sales automatically, but in-store sales require manual adjustment.

Fulfillment Preferences

• Use fulfillment preferences strategically for brands where you have a strong distributor relationship or pricing advantage.
• Do not over-use preferences — letting Ecommerce choose the fastest source generally produces the best marketplace performance.
• Use empty preferences as a quick "kill switch" to suspend a brand's inventory without deleting configuration.

General

• Use the Calculate Inventory tool whenever something does not look right. It is your best diagnostic resource.
• Review your Inventory Rules at least quarterly to make sure lead times and cutoffs still reflect reality.
• Keep an eye on stock freshness — if a distributor's data feed goes down, their inventory will drop off your listings after 3 days.

Troubleshooting Common Issues

A product shows out of stock but I know the distributor has it

A product is being sourced from the wrong distributor

Lead time on a listing seems too long

Lead time shows 0 days unexpectedly

This usually means the product has shelf inventory or Lightspeed-synced stock. Ecommerce assigns a 0-day lead time to all dealer-held inventory. If this is incorrect, check and clear the shelf quantity for that SKU.