Getting started: 3 steps to setup Freshly

Freshly gets set up in three steps: add batches to your product variants, choose what happens to batches as they near expiry, and let Freshly assign batches to orders. Watch the video or follow the steps below.

Step 1. Add batches to your product variants

Before you start, turn on inventory tracking for the variant in Shopify. Open the product (or variant) in your Shopify admin and, in the Inventory section, turn on Track quantity. Variants without tracking show a Setup link in Freshly instead of Add batch. See Setting up products and variants in Shopify.

To add a batch:

1. In Freshly, go to Products.
2. Use the location menu next to the search bar to pick the location the stock is at.
3. Find the variant and click Add batch. You can also open the product and click Add batch at the top of the page.
4. Enter the Quantity and Expiry date. Optionally add a batch name, received date, batch number, barcode, invoice number, and description under Additional details.
5. Click Save.

Batches let you:

• Track each batch's expiry date, received date, batch number, barcode, and invoice number.
• Fulfill orders using first-expire, first-out (FEFO) and first-in, first-out (FIFO).
• Trace items back to the batch and the customer orders they went to.

Already have stock in Shopify? Don't add it with Add batch, because by default that adds the batch quantity to Shopify on top of what's already there. Instead, open the product in Freshly. If the variant has stock that isn't in a batch, you'll see a banner that says Add unaccounted variant quantity (X items) to a batch. Click Create batch to put that stock into an "Auto-created batch" without changing your Shopify quantity, then click the batch name to add its expiry date. Learn more in Syncing your existing product inventory with Freshly.

On the free Freshly Essentials plan, you can batch track a limited number of products. Upgrade to keep adding batches beyond that limit.

Step 2. Choose what happens to expiring batches

1. In Freshly, go to Preferences.
2. In the Batch expiry section, select Remove batch quantity from inventory.
3. Enter how many days before the expiry date the quantity should be removed. Enter 0 to remove it on the expiry date.
4. Click Save.

These actions run at 12:00 am UTC on the scheduled day. Once a batch's quantity is removed, the batch is marked as expired and moves to the Expired tab.

Step 3. Fulfill orders using FEFO or FIFO

When an order comes in, Freshly assigns batches automatically. It picks the batch that expires first (FEFO). Batches without an expiry date are used in the order they were received (FIFO). Batches are taken from the location the order is fulfilled from.

To change a batch on an order, open the order in Freshly's Orders page, click Unassign on the batch, then click Assign batch and choose another active batch. Manual assignment requires a paid Freshly plan. Learn more about fulfilling orders using FEFO and FIFO and manually selecting batches for your orders.

Next steps

• Get emails about expiring batches in Preferences > Staff notifications. See Managing email notifications for batch expiry.
• See expired batches in Inventory Batches under the Expired tab.
• Check expiring stock in Analytics.

If you get stuck, contact our team, and we'll help you set up.