Fulfilling orders using FEFO and FIFO

Freshly allows you to fulfil orders using the First-expire, First-out (FEFO) or First-in, First-out (FIFO) method by auto-selecting products from the appropriate batch so that you can rotate stock by date.

Understanding the FEFO and FIFO methods of stock rotation

FEFO and FIFO are two of the most common practices in food inventory management. It's best to use the FEFO method if you sell perishable goods. For example, when you receive your products, instead of putting them at the back of your shelf, you’d first check the expiry dates. You then place those products with the shortest shelf-life near to the front of your shelf. This method ensures that the least amount of products is past their expiry date. Implementing the FIFO method allows you to sell products that arrive first in your store. In other words, you place your slightly older products at the front of your shelf with the newer products near the back.

How Freshly fulfils orders using FEFO and FIFO

When a customer order is created on Shopify, Freshly auto-assigns batches to each product using either FEFO or FIFO. The assigned batches and their details will appear below the product that the customer has ordered. Packing slips reflect the same information and can be customized based on the type of batch detail you'd like to show. Learn more about editing your packing slip template.

📝 Please note that expired or past dated batches will not be assigned to orders and will behave as those batches were out of stock.

If you'd like to override the auto-assignment, you can delete the auto-assigned batch and manually assign any active batch to the product ordered. Learn more about manually selecting batches for your orders.

Auto-assignment for orders follow these rules:

• Batches are auto-assigned using FEFO if you specify expiry dates for your product batches.
• Batches are auto-assigned using FIFO based on the received date if you do not specify expiry dates for your product batches.
• If you do not specify expiry dates and received dates for your product batches, batches are auto-assigned based on the date that the batches were created.

Disable auto-assignment of batches

If you prefer to disable auto-assignment of batches when orders are created or updated, you can easily disable this from the Preferences tab under the Order fulfilment section. This will allow you to assign batches in the order you are fulfilling them.