Fulfilling orders using FEFO and FIFO
Freshly assigns batches to orders automatically using First-expire, First-out (FEFO) or First-in, First-out (FIFO), so the oldest stock leaves first. When an order is created or updated in Shopify, Freshly picks batches for each batch-tracked item and shows them on the order in Freshly and on your Freshly packing slips.
FEFO and FIFO in short
- FEFO sends out the batch that expires first. Use it for perishable goods so less stock expires on the shelf.
- FIFO sends out the batch that arrived first. Use it when your products don't have expiry dates.
How Freshly picks a batch
Freshly sorts a product's available batches like this:
- Earliest Expiry date first.
- If expiry dates match or are missing, earliest Received date first.
- If both are missing, the batch created first in Freshly.
Batches with an expiry date are always used before batches without one. If one batch doesn't have enough quantity, Freshly splits the item across the next batches in the same order.
Freshly skips batches that are expired, out of stock, or at an inactive location. Batches are taken from the location fulfilling the order
Your packing slips show the same batch details. See Editing your packing slip template to change what's printed.
Change the assigned batch
Open the order in Freshly Orders, click Unassign next to a batch, then use Assign batch to pick another active batch. To redo the automatic pick for the whole order, click Auto-assign batches. See Manually selecting inventory batches for your orders.
Turn off auto-assignment
If you prefer to assign batches yourself when you fulfill:
- In Freshly, go to Preferences.
- In Order fulfillment, clear Enable auto-assignment of batches to customer orders.
- Click Save.
This option is on the paid Freshly plan. With it off, you can still assign batches in bulk or with Shopify Flow. See Bulk auto-assigning batches through Shopify.