Synplex Product Statuses: What They Mean & How to Act
Synplex automatically assigns a status to each product based on your inventory policies. These statuses tell you what's happening and what to do.
The Seven Product Statuses
1. HEALTHY ✓
Meaning: Your inventory is in the optimal zone
Inventory level: Between "Running Low" and "Overstocked" thresholds
Synplex assessment: Good balance vs. demand
Your action: Continue monitoring
What's happening:
- You're following your policies
- Inventory is neither too high nor too low
- Sales are tracking with forecasts
- No immediate action needed
Example:
Product: Blue T-Shirt
├─ Running Low threshold: 420 units
├─ Overstocked threshold: 850 units
├─ Current inventory: 600 units
└─ Status: HEALTHY ✓
Your policy is working. Let it continue.
2. RUNNING LOW ⚠️
Meaning: You've hit your reorder point → Order now!
Inventory level: ≤ Running Low threshold
Synplex assessment: Time to reorder
Your action: Create purchase order IMMEDIATELY (Grade A & B)
What's happening:
- Your inventory has dropped to the trigger level
- You're burning through stock at the forecasted rate
- New order will arrive just as inventory would drop critically
- This is the intended reorder point
Example:
Product: Winter Jacket
├─ Running Low threshold: 295 units
├─ Current inventory: 290 units ← HIT THE THRESHOLD!
├─ Lead time: 45 days
├─ Expected arrival: [45 days from today]
└─ Status: RUNNING LOW ⚠️
Action:
├─ Grade A: ORDER TODAY (don't wait)
├─ Grade B: ORDER THIS WEEK
├─ Grade C: ORDER WHEN CONVENIENT (batch with others to save shipping)
Formula reminder:
Running Low Threshold = Lead Time + Safety Stock Days
When your on-hand inventory ≤ this threshold:
→ You should order to replenish
→ New inventory arrives when old stock runs out
→ Minimal gap between depletion & arrival
3. STOCK GAP 🚨
Meaning: Gap between when you run out and when new arrives
Inventory level: Misaligned with demand
Synplex assessment: Timing problem detected
Your action: Review and adjust planning
What's happening:
- You're running out BEFORE new stock arrives
- Expected stock depletion date ≠ Order arrival date
- Current policies can't support your sales pace
- Stockout is likely
Root causes:
1. Lead time too long
└─ Supplier took longer than expected
└─ Action: Find faster supplier or order more frequently
2. Daily sales higher than forecast
└─ Demand exceeded expectations
└─ Action: Update forecast, recalculate lead time stock
3. Safety stock too low
└─ Can't absorb demand surprises
└─ Action: Increase safety stock days
4. Supplier delay
└─ Order placed but shipment delayed
└─ Action: Track closely, consider expediting
Example:
Product: Blue T-Shirt (was Healthy, now showing Stock Gap)
Timeline:
├─ Today (Day 0): Inventory = 420 units
├─ Daily sales: 12 units/day (up from forecast of 10)
├─ Day 35: Inventory would be zero (420 ÷ 12)
├─ Day 35: New order arrives (30-day lead time + 5 days delay)
└─ Status: STOCK GAP (gap of 5 days between need & supply)
Action:
├─ Option A: Emergency reorder now (expedite, pay premium)
├─ Option B: Increase forecast permanently (demand is higher)
├─ Option C: Switch suppliers to faster lead time
└─ Implement: Prevent this happening again
4. OVERSTOCKED 📈
Meaning: You have more inventory than needed
Inventory level: Above maximum threshold
Synplex assessment: Too much on hand
Your action: Hold orders, don't reorder until it sells down
What's happening:
- Inventory exceeds your calculated maximum
- Capital is tied up in excess stock
- You're paying carrying costs unnecessarily
- Margin may be at risk (potential obsolescence, markdowns)
Root causes:
1. Ordered too much recently
└─ Restock quantity miscalculated
└─ Action: Review your calculation
2. Sales slowed (demand forecast was wrong)
└─ Products not selling as fast
└─ Action: Update forecast down, extend lead time assumptions
3. Two orders arrived close together
└─ Timing mismatch, not usual issue
└─ Action: Monitor, should normalize soon
4. Supplier sent more than ordered
└─ Shipment error
└─ Action: Contact supplier, return if possible
Example:
Product: Summer Shorts
├─ Maximum threshold: 800 units
├─ Current inventory: 1,200 units ← WAY ABOVE MAX!
├─ Daily sales: 5 units
├─ Days of inventory: 240 days (8 months!)
└─ Status: OVERSTOCKED 📈
Action:
├─ STOP ordering (don't create any new POs)
├─ Let current stock sell down naturally
├─ OR run promotion/discount to accelerate sales
├─ OR bundle with other products
└─ Goal: Get back to 800-unit zone
Carrying cost impact:
Extra inventory: 1,200 - 800 = 400 units
Cost per unit: €25
Inventory value of excess: 400 × €25 = €10,000
Annual carrying cost (15%): €10,000 × 0.15 = €1,500/year
That's expensive. Clear the excess!
5. OUT OF STOCK 🚨🚨
Meaning: Zero inventory, critical emergency
Inventory level: Zero
Synplex assessment: Stockout has occurred
Your action: Emergency response required
What's happening:
- Product is completely sold out
- You cannot fulfill any new orders
- Customers are disappointed or buying from competitors
- Lost revenue is happening now
How you got here:
1. Demand spike exceeded safety stock
└─ Sales spiked beyond forecast
└─ Safety stock wasn't high enough
2. Supplier delay combined with high demand
└─ Lead time was longer than expected
└─ Demand was higher than expected
└─ Perfect storm: both factors together
3. Forecast was very wrong
└─ Missed a major trend
└─ Competitor went out of business
└─ Unexpected promotion success
4. Policy wasn't set up
└─ No safety stock defined
└─ No reorder point triggered
└─ Flying blind
Immediate action:
GRADE A (High revenue):
├─ Contact supplier: Request expedited shipment
├─ Offer to pay premium for rush
├─ Offer to pick up at warehouse
├─ Use airfreight if necessary
└─ Timeframe: Today if possible
GRADE B:
├─ Contact supplier: Request faster delivery
├─ Offer small premium if possible
├─ Consider alternative suppliers
└─ Timeframe: This week
GRADE C:
├─ Create standard PO
├─ Accept stockout (acceptable for slow movers)
└─ Timeframe: Normal lead time
Post-stockout analysis:
1. Why did it happen?
├─ Lead time assumptions wrong?
├─ Safety stock too low?
├─ Demand forecast wrong?
└─ Identify root cause
2. What to change?
├─ Increase safety stock days?
├─ Find faster supplier?
├─ Update demand forecast?
└─ Make policy adjustment
3. Implement immediately
└─ Don't wait for next review cycle
6. NO SALES 📭
Meaning: No recent sales detected
Inventory level: Not being sold
Synplex assessment: Demand has stopped or product isn't visible
Your action: Investigate
What's happening:
- Product hasn't sold in X days (typically 30+ days)
- Could be seasonal off-season
- Could be product becoming obsolete
- Could be visibility/availability issue
Possible causes:
1. Seasonal off-season
└─ Winter jacket in July
└─ Action: Normal, expected. Let sit until season starts
2. Product obsolete or out of fashion
└─ Trend passed, customers moved on
└─ Action: Run clearance, discount heavily, discontinue
3. Product not listed/visible
└─ Not on website, shop shelf, or app
└─ Customer can't find it
└─ Action: Fix visibility, promote, relaunch
4. Price too high
└─ Customers won't buy at this price
└─ Action: Test price reduction, run promotion
5. Stock issue (system shows inventory but none in warehouse)
└─ Inventory count is wrong
└─ Action: Do physical inventory check
6. New product just added (hasn't had time to sell)
└─ Expected if very new
└─ Action: Continue monitoring, let it mature
Example:
Product: Winter Boots
├─ Last sale: 67 days ago
├─ Current inventory: 150 units
├─ Days of inventory (at zero sales): INFINITE
├─ Status: NO SALES 📭
Investigation:
├─ Date: June 15 (summer, off-season) ✓ EXPECTED
├─ Next season: October (expect sales to restart)
├─ Current status: Hold, don't order
Alternative scenario:
├─ Date: June 15
├─ Last sale was June (not seasonal)
├─ January sales were high
├─ Investigation: Why did demand drop?
├─ Action: Run promotion, investigate market
7. NEW PRODUCT 🆕
Meaning: Recently added, tracking before marketplace launch
Inventory level: Being managed for production/quality check
Synplex assessment: Pre-launch status
Your action: Monitor, prepare for launch
What's happening:
- Product recently created in Synplex
- You're tracking production and inventory status
- Not yet published to your shop/marketplace
- Once ready, you'll publish and start selling
Typical workflow:
Step 1: NEW PRODUCT status (in Synplex only)
├─ Track production
├─ Quality check inventory
├─ Receive first shipment
└─ Verify everything is correct
Step 2: Publish to marketplace
├─ Move to shop/website
├─ Start marketing
├─ Make visible to customers
Step 3: First sales
├─ Product starts moving
├─ Status changes to HEALTHY (or RUNNING LOW if popular)
Step 4: Optimize
├─ Adjust forecast based on actual sales
├─ Refine safety stock as you learn demand pattern
└─ Continue normal management
Example:
Product: New Winter Coat (Pre-Launch)
├─ Status: NEW PRODUCT 🆕
├─ On-hand: 500 units (arrived from supplier)
├─ Quality check: 98% passed, 10 units returned
├─ Currently listed: NO (not live on website)
├─ Action: Final review, then publish
Once published:
└─ Status changes based on sales activity
├─ First week: May show HEALTHY or RUNNING LOW
└─ Adjust safety stock based on actual demand
Status Transition Examples
Healthy → Running Low → Healthy
Normal cycle (working as planned):
Day 1: Status = HEALTHY
├─ Inventory: 600 units
├─ Running Low threshold: 420 units
└─ Continue operations
Day 15: Status = RUNNING LOW ⚠️
├─ Inventory: 415 units (below 420)
├─ Action: Create PO for 240 units
└─ Supplier: Will deliver in 30 days
Day 45 (30 days later): Status = HEALTHY ✓
├─ New shipment arrives: +240 units
├─ Inventory: 415 - (15 × 10 sold) + 240 = 565 units
├─ Back in healthy range
└─ Cycle repeats
This is the IDEAL pattern. Your policies are working!
Healthy → Stock Gap → Out of Stock
Problem scenario (demand higher than forecast):
Day 1: Status = HEALTHY
├─ Inventory: 600 units
├─ Forecast daily sales: 10 units/day
├─ Lead time: 30 days
Day 10: Status = STOCK GAP 🚨
├─ Actual sales: 15 units/day (not 10!)
├─ Inventory: 600 - (10 × 15) = 450 units
├─ Remaining at 15/day: 30 days of stock
├─ Order arrival in: 30 days
├─ Problem: Will hit zero EXACTLY when order arrives (no buffer!)
Day 15: Status = RUNNING LOW ⚠️
├─ Inventory: 375 units
├─ Daily sales still: 15 units/day
├─ Action: Emergency order? Or accept?
Day 30: Status = OUT OF STOCK 🚨🚨
├─ No inventory
├─ Customers can't buy
├─ Waiting for order to arrive
Post-analysis:
├─ Root cause: Demand forecast was wrong (10 vs. 15)
├─ Fix: Update daily sales forecast to 15 units/day
├─ Adjust: Increase safety stock from 10 to 12 days
├─ Result: Similar scenario won't cause stockout next time
How to Respond to Each Status
| Status | Your Priority | Timeline | Action |
|---|---|---|---|
| HEALTHY | Low | Weekly check | Monitor, nothing urgent |
| RUNNING LOW | HIGH | TODAY (Grade A/B) | Create PO immediately |
| STOCK GAP | URGENT | This week | Review, adjust forecast/lead time |
| OVERSTOCKED | Medium | This week | Stop orders, run promotion |
| OUT OF STOCK | CRITICAL | NOW | Emergency response, expedite |
| NO SALES | Medium | This month | Investigate, adjust visibility/price |
| NEW PRODUCT | Medium | Before launch | Prepare for publishing |
FAQ
Q: Can a product have multiple statuses?
A: No, one status per product at a time. But it can transition between statuses.
Q: How often do statuses update?
A: Synplex updates statuses automatically based on current inventory and your policies. Typically real-time or daily.
Q: What if I disagree with the status?
A: Check your policy settings (lead time, safety stock, forecast). The status is based on your settings. If settings are wrong, status will be wrong.
Q: Can I override the status?
A: Not recommended. Status is automatic based on real data. If you want different behavior, adjust your policy settings instead.
Q: How does Synplex know when to show STOCK GAP?
A: It calculates: "If demand continues at this rate, will new inventory arrive in time?" If no, it shows STOCK GAP.
Dashboard View (Quick Scan)
In Synplex, your dashboard shows:
Product Status Summary:
✓ HEALTHY: 87 products
⚠️ RUNNING LOW: 5 products (take action!)
🚨 STOCK GAP: 1 product (review forecast)
📈 OVERSTOCKED: 3 products (hold orders)
🚨🚨 OUT OF STOCK: 0 products (good!)
📭 NO SALES: 12 products (monitor)
🆕 NEW PRODUCT: 2 products (prepare launch)
Total: 110 products
Recommended workflow:
- Check RUNNING LOW → Create POs (daily)
- Check STOCK GAP → Review forecasts (weekly)
- Check OUT OF STOCK → Emergency response (daily)
- Check OVERSTOCKED → Run promotions (weekly)
- Check NO SALES → Investigate (monthly)
Next Steps
- Open Synplex dashboard
- Note product statuses for your top 20 products
- Take action on RUNNING LOW items (create POs)
- Review STOCK GAP items (adjust policies if needed)
- Monitor weekly for status changes
Related Articles
- Policy Fundamentals — Set up policies
- Reorder Points & Safety Stock — Policy calculations
- Restock Quantity & Running Low — How much to order
Questions?
Contact support@synplex.io for help interpreting product statuses.