Purchase Order Management

This page covers creating and working with purchase orders end-to-end: required fields, status lifecycle, supplier communication, receiving, and how updates affect inventory and replenishment.

Creating a purchase order

Required information

• Supplier (who fulfills the order)
• Destination / warehouse
• Currency
• Line items — products, quantities, costs (and tax where configured)
• Status — usually Draft until you send or confirm

Optional fields

• Reference / invoice number (also editable from the PO list)
• Payment terms and due date
• Note to supplier
• Shipping carrier and tracking number
• Tags for filtering on the list

Adding lines

1. Choose variants from inventory / catalog flows in the Create PO experience.
2. Set quantities and unit cost (tax as needed).
3. Add cost lines (e.g. freight) when the modal supports it.

Order statuses (same badges as the list)

The PO Status field uses the same badges you see on the Purchase order display:

• Draft — work in progress.
• Ordered — sent to supplier; awaiting shipment.
• Shipped — in transit.
• Delivered — received at destination (subject to your receiving workflow).
• Canceled — will not be fulfilled. (The UI uses Canceled; Cancelled is accepted where matching is needed.)

Payment vs PO status

Payment is tracked separately. On the list, Paid / Unpaid / Payment overdue use the payment badges:

Supplier communication

Where enabled:

1. Open More options (or equivalent) on the PO.
2. Choose Email supplier (or similar).
3. The app can generate a PDF and/or portal link and send via email.

Exact labels depend on your build; the goal is to share the PO outside Inventory Mate without retyping lines.

Receiving inventory

1. Open the PO (from the list or a direct link).
2. Choose Receive inventory / Receive when stock arrives (non-draft orders in read-only view).
3. Enter Qty received and Qty rejected per line, then Save.

The in-app copy matches what you see below: received quantities flow to Shopify on-hand at the PO destination; rejected is documentation on the PO only.

Summary

• Qty received — Applied to Shopify inventory at save (for the additional amounts you enter in this session), using the PO’s destination location.
• Qty rejected — Saved on the purchase order line for your records; does not adjust Shopify quantities.

Partial receipts

• Record only what arrived; remaining quantity stays open on the PO until fully received or adjusted.
• Line totals and PO status should follow your rules (e.g. toward Delivered when complete).

After save: inventory & replenishment

When PO lines or status change, downstream systems typically:

• Recompute open PO exposure per SKU/location.
• Refresh suggested restock / joins used on the replenishment screen (depending on sync and API).

See Suggested restock for how targets and On Order status interact.

Duplicate and delete

• Duplicate — creates a new PO (often Draft), copying lines; tracking and receipt state are not carried over as-is.
• Delete — usually restricted to Draft or policy-allowed states; removing a PO updates open PO quantities used in replenishment.

Best practices

1. Move Ordered → Shipped → Delivered as real events happen so arrival and reporting stay accurate.
2. Keep tracking and estimated arrival current to reduce false overdue signals on the list.
3. Align payment terms with due dates so Payment overdue reflects reality.