Inventory Management for E-commerce Operations
Running an online store means inventory is always on the move. Orders commit stock before you pick them. Purchases need to be tracked before they arrive. The gap between what your store shows and what you actually have can cost you customers and your reputation.
For E-commerce
Why e-commerce inventory is harder than it looks
A product listing shows 15 units in stock. A customer buys 10. Another buys 5. Both orders show confirmed. You go to pick and discover there are only 12 units, because two orders were placed simultaneously and the inventory count was the same for both when they checked out. Overselling is the most visible symptom of inventory systems that work with totals instead of reservations.
The problem compounds as you add channels. Your website, a marketplace, a wholesale portal: each one reads the same inventory number and allows sales without coordination. An order on one channel does not instantly reduce what another channel shows. The gap is where overselling happens, and where customer trust is lost.
On the supply side, managing what is coming in from suppliers is equally fragile with spreadsheets. You know you ordered 200 units but do not have visibility into when they will arrive, whether the supplier shipped short, or what the actual unit cost was on this specific purchase order versus the last one.
Loribase brings structure to all of this. Inventory exists in 4 states simultaneously: physical, reserved, available, and incoming. Orders reserve stock, not reduce it. Purchases are tracked from PO to receipt. Every event is recorded and auditable.
Features
What Loribase delivers for e-commerce operations
Real available stock (not just total)
Loribase separates physical stock from reserved stock. The number you can sell, and publish to your store, is the available quantity: physical minus reserved. No more overselling because two orders hit simultaneously.
Automatic stock reservation on order confirmation
The moment an order is confirmed, the required quantity is reserved. Other orders cannot touch that stock. The reservation is instant. No delay, no race condition, no risk of committing the same unit twice.
Purchase order tracking from suppliers
Create purchase orders for each supplier. Track expected delivery dates, partial receipts, and invoice reconciliation. Incoming stock is visible before it arrives, so you can promise availability before the shipment lands.
Multi-location inventory for fulfillment
If you fulfill from multiple warehouses or fulfillment centers, each location has independent inventory. Orders can be allocated to the correct location. Transfers between locations are tracked with full documentation.
Returns handled as inventory events
A returned item is not just a refund; it is an inventory event. Loribase records returns with the original lot identity, condition notes, and re-entry status. Returned stock is not automatically available until explicitly released.
Complete audit trail for every SKU
Every stock movement, whether receipt, reservation, fulfillment, transfer, or return, is recorded as an immutable event. The audit trail tells you exactly what happened to every unit of every SKU, when, and why.
How It Works
How e-commerce inventory flows through Loribase
Stock enters from supplier purchase orders
Create a PO for each supplier shipment. When goods arrive, register the receipt. Each SKU gets a new inventory lot with the exact purchase cost. Available stock updates immediately, visible to your store.
Order confirmed: stock reserved instantly
A customer order comes in. Loribase reserves the required quantity for each SKU. The reservation happens before picking, before shipping, at the moment of confirmation. Available stock for new orders reflects the reservation immediately.
Pick, pack, and ship: inventory consumed
When you ship the order, the reservation converts to fulfillment. The specific lots that were picked are consumed. The FIFO cost of the fulfilled items is recorded permanently. Inventory is accurate at the unit level.
Returns re-enter with controlled status
A returned item enters a "received, pending inspection" state, not automatically available. After inspection, you decide: re-enter to available stock, quarantine, or write off. Every step is recorded.
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