Amazon Warehousing and Distribution (AWD)

SoStocked now has an API integration into AWD. This allows us to pull the following reports on a daily basis:

  • AWD warehouse inventory levels
  • ASDN shipments (AWD to FBA)
  • STAR shipments (Inbound to AWD)

This integration will allow you to sync your AWD inventory levels which is automatically updated through the API feed daily.

It will also pull in new AWD to FBA (ASDN) shipments and SoStocked will auto-reconcile those FBA shipments so you do not have to do anything. All inbound inventory will be counted as inbound with a 20-day inbound lead time. The FBA (ASDN) shipments will be automatically reconciled as "One Time" inbound shipments, requiring no action on your part.

STAR shipments (inbound to AWD warehouse) will also be pulled in automatically daily and will be available to manually reconcile against your SoStocked POs or Work Order (WO) transfers to AWD, they will behave exactly as reconciled FBA shipments as covered in that tutorial. The only difference is on Step 1 when you are asked if all units are going to FBA, you answer "NO", as they are going to AWD. Then select the vendor and reconcile.


SETTINGS SUMMARY

Process for when AWD Integration button is toggled on:
  • The system will create Amazon AWD warehouse as the originating vendor of ASDN shipments and assign products to it based on the API report
  • The system will pull Amazon AWD warehouse levels and display them for warehouse ‘Amazon AWD’
  • The system will pull STAR shipments but will not reconcile - - manual reconciliation as per all AMZ shipments
  • The system will pull AWD ASDN shipments and auto reconcile as one time and don't deduct inventory

Inbound to AWD (STAR) Shipments - Reconcile Process

STAR shipments (inbound to AWD warehouse) will also be pulled in automatically daily and will be available to manually reconcile against your SoStocked POs or Work Order (WO) transfers to AWD.

NOTE: STAR shipments WILL NOT be auto-reconciled like ASDN shipments, as there is no way for SoStocked to automatically know which POs or WOs to reconcile inbound AWD inventory against. So make sure you manually reconcile these. The reconcile process is similar to FBA shipments as covered in that tutorial. The difference is on step 3 you would select "No", the shipment is NOT going to FBA.


Workflow Chart

These charts show you how the flow works from STAR to AWD and from AWD to FBA.

AWD Workflow Best Practices


  • Set up your default lead time from supplier to vendor, "Amazon AWD".


  • Since you are transferring inventory from AWD to FBA, we need to create a transfer schedule that more or less mimics the auto replenishment from AWD.  Different sellers may experience different auto replenishment levels for their accounts.


  • Please set your FBA transfer schedule to mimic what AWD and FBA are doing in your particular account. For example, weekly transfers with 30 days buffer between each transfer.

  • Set your transfer time based on your observation of how long it takes Amazon to transfer your inventory from AWD to FBA.

  • Set your order schedule from supplier to AWD to either As Needed or Fixed (i.e., Monthly), depending on your preference for how often you wish to place POs and how much inventory you want to store at AWD. Of course you can set your AWD warehouse buffer stock (min) or max stock per this tutorial just as you would with any other 3PL.


  • All FBA shipments created from AWD (ASDN) will be automatically reconciled as a one-time shipments. The system will display these as inbound on your Forecast Inventory Timeline with a 20 day inbound lead time (worst case scenario). But as soon as FBA scans the barcode on the FBA shipment it will display as being checked in "tomorrow" until all units are checked in.

  • If you have existing Purchase Orders going to AWD (STAR), make sure to Input these purchase orders to SoStocked and then reconcile AWD (STAR shipments).


  • STAR shipments are the inventory from your supplier to AWD (not FBA). These will also be found on the AMZ Shipments page. They will not yet be auto-reconciled. You must manually reconcile STAR shipments (either to POs, to WOs, or as One Time) the exact same way you have always reconciled non-AWD FBA shipments going direct to Amazon.


AWD Advanced Workflow (using multiple warehouses)

SoStocked is a powerful forecasting tool. But there are some limitations to how many “layers” of forecasting we can do at this time. When it comes to using multiple warehouses within one workflow, the system is not currently able to forecast transfers from one warehouse to another warehouse, due to foundation of the forecast timeline, which was designed to use one singular shared warehouse column.


In order to forecast for AWD when you are storing your inventory at another 3PL or factory warehouse, we have to be a bit clever in leveraging multiple dashboards, and only using the forecasting for the AWD > FBA portion of the workflow. While this is not the only potential workflow, this is the simplest without getting overly complicated.


So let’s set up your forecast in the following way:


  1. Track non-AWD 3PL / factory inventory outside of the inventory timeline
  2. Set default lead times as if we were ordering directly to AWD
  3. Use the Forecast “order” recommendations to estimate what we need to transfer from our factory warehouse or 3PL into AWD
  4. Track that non-AWD inventory on a separate dashboard 
  5. Restock to non-AWD warehouses using manual forecasting 

Your Lead Time on the Forecast will still show that you are ordering to your AWD instead of the 3PL. Create a custom lead time for transfers from 3PL to AWD. Make sure the # of days on this lead time will match future transfers. 


Set min-max for AWD only


We will turn off the 3PL inventory within the vendor settings page, for the Forecast and we will need to manually check this warehouse before placing new orders from the supplier. 


Create a custom dashboard on your Inventory page called, “Orders to AWD” and include the following columns:

Product Name

ASIN

Order Amount

Order By Date

Warehouse Stock

Total Warehouse Stock


Check this dashboard and cross-reference what I have in my 3PL already before placing a new order.


Place Work Orders from your 3PL to AWD instead of ordering to AWD directly. Use that new custom lead time that you created.


Anything else you need to order will be placed as a PO to your 3PL to stock up again to your desired amount at your 3PL. These will need to be forecasted manually. 


Repeat this process for every “Order Recommendation” to AWD, transferring as needed to replenish AWD before placing new POs to your 3PL


Additional Information From Amazon:

Auto-Replenishment uses a proprietary data science model to trigger replenishment to the FBA network. When the combined quantity of Available inventory in FBA network and Inventory in transit to FBA network falls below the Optimum level of supply for a specific ASIN, the Auto-Replenishment will be triggered during the next scheduled replenishment cycle to ensure the ASIN does not go out-of-stock.

Currently, the science model runs 3 times a week to monitor inventory in the FBA network and determine if an Auto-Replenishment shipment needs to be triggered.

The replenishments take up to an average of 14 days to move from an AWD center to the FBA network.

Further details regarding Replenishments from AWD are provided in help page : https://sellercentral.amazon.com/help/hub/reference/GKH7ASMAL93YECBF

Currently there are no long term storage fees present at AWD.

Details regarding AWD fees are provided in help page : https://sellercentral.amazon.com/help/hub/reference/GAYG62Q3MPE6STFS

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