For businesses handling products with limited shelf life or strict traceability requirements, such as food, cosmetics, or pharmaceuticals, efficient inventory management is essential. ShipHero's Lots and Expiration Tracking features provide the tools to manage these product types. This system tracks specific batches from receipt to delivery, enabling seamless product recalls and preventing expired items from reaching your customers.
Turn on Lots and Expirations yourself in your account settings. You no longer need to contact ShipHero Support to enable it.
Table of Contents
- Understanding Lots and Expirations
- Lots and Expiration Account Settings
- Enable Lot Tracking on Products
Understanding Lots and Expirations
- Lots (Lot Numbers): A lot number is a unique identifier assigned to a specific batch of products. This tracks products from manufacturing to the customer, enabling targeted recalls and quality control.
- Expirations (Expiration Dates): Linked to lot numbers, these specify when a product is no longer safe or effective. ShipHero uses these dates to implement picking strategies like FEFO to minimize waste.
Lots and Expiration Account Settings
Go to My Account > Settings > Lot Tracking to turn on Lots and Expirations and set how ShipHero handles expiring inventory.
Note for 3PLs: You cannot turn on Lots and Expirations from your main 3PL account. Select the client from the account dropdown first, then go to My Account > Settings > Lot Tracking. A 3PL client cannot turn it on for themselves, so the 3PL does it for them.
| Setting Name | Description/Action |
|---|---|
| Lot Tracking Priority | Choose FEFO (First Expired First Out) for perishables or FIFO (First In First Out) for non-perishables. |
| Picking Disabled Period | The number of days before expiration to stop warehouse picking. |
| Email Address | The destination for automated email reminders regarding expiring lots. |
| Verify Lot when picking | Optional: Forces the picker to scan/confirm the lot ID during fulfillment. |
| Exclude Expired Lots from Sales Channel | Optional: Prevents expired or "picking disabled" inventory from showing as available on your storefront. |
Enable Lot Tracking on Products
Lot tracking is not enabled by default for all products. You must manually enable the Needs Lot Tracking setting for each specific SKU.
Enable Needs Lot Tracking using the following methods:
- Single SKU: Use the pencil icon on the Product Details page.
- Bulk Edit: Use the Bulk Edit tool on the Inventory > Products page.
| Single SKU Example | Bulk Edit Example |
|---|---|
Lot Tracking Limitations
- Do not enable lot tracking for Kit SKUs. Lots must be managed at the component level. Enabling this on a Kit SKU will prevent inventory from syncing to your sales channels.
- The Needs Lot Tracking setting cannot be updated via CSV Bulk Edit upload at this time.