Inventory Alert System¶

Feature Launch Date: December 2025 For: Business Owners & Administrators

Overview¶

The inventory alert system sends automatic email notifications when product stock levels drop below your reorder points or go out of stock. The system is smart enough to avoid false alarms when your week naturally starts with low inventory, and only alerts you when stock actually decreases from expected levels.

How It Works¶

The Basics¶

The system checks inventory levels every 10 minutes during your active week (when week status is complete). When it finds products that are low or out of stock, it compares the current stock to a baseline snapshot taken at the start of your week.

If stock decreased from baseline: Alert sent
If stock stayed the same or increased: No alert (avoids false alarms)

Smart Baseline Tracking¶

When your week completes (status changes to 5), the system automatically takes a snapshot of inventory levels for all products with reorder points set. This baseline is what gets compared against when checking for alerts.

Example: You start the week with 5 units of a product (below the reorder point of 20). Without baseline tracking, you'd get alerts every 10 minutes all week long. With baseline tracking, the system knows you started with 5 units and won't alert unless it drops below 5.

Setting Up Inventory Alerts¶

Step 1: Enable Notifications¶

Go to Admin User Settings (typically under your profile or /kiv/admin-user.php?nav=notifications)
Find the Daily Operations & Reports section
Enable Inventory Level Notification
Save your preferences

The system automatically enables inventory alerts when at least one admin has this notification turned on. If all admins disable it, the system stops checking inventory levels entirely (saves server resources).

Step 2: Set Reorder Points¶

Go to Add/Edit Product (/kiv/add-product.php)
Edit the product you want to track
Find the Reorder Point field
Enter the minimum stock level that should trigger an alert
Save the product

Note: Only products with a reorder point greater than 0 will be tracked for alerts.

Understanding Alert Emails¶

Alert emails contain two sections:

OUT OF STOCK¶

Products where available inventory (stock minus reserved) is zero or negative.

OUT OF STOCK (2 products):

ID: 123 | Organic Apples
  Stock: 5 | Reserved: 8 | Available: -3

ID: 456 | Grass-Fed Beef
  Stock: 0 | Reserved: 0 | Available: 0

LOW STOCK WARNING¶

Products where available inventory is above zero but at or below the reorder point.

LOW STOCK WARNING (3 products):

ID: 789 | Carrots
  Stock: 15 | Reserved: 0 | Available: 15 | Reorder Point: 20

ID: 234 | Lettuce
  Stock: 8 | Reserved: 3 | Available: 5 | Reorder Point: 10

Alert Cooldown (Prevents Spam)¶

Once an alert is sent for a specific product, the system won't send another alert for that product for 24 hours. This prevents your inbox from getting flooded with the same alert over and over.

Exception: If you change the reorder point on a product, a new baseline is created immediately and the cooldown is bypassed. This lets you get a fresh alert right away if needed.

Viewing Alert History¶

Navigate to Inventory > Alert History in the admin menu
You'll see a table with all alerts and baselines
Records show:
Product ID (menu_id)
Alert Type (baseline or alert)
Timestamp (when it was recorded)
Stock Level (stock_at_alert)
Cooldown Until (when next alert can be sent)

The history is sorted with newest records first. The system automatically cleans up records older than 30 days.

Alert Types Explained¶

Baseline Records¶

Created automatically when your week completes
No email sent
Used for comparison to detect actual stock decreases
Helps prevent false alarms

Alert Records¶

Created when stock drops below baseline and hits reorder point
Email sent to all admins with notifications enabled
Has a 24-hour cooldown to prevent spam
Shows in alert history with cooldown expiration

Common Scenarios¶

Scenario: Week Starts with Low Stock (Expected)¶

Week completes with Product X at 5 units (reorder point is 20)
Baseline created with stock = 5
System checks inventory: current 5 = baseline 5
Result: No alert sent (stock didn't decrease)

Scenario: Rapid Sellout (Alert Needed)¶

Week completes with Product Y at 50 units
Baseline created with stock = 50
30 minutes later, big orders come in, now 0 available
System checks: current 0 < baseline 50
Result: Alert sent immediately

Scenario: Adjusting Reorder Point¶

Product at 10 units, reorder point = 20 (alert was sent yesterday)
You lower reorder point to 5 and save
New baseline created with stock = 10
Later that day, stock drops to 4 units
Result: New alert sent (cooldown bypassed because baseline reset)

Best Practices¶

Setting Reorder Points¶

Fast movers: Set higher reorder points (20-50 units) to give yourself lead time
Slow movers: Set lower reorder points (5-10 units) to avoid unnecessary alerts
Critical products: Set conservative reorder points to ensure you never run out
Review regularly: Adjust reorder points based on actual sales patterns

Managing Alerts¶

Check your email regularly for inventory alerts
Use the alert history to spot patterns (products that frequently go low)
Adjust reorder points if you're getting too many or too few alerts
Disable notifications temporarily during inventory restocking if needed

Technical Details¶

When Alerts Run¶

Every 10 minutes via cron job
Only when week status = 5 (complete)
Only for products with reorder_point > 0
Only if at least one admin has notifications enabled

Automatic Cleanup¶

Records older than 30 days are deleted automatically
Runs once per week
Keeps database size manageable
Recent baselines (90 days) are kept for reference

Troubleshooting¶

Not receiving alerts¶

Verify you have Inventory Level Notification enabled in your admin preferences
Check that products have reorder points set (greater than 0)
Confirm week status is 5 (complete)
Check spam folder for alert emails
Verify stock is actually below the baseline (not just below reorder point)

Getting too many alerts¶

Lower reorder points on products that alert too often
Check if baselines are being created properly when week completes
Review alert history to see which products are triggering most alerts
Consider increasing cooldown period (requires system configuration change)

False alarms on products¶

Verify baselines are being created when week status changes to 5
Check that week status is actually completing (not stuck in another status)
Review the alert history to see baseline vs alert records

FAQ¶

Q: Can I set different reorder points for different products? A: Yes, each product has its own reorder point field.

Q: What happens if I don't set a reorder point? A: Products with reorder point = 0 are not tracked and won't generate alerts.

Q: Can I disable alerts temporarily? A: Yes, just disable the Inventory Level Notification in your admin preferences. You can re-enable it anytime.

Q: How long does the cooldown last? A: 24 hours by default. After an alert is sent for a product, you won't get another one for that product for 24 hours (unless you change the reorder point).

Q: Can multiple admins receive alerts? A: Yes, all admins who have Inventory Level Notification enabled will receive alert emails.

Q: What if stock goes back up after an alert? A: The system only alerts on decreases from baseline. If stock increases, no new alerts are sent (which is what you want).

Q: Do baselines reset every week? A: Yes, when your week status changes to 5 (complete), new baselines are created for all tracked products.

Q: Can I manually trigger an alert or baseline? A: Not through the UI, but you can adjust a product's reorder point to force a new baseline creation.

Support¶

If you need assistance with this feature: - Review this documentation - Check the alert history at Inventory > Alert History - Verify your notification preferences at /kiv/admin-user.php?nav=notifications - Contact your system administrator

Last Updated: December 12, 2025