Inventory Agent
Reorders before you run out, without tying up cash in stock you do not need.
What is inventory agent?
An inventory agent watches stock movement against actual sales, forecasts which lines will run short and when, and raises reorder requests early enough to arrive before the shelf empties, accounting for what each supplier genuinely takes to deliver.
Stock control is a balance between two expensive failures. Running out loses the sale and sometimes the customer; overstocking ties up cash in goods that sit for months.
Both usually happen simultaneously in the same business, on different lines, because reorder levels were set once and demand has moved since.
An agent watches actual sales, works out what will run short and when, and raises the order in time for it to arrive. Crucially, it uses the lead time each supplier actually achieves rather than the one they quote.
Why orders are raised rather than placed
Duara deploys inventory agents from Nairobi for retailers, distributors and manufacturers where stock decisions currently rest on somebody memory and a monthly count.
We raise orders for approval rather than placing them, at least initially. An agent ordering autonomously on a bad forecast can commit substantial cash before anybody looks, and the saving from removing the approval click is trivial against that exposure.
Who this is for
- You run out of popular items
- Cash is tied up in slow moving stock
- Reordering happens from memory
- Supplier lead times are assumed rather than measured
Industries we serve
- Retail chains
- Pharmaceutical distribution
- Food and beverage
- Hardware and building supplies
- Manufacturing components
- Agricultural inputs
Problems this solves
These describe stock control operating on assumptions that were true when they were set and are not now.
- Stock outs on the lines that sell. The fast movers run out because reorder points were set for demand that has since grown.
- Cash tied up in slow stock. Money sits in goods nobody is buying, and the same business is simultaneously short of the items that move.
- Quoted lead times treated as real. Reordering assumes the supplier delivers in the time they promised rather than the time they actually take.
- Decisions from memory. Reordering depends on somebody noticing a gap, which happens inconsistently and usually late.
What we deliver
Continuous tracking against real sales, forecasting of which lines will run short and when, reorders raised for approval with measured supplier lead times applied, and slow stock flagged for action.
Live stock tracking against actual sales
Forecasts of what will run short and when
Reorders raised automatically for approval
Supplier lead times measured from real deliveries
Slow moving stock flagged for action
Reporting on stock outs avoided and cash released
Features
- Approval before ordering. Orders are raised for a person by default, because an agent ordering on a bad forecast commits real cash before anybody looks.
- Measured lead times. Reorder timing uses what each supplier actually achieves, calculated from your receipts rather than from their quoted terms.
- Both failure modes watched. Slow moving stock is flagged alongside shortages, since tied up cash is as damaging as an empty shelf.
- Seasonality from your history. Recurring annual patterns are learned from your own sales rather than assumed from sector norms.
- Per line thresholds. Different lines carry different risk, so a fast moving essential is treated differently from an occasional item.
Benefits
- Fewer lost sales. The lines that actually sell stay in stock, which is where the recoverable revenue is.
- Cash released from slow stock. Identifying what is not moving lets you stop reordering it, which frees working capital immediately.
- Realistic ordering. Using measured lead times rather than quoted ones removes a common and invisible cause of stock outs.
- Stock decisions stop being personal. Reordering no longer depends on one person noticing, so it survives their absence.
Technologies we use
- Sales and stock integration. Reading movement from your point of sale, ERP or stock system continuously rather than at count time.
- Demand forecasting. Per line prediction from your own sales history, including seasonal and trend components.
- Lead time measurement. Calculating what each supplier actually achieves from order date to receipt.
- Reorder point calculation. Combining forecast demand and measured lead time to determine when an order must be raised.
- Slow stock detection. Identifying lines whose movement no longer justifies the capital held in them.
Lead time accuracy matters more than forecasting sophistication. A good forecast ordered too late still produces an empty shelf.
How the process works, step by step
An inventory agent usually takes five to seven weeks, with a period of recommending before it raises anything.
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Step 1
Free stock review
We look at your stock out frequency, slow stock value and how reordering currently happens.
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Step 2
Data connection
Sales and stock movement are connected so forecasting runs on real figures rather than periodic counts.
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Step 3
Lead time measurement
We calculate what each supplier actually delivers in, which is often materially different from their terms.
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Step 4
Recommendation only
The agent recommends reorders without raising them, so its judgement can be compared against your buyer.
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Step 5
Raising for approval
It begins raising orders for approval once recommendations have proved sound.
Quality assurance and how we work
The commitments attached to an agent that influences purchasing.
- It raises rather than places orders. Approval stays with a person by default. An agent ordering on a bad forecast commits real cash before anybody looks at it.
- Recommendation before raising. It recommends without acting first, so its judgement is compared against your buyer before it touches anything.
- Lead times are measured, not quoted. Reorder timing uses what suppliers actually achieve, calculated from your own receipt records.
- Slow stock is reported too. We flag capital tied up in stock that is not moving, not only shortages, because both cost money.
- New lines are declared unforecastable. A product with no sales history cannot be forecast and we say so rather than producing a number.
Frequently asked questions about inventory agent
Does it order by itself?
It raises orders for approval by default. An agent ordering autonomously on a bad forecast can commit substantial cash before anybody notices.
Can we let it order automatically?
Within limits you set, once recommendations have proved sound. Most clients keep approval because the saving from removing a click is trivial against the exposure.
How does it know supplier lead times?
It measures them from your own receipt records, comparing order date to actual arrival, which is frequently different from quoted terms.
Why does lead time accuracy matter more than the forecast?
Because a good forecast ordered too late still produces an empty shelf. Lead time accuracy matters more than forecasting sophistication.
What about seasonal demand?
Learned from your own history, provided it covers full cycles. Where it does not, we say so rather than forecasting through a season blind.
Does it handle new products?
No, and it says so. A line with no sales history cannot be forecast, though an analogous product can inform a manual estimate.
Will it help with overstocking?
Yes. Slow moving stock is flagged alongside shortages, because tied up cash is as damaging as an empty shelf and usually less visible.
Which stock systems must it connect to?
Your point of sale, ERP or stock system, read continuously rather than at count time.
How soon will it be raising orders?
Five to seven weeks, including a recommendation only period where its judgement is compared against your buyer.
Why recommend before raising?
So you can see whether the agent agrees with your buyer before it influences anything. Disagreement usually means a data problem worth finding.
Can it work across several branches?
Yes, and branch level forecasting frequently reveals differences a consolidated view hides completely.
Does it handle transfers between sites?
Yes, and moving stock between branches is often cheaper than reordering, which the agent will propose where applicable.
What if our stock records are inaccurate?
Then forecasting is unreliable, and we say so during the review. Stock accuracy is a precondition rather than something the agent fixes.
Can it account for promotions?
Where you tell it about them in advance, yes. An unannounced promotion will look like an anomaly and it will say so.
Does it consider minimum order quantities?
Yes, and supplier terms including minimums and pack sizes are part of the reorder calculation.
How do we measure the effect on stock?
Stock out frequency and slow stock value, compared against the baseline recorded during the stock review.
Will it replace our buyer?
No. It removes the monitoring and the arithmetic. Supplier relationships and negotiation stay with a person.
Can it flag pricing anomalies?
It flags unusual purchase costs for review, though the decision about whether a price is acceptable stays with your team.
Is our stock data confidential?
Yes. It stays in your systems and is never used to train public AI models or shared with other clients.
What does stock monitoring cost to run?
Line count and transaction volume determine it, quoted against your own stock figures before anything is agreed.
Glossary of terms
Stock control vocabulary in plain terms.
- Reorder point
- The stock level at which a new order must be raised to arrive before running out.
- Lead time
- How many days a supplier really takes from your order to goods on your shelf, measured rather than quoted.
- Safety stock
- Extra stock held to absorb variation in demand or supplier delivery.
- Stock out
- Having no stock of an item customers want to buy.
- Slow moving stock
- Inventory whose sales rate no longer justifies the capital tied up in it.
- Stock turn
- How many times inventory is sold and replaced over a period.
Related services in AI Agents
Talk to us about inventory agent
Pick your five best selling lines and check how often each was out of stock last quarter. That number is usually the argument.
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