Agent in a Box

Autonomous Stockout & Inventory Recovery Agent

operations
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Autonomous Stockout & Inventory Recovery Agent

1. Problem Statement

For e-commerce and retail startups, stockouts are silent revenue killers that cause more than just a missed sale; they trigger permanent customer churn and damage SEO rankings on marketplaces like Amazon or Shopify. Currently, most startups manage inventory reactively. An operations manager manually checks spreadsheets or receives a low-stock alert, then spends hours emailing suppliers for lead times, updating product pages with "Out of Stock" badges, and manually setting up "Notify Me" flows.

By the time the replenishment order is placed, the item has often been OOS for 48 hours, resulting in a 15-22% drop in search visibility that takes weeks to recover. This is often compounded by the 'Bullwhip Effect' where delayed communication with suppliers leads to over-ordering or late arrivals. Startups lack the headcount to monitor 500+ SKUs against real-time sales velocity shifts. Without an autonomous bridge between sales data and procurement, the business remains trapped in a cycle of firefighting inventory gaps rather than scaling profitably. This agent automates the entire loop: from detecting velocity spikes to drafting purchase orders and launching pre-order recovery campaigns.

2. What the Agent Does/Doesn't Do

What it does:

  • Monitors real-time sales velocity and calculates "Days of Inventory Remaining" (DIR) per SKU.
  • Automatically drafts Purchase Orders (POs) when SKUs hit a dynamic reorder point.
  • Communicates with suppliers via email to confirm lead times and pricing.
  • Switches Shopify/Amazon listings to "Pre-order" mode and triggers email notifications to waitlisted customers.

What it doesn't do:

  • Physically move inventory or manage warehouse robotics.
  • Authorize bank transfers (it only prepares the PO for human approval).
  • Negotiate long-term contract terms with new suppliers.

3. Workflow

  1. Velocity Analysis: Agent pulls daily sales data (Shopify/Amazon) and current stock levels. Input: API Sales Data; Output: SKU Velocity Score.
  2. Threshold Trigger: Agent identifies SKUs where DIR < Lead Time + 7 days. Input: Velocity Score + Supplier Lead Time; Output: Reorder Alert.
  3. Supplier Reconciliation: Agent emails the supplier to confirm stock availability and current shipping windows. Input: Supplier Contact DB; Output: Confirmed Lead Time.
  4. PO Generation: Agent creates a draft PO in the ERP/Accounting system and sends a Slack notification for approval. Input: Inventory Needs; Output: Draft PO.
  5. Front-end Recovery: If stock hits zero before replenishment arrives, the agent updates the CMS to "Pre-order" and activates the "Back in Stock" email flow. This ensures your Marketing Spend Optimization isn't wasted on out-of-stock items.

4. Tool Stack

  • Inventory Data: Shopify API or [VERIFY TOOL: Inventory Planner].
  • Orchestration: Make.com (Pro Plan: $10.59/mo).
  • Intelligence: OpenAI GPT-4o API (Pay-as-you-go).
  • Communication: SendGrid or Gmail API for supplier outreach.
  • ERP/Accounting: QuickBooks Online or Xero ($30/mo).

5. Prompt Skeletons

### Prompt 1: Velocity & Risk Assessment
You are an Inventory Analyst. Review the following SKU data: 
SKU: {{sku_name}}
Current Stock: {{current_stock}}
Sales (Last 7 Days): {{sales_7d}}
Sales (Last 30 Days): {{sales_30d}}
Supplier Lead Time: {{lead_time}} days.

Calculate the daily burn rate (weighted 70% on last 7 days, 30% on last 30). 
Determine the 'Stockout Date'. If Stockout Date is within lead time + 5 days, 
output a JSON object with: {"status": "CRITICAL", "reorder_qty": "calc_value", "risk_level": 1-10}.

### Prompt 2: Supplier Outreach
Write a professional procurement email to {{supplier_name}}. 
Reference our previous PO #{{last_po}}. 
We are seeing increased velocity for {{sku_name}} and need to confirm: 
1. Current unit price for {{reorder_qty}} units. 
2. Estimated shipping date if PO is placed within 24 hours. 
Keep the tone urgent but professional. Output as a draft email.

### Prompt 3: Customer Recovery Messaging
Our SKU {{sku_name}} has just gone out of stock. 
Generate a high-converting 'Pre-order' product description overlay. 
Focus on: 
1. Scarcity (Next batch arriving {{arrival_date}}). 
2. Value (Lock in current price). 
3. Assurance (Full refund if shipping is delayed). 
Maximum 3 sentences.

6. Success Metrics

  • OOS Rate: Reduce total out-of-stock hours by 40% in 90 days.
  • Recovery Conversion: Achieve a 15%+ conversion rate on "Pre-order" items vs. historical OOS drops.
  • Lead Time Accuracy: Difference between agent-predicted and actual supplier delivery dates.