Lot tracking, expiration alerts, and safer inventory automation
Practical Edge Lot & Expiration Manager
An active-build Shopify app for merchants selling products where expiration dates matter: supplements, cosmetics, food, beverages, ingredients, lab supplies, health products, pet products, chemicals, seasonal goods, and more. The current beta target is a testable merchant workflow for controlled scope, lot records, CSV preview/export, dry-run risk scans, and optional storefront messaging.
The problem it solves
Shopify tracks how many units you have. It does not know which units expire first, which location has short-dated inventory, when staff should rotate stock, or when a product should be discounted or removed from sale.
Lot & Expiration Manager adds that missing operational layer while keeping inventory automation explicit, previewable, and safe. The first testable build is focused on read-only Shopify catalog lookup, controlled product/collection selection, manual lot records, CSV validation/export, and dry-run scan previews before any live inventory writes.
How the beta workflow works
- Select the products, collections, or all products you want the app to manage. Nothing is controlled by default.
- Add or import expiration records by variant and location. Lot codes are optional; the app can assign sequential codes automatically.
- Review dashboard alerts, missing-record warnings, discount candidates, and dry-run inventory previews.
- Enable inventory updates only after confirming exactly what the app is allowed to change.
Current beta capabilities
Track expiration date, optional lot code, quantity, received date, manufacturing date, notes, variant, and Shopify location.
Manage expiration inventory per location so one warehouse can be short-dated without affecting another.
Preview discount candidates for expiring stock, with safeguards against compounding discounts before live price writes are enabled.
Help staff pick the first-expiring active lot first before order-level automation is added.
Safety-first inventory controls
Inventory automation will require a deliberate first-time confirmation. If Shopify has inventory but the app has no expiration record for that variant/location, the app will warn you and will not overwrite Shopify inventory.
If email alerts are turned off, no emails will be sent — including urgent warnings — so the dashboard will make that clear.
Optional storefront messaging
Customer-facing expiration text will be off by default. When enabled, merchants can choose exact dates, month/year, or simple “expiring soon” messaging, plus customizable discount language.
Beta pricing direction
Starter
TBD
- Expiration records
- Dashboard alerts
- Manual entry and CSV import
Growth
TBD
- Near-expiration discount planning
- Multi-recipient alerts
- Storefront expiration messaging
Pro
TBD
- Advanced reporting
- Priority setup
- Expanded automation limits