Managing cycle counts requires a lot of manual communication, especially for merchants with a large inventory network. Operations Managers and Admins often aren’t in a position to directly communicate cycle count requests to ground teams, instead rely on static forms of communication like email. If merchants need inventory reconciliation for multiple items, inconsistency in the information flow can lead to inaccurate inventory.

The Directed Cycle Count app is designed to adapt to the user who is operating it. When an Operations team member logs in, they are provided with admin screens or admin view screens that are dedicated to the holistic operations of cycle count management. Within the admin view, users can create draft cycle counts, assign them to stores for counting, and then review and either accept or reject them for recounts. After counts are completed, the admin views also show analytics of their counts for better overall visibility into inventory accuracy. For store side of the Cycle Count app, you can refer to our user manual for store operations team.

Once a count has been submitted for review by the facility it was assigned to, it will be shown on the Pending Review page.

Pending Review List View

On the review cycle count page, you can filter counts by facilities where the count was submitted from, as well as counts that have specifically been resubmitted after a recount.

If the cycle count is submitted for the first time, a Submitted badge will appear. For counts with items that were recounted and re-submitted, a Re-submitted badge will indicate that the count was reassigned and resubmitted by the facility after a recount.

The pending review list view also shows how many of the assigned items have been counted as well as the due date of the count. Clicking on a count opens the detail page for it.

Pending Review Detail View

The detail page of a pending review cycle count is where items are finally accepted or rejected from a cycle count.

Overview

The overview section, similar to the Assigned page, shows a high-level readout of how the count performed and overall accuracy. The due date of a cycle count can still be adjusted if it needs to be assigned back to a facility with a new due date.

The Inventory Variance Threshold function helps reviewers quickly filter out cycle count results based on the percent variance recorded. Counts that pass the variance threshold will be filterable using the green threshold filter, and counts that fall below the threshold can be filtered out under the red threshold filter.

Admins can use the slider of the inventory threshold to get accept/reject suggestions accordingly.

Count Items

Each count item will show the following information:

• Counted: Represents the physically available sellable inventory counted at the facility for a given product. If an item is not counted, this information will not be shown on an item.

• Systemic: Represents the quantity on hand at the time when that particular count was submitted.

• Variance: Shows the difference between the expected and counted values if a count is submitted for an item.

• User: The user name that submitted the count will be displayed below the variance.

If no count has been submitted for an item, a red badge labeled Not Counted will be displayed along with the date that this product was last counted.

Actions

Every count item has three options that the reviewer must select from. When a count is closed, all items where no action was performed will be rejected by default to ensure that they do not impact inventory.

• Accept: Accepting a count commits the variance submitted by that count to the OMS’s actual inventory and also becomes available to be synced to external systems as cycle counts or inventory adjustments. Click the green thumbs-up button to accept a count.

• Recount: When variances reported in a count are outside of acceptable limits and a recount by the store is required, click on the yellow recount button. This will reject the current count and add the same item back into the count so that when the count is reassigned to the facility, the product is available to be counted again.

• Reject: Rejecting an item discards a submitted count, ensuring that it does not impact OMS inventory levels. clicking on the red thumbs-down button rejects the cycle count for the items.

Suggested Actions

Based on the variance threshold selected, suggested actions will be highlighted with an outline. Admins can use the slider of the inventory threshold to accept/reject suggestions accordingly.

Items with variances within acceptable tolerances will be suggested by the system to be accepted, and items below acceptable tolerance will be suggested for recount or rejection. Items that were not counted at all will be suggested for recount.

Bulk Actions

Select multiple items by clicking on the checkbox at the end of an item and clicking on the desired bulk action in the bottom toolbar. All items can be selected or unselected by clicking on the checkbox in the top toolbar. Retailers can also switch the green or red threshold tabs to accept/reject items in bulk.

Add Item

If an item needs to be added to a count before being reassigned to a facility for a recount, click on the add toolbar at the top of the screen, search for the product using the product identifier, and click on Add to Count to add the product.

All the newly added items and the items sent for recount will need to be reassigned to the facility. Click on the re-assign button in the overview section to reassign the inventory count to the facility.

Close a count

To close a count, click on the primary action button at the bottom of the screen. This will prompt you to confirm that the current count is ready to close. All open count items from the count will be rejected and the count will no longer be editable. Closed counts are shown on the Closed counts page.

A directed cycle count begins as drafts. When logging into the Cycle Count app, the Drafts page is the first page you’ll see. To create a new draft, click on the + icon at the bottom right of the screen.

A new draft count will open up on a new page where you can begin setting up a new count.

Steps to draft new cycle count

1. Name your cycle count, a cycle count ID will be automatically assigned to it.

2. Add Products to the Count

   • Enter SKUs to Add to the Count

     • Adding Individual Products Retailers require cycle counts of a product in case they believe there is a discrepancy in the inventory of the product. For example, if the store has rejected the order with the reason Not in stock but the store should have available inventory.

       • As you enter the product's SKU, it will show up to the right of the input field. Ensure that the product SKU is accurate, otherwise the products won't appear in the results.

       • If the product you want to add to the draft count appears, click on the + button next to the product details.

       • To instantly add the result shown as a result of your search, press the enter key while the input field is selected.

     • Adding Products in Bulk If you already have a list of products in a CSV file format, you can upload the list of products by clicking the upload button in the upper right of the page.

       • Select a file from your local file system and upload it to the app.

       • Once uploaded, you’ll be prompted to select which product identification you’ve uploaded in the CSV and which column the products are located in.

       • Click the save button and the products will be added to your count. Products that are already added to the count will not be added again.

   • Removing Products If a product has been added that needs to be removed, click on the x button at the end of any product's row.

3. Add a Due Date Due dates are optional on directed cycle counts and can be added by clicking on the date-time button from the configuration options. For example, retailers may want to ensure that all the inventory is counted before commencing a season-end sale.

4. Assign a Facility Retailers need to decide the cycle count is created for which facility where the physical counting should happen. Assigning a facility is required to move a count from Draft to Assigned. To assign a facility, click on the + Assign button and select a facility from the facility selection modal.

Once a count is ready to be assigned to a facility, click on the send button at the bottom right of the draft detail page. The created draft will now appear in the assigned tab and on the store management side of the Cycle Count app.

Assigned cycle counts are awaiting the assigned facilities to submit for review. While assigned, the admin view provides insights into the progress made by stores.

Assigned Counts List View

The list of assigned counts shows how many of the items in each count have been completed and when the count is due. If the count is sent for the first time, it will have an Assigned badge. If a count has been sent for a "Re-count" after being reviewed, it will have a Re-count Requested badge.

Assigned Count Details

The details page of an assigned count helps track the exact progress of the specific count and take any corrective actions or initiate discussions with store personnel to ensure the full completion of a count.

Overview

The detail section of an assigned count starts with an overview of the count and its progress. On the left part of the overview, you’ll see details added during creation such as count name, assigned facility, and due date. On the right side, there is a brief progress insight.

Progress

The progress metric shows how many assigned cycle count line items have been completed. This does not represent the accuracy of the count, but rather the completeness of the whole count.

Variance

The variance metric shows the accuracy of the count for the counted items. It shows the total expected count along with the total inventory counted to highlight the difference between expected and actual inventory levels.

While the facility of a count cannot be changed once it is assigned, it can be rescheduled. To reschedule a count, click on the due date chip below the name of the count and select a new date from the date-time picker.

Item Counts

While a count is assigned, reviewers can still track individual item progress but cannot accept or reject the count items while it is still assigned.

Each count item will show the following information while in the assigned status:

• Quantity on Hand: The most current quantity on hand in the OMS will be shown for items that have not yet been counted. Once an item is counted, the quantity on hand for that item at the time of being counted will be displayed. This quantity on hand value will not change on a count item once it has been counted, ensuring accurate variance logs even if the count is accepted after inventory has continued to move in the facility.

• Counted: Once an item has been counted, it will show the counted number on the item. This is the exact count of inventory physically counted.

• User: The user who performed the count will be displayed on an item once the count is submitted. If a count is performed by multiple staff members, reviewers can track exactly which user performed each count.

• More Details: Clicking on the vertical ellipses at the end of a count item reveals additional information and actions on a count.

  • Last Counted: The last time this product was counted at this facility.

  • Remove from Count: If an item has not been counted, it can be removed from a count if the inventory count is no longer required for that product. Once an item has been counted, it can only be rejected during the review stage.

While in the assigned status, items can still be added to a count, which is helpful in the event that an item needs to be added after a count has already been assigned.

Move to Review

Reviewers have the option to use the admin view to move a count to the review stage themselves. This option should be used in the event that a count is not moved to the review stage by the assigned facility.

To move a count to Pending Review status, click on the lock button at the bottom right of the page.

The Bulk Import functionality of HotWax Commerce’s Cycle Count app is designed to simplify the process of creating and assigning cycle counts for multiple products across multiple facilities. It allows users to create multiple cycle counts using a CSV upload which eliminates the need to create individual requests for each product or location.

This reduces manual effort, minimizes errors, and enhances operational efficiency, especially for retailers with large store networks.

This guide explains how to create cycle counts in bulk

Preparaing the CSV File

The template of the CSV file is as follows:

HotWax Commerce’s Cycle Count app accepts five key fields:

1. Count_Name: The name of the inventory count.

   • This is a required field.

   • If multiple SKUs are part of the same count, repeat the count name.

   • For example, if the user is naming a count "WEEK_3", it should be repeated for each SKU in that count.

2. PRODUCT_SKU: The SKU of the product requiring a cycle count.

   • This is a required field.

3. Facility_ID: The ID of the HotWax facility where the count will be assigned.

   • This is an optional field.

   • Blanks the count in the 'Draft' status'.

4. STATUS: The status of the count.

   • This is an optional field.

   • The user must use:

     • INV_COUNT_CREATED to save the count as a draft and assign it later.

     • INV_COUNT_ASSIGNED to assign the count immediately.

   • Blanks create the count in the 'Draft' status'.

5. DUE_DATE: The due date of the count.

   • This is an optional field.

   • The user must use the yyyy/mm/dd format.

   • Blanks create the count with no due date.

Steps to Create Cycle Counts in Bulk:

1. Accessing the Cycle Count app

• Navigate to the Cycle Count app from the HotWax Commerce's launchpad.

• Log in using credentials.

2. Uploading the CSV file

• IN the bottom right corner of the draft page, click the + button to initiate a new count.

• Two icons appear; Select the icon with multiple pages for a bulk import.

• On the Draft Bulk modal, click on the Upload button on the top-right to import the prepared CSV file.

3. Mapping custom CSV fields to the systemic fields

• Click the dropdown next to "Count name" and select your custom field for the count name.

• Repeat previous step for the other fields (Product SKU, Facility, Status, Due Date).

4. Confirm and Upload

• After mapping the fields, click the Upload button on the bottom of the screen.

• Confirm the upload in the popup window.

5. Review uploaded files

• Once uploaded, the file will appear at the bottom of the Draft bulk screen which can be downloaded.

• The files will be processed within 10 minutes of the upload.

6. Canceling Uploaded Counts

• If the uploads have not been processed, users can cancel them by clicking the trash-bin icon next to the file.

Close Counts Details

The closed counts page gives a review of all counts that have been closed. This page is helpful for getting an overview of how cycle counts have been performing.

The top of the page has two metrics:

Counts closed: Number of counts that have been closed in the selected time range.

Average variance: The average variance presents an overall measure of how accurate inventory has been across all recently closed cycle counts.

The Closed count list shows the name and ID of the cycle count along with the facility from which it is completed and the date on which the cycle count is closed. Admins can also see the item count details such as how many items were available in the count and how many of them were counted. the rejected inventory counts and the total inventory variance are also visible for admins to easily identify the count with major inaccuracies.

Export Cycle Count Details

To get a detailed view of recently closed counts, use the export function available at the right bottom and save counts offline in a CSV format that can be opened in all common spreadsheet tools.

Configurable export options: Commonly referenced values can be configured during export to help make reporting easier.

Facility

• Internal ID

• External ID

Primary/Secondary Product ID

• Internal ID

• Internal Name

• SKU

• UPC

Line Status

• Accepted

• Rejected

When importing the Count ID, facility and Internal ID are mandatory fields, while individual columns can also be selected to be included in the export, but all fields are selected by default. The following columns are available to export: