Tracking Expiration Dates, Lots, and Batches

Handled can support inventory tracking by expiration date, lot number, and/or batch number when those fields are required for your products.

This is commonly used for products such as food, supplements, cosmetics, health and beauty items, medical-adjacent products, and other goods where inventory needs to be traced to a specific production run, supplier lot, or expiration date.

When to Set Up Lot/Batch, or Expiration Date Tracking

Lot/batch, and/or expiration date tracking must be enabled at the Product record level before inventory is received by Handled.

This should be done during the initial product setup process. If a product needs to be tracked by lot/batch, or expiration date, please provide that information to Handled when the product is originally created in the Handled system.

This is important because the product must be configured correctly before inventory is received. If inventory is received before lot/batch, or expiration tracking is enabled, Handled may not be able to properly associate the inventory with the correct tracking values.

What to Provide During Product Setup

When setting up a product, please let Handled know whether the product requires any of the following:

• Lot/Batch tracking
• Expiration date tracking
• A combination of lot/batch and expiration date tracking

You should provide this information before sending inventory to Handled and before creating purchase orders for the product.

Creating Purchase Orders for Lot/Batch and Expiration Tracking

Once lot, batch, or expiration tracking has been enabled for a product, you will also need to enter the corresponding values when creating purchase orders.

Each unique lot/batch and/or expiration date combination must be entered on its own purchase order. Do not combine multiple lot/batch or expiration date combinations on the same PO.

For example, if you are sending the same SKU in two different lots, each lot should have its own PO. If you are sending the same SKU with two different expiration dates, each expiration date should also have its own PO.

The purchase order tells Handled what inventory is expected to arrive and what tracking values should be associated with that inventory. For products that require lot/batch or expiration tracking, the PO should include the applicable values for the inventory being received.

This allows Handled to receive the inventory into the correct lot, batch, and/or expiration date record in the Handled system.

Why This Matters

Accurate lot, batch, and expiration date tracking helps ensure that inventory is received, stored, picked, and shipped correctly.

It also helps support:

• FIFO or FEFO inventory workflows
• Expiration date controls
• Lot-specific inventory visibility
• Product traceability
• Recall support, when applicable
• Customer or retailer compliance requirements

Important Notes

Lot/batch and expiration tracking should be configured before inventory is received.

If you need this tracking enabled for a product, tell Handled during the initial product setup process.

Once tracking is enabled, make sure the correct lot, batch, and/or expiration date values are included on your purchase orders.

Each unique lot, batch, and/or expiration date combination must be entered on a separate PO.

If you are unsure whether your products require lot, batch, or expiration date tracking, contact Handled before sending inventory so we can help confirm the correct setup.