Skulock Operating Guide
This document outlines the standard operating procedures for the Skulock platform. Learn how to ingest data, interpret the cash-flow logic, and execute profitable decisions.
1 The "Runway" Concept
Traditional inventory management focuses on Quantity (e.g., "50 units"). Skulock focuses on Time (e.g., "12 days").
We calculate "Runway" using this formula:
Example: If you have 100 units and sell 10 per day, you have 10 Days Left.
The Danger Zone (Critical Concept)
You do NOT run out of stock when you hit "0 Units".
You effectively run out of stock when your Days Left < Lead Time.
- Your Supplier Takes: 15 Days (Lead Time)
- You have Stock for: 10 Days
- Result: 5 Days of $0 Sales (Stockout)
Skulock alerts you at Day 15, not Day 0.
2 Data Routine
A. Initial Setup (Master Import)
Use this only when first setting up your store or when supplier prices change.
- Goal: Establish the "Truth" (Cost, Price, Lead Time).
- Required Columns: SKU, Name, Stock, Cost Price, Selling Price, Lead Time.
- Behavior: Merge Update. This overwrites all fields.
- Tip: If you leave "Avg Daily Sales" blank, we default it to 0 until we learn it.
B. Weekly Sync (The Habit)
Perform this every Monday morning. It takes 30 seconds.
- Goal: Update Stock Levels & Recalculate Velocity.
- Required Columns: SKU, Current Stock. (Nothing else matters).
- Behavior: Safe Sync. It ignores Cost/Price columns to protect your settings.
- The Magic: Skulock compares this week's stock vs. last week's stock to auto-calculate your daily sales speed.
Warning: The "Cold Start" Phase
On your Day 1 Upload, Skulock has no history. It assumes Sales = 0.
Your dashboard will look "quiet" (Days Left: ∞).
The Fix: Wait for your 2nd Upload (e.g., next week). As soon as we see stock levels drop, the engine wakes up and calculates velocity automatically.
3 The Decision Matrix
We categorize every product based on Cash Flow (Speed) and Profit (Margin).
Cash Cows
These fund your business. Stockouts here are fatal to your bottom line.
Dead Weight
Items trapping your cash. They incur storage fees without generating revenue.
Hidden Gems
High margin items that are invisible to customers. Potential profit center.
Volume Movers
Keeps cash flowing, but risky if you overstock. Low ROI per unit.
Understanding Financial Alerts
Revenue at Risk
This is money you are losing right now. It is the calculated daily revenue of items that are Out of Stock but have high velocity.
Trapped Capital
This is the total cost value of your Dead Weight inventory. This is cash sitting on your shelf doing nothing.
4 Operator Playbook
Scenario A: "I just received a shipment."
You have 500 new units in the warehouse.
Scenario B: "My velocity looks wrong."
Skulock thinks I sell 0/day, but I know I sell 5/day.
Scenario C: "I have a new product."
You are launching a new SKU next week.
Troubleshooting / FAQ
Why does a product say "Days Left: ∞"? ▼
This means the daily velocity is 0. Mathematical infinity. Skulock cannot predict a stockout date because the item isn't selling yet (or we haven't seen 2 uploads to calculate speed).
Can I upload my Shopify export directly? ▼
Yes. Use the "Weekly Sync" mode. You will just need to map the "Variant SKU" and "Inventory Quantity" columns. Skulock will ignore all the other messy columns.
What if I have negative stock in my file? ▼
We sanitize this automatically. Negative numbers are treated as 0 to prevent calculation errors. We also handle text like "approx 50" by extracting the number 50.
Ready to optimize?
Now that you understand the logic, check your dashboard to see your current risks.