Show existing lot expiry as a confirm-to-use suggestion at receiving (exact match, opt-in)
Problem
Cin7 already stores the expiry date tied to every lot number per product (this is exactly what the Lot Expiry Report shows). But that data isn't surfaced during receiving — so when a familiar lot comes back in from a supplier, the person receiving stock has to manually look up or re-type the expiry from scratch every time, even though Cin7 already has it on file.
Proposed feature
An opt-in setting (default: off), so nothing changes for customers who don't want it. Once enabled, when a lot number entered at receiving is an exact match to a lot Cin7 already has on record for that MPN, Cin7 shows the expiry on file as a suggestion — along with the date that lot was last received, so there's context to sanity-check against.
How it should behave
- The lot number is typed in full, same as today — no new typing behavior.
- If that exact lot number already exists for that MPN and is still in stock, Cin7 surfaces its expiry as a suggestion.
- Nothing autofills. A single explicit action (e.g., pressing Enter or an "Accept" button) is required to use the suggestion — otherwise the field stays blank for manual entry as it does now.
- Only lots still in stock are surfaced, so used-up or long-closed lots don't clutter the suggestion.
- No partial-match or fuzzy matching — exact lot number only, which avoids confusing near-identical lot numbers from the same supplier.
Why this is a small, low-risk addition for Cin7
This isn't new matching logic or a new data model — it's surfacing data Cin7 already tracks (the same data behind the existing Lot Expiry Report) at the moment it's actually useful. Because it requires exact match and explicit confirmation, there's no risk of silently propagating a bad entry or picking the wrong similar-looking lot. And because it's opt-in, it's zero-impact for any customer who doesn't use it.
Why this isn't just a niche use case
Any Cin7 customer on FEFO costing is required to enter an expiry on every batch received — this spans food & beverage, pharma, cosmetics, and chemical businesses broadly, not just supplement retailers. Repeat receiving from the same suppliers is the normal case for most of these businesses, so the manual re-entry friction this addresses is common, not unique to any one business.
Comments
2 comments
This would save a ton of manual effort and tedium when we get our system up and running
This feels like a very reasonable enhancement request. The key point is that Cin7 already stores the expiry date against the lot number, so the proposal is not asking for a new data model or complex matching logic - just surfacing existing information at the point of receiving.
The exact-match requirement, “still in stock” filter, and explicit confirmation before applying the date make it a low-risk approach from a data integrity perspective. Keeping it opt-in also means businesses that prefer their current workflow would see no change.
For FEFO users in industries such as food, beverage, pharmaceuticals, cosmetics, and chemicals, re-entering the same expiry information for repeat supplier lots is a common task. Even a small reduction in manual entry can save time and reduce transcription errors during receiving.
Overall, this seems like a practical quality-of-life improvement that aligns well with how many inventory teams already work with recurring lots and suppliers. slope 2
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