Real-Time Availability Promise
Real-time available-to-promise (ATP) checks across all fulfillment nodes during catalog browsing and checkout to eliminate backorders, oversells, and order errors from stale inventory data.
Why This Matters
What It Is
Real-time available-to-promise (ATP) checks across all fulfillment nodes during catalog browsing and checkout to eliminate backorders, oversells, and order errors from stale inventory data.
Current State vs Future State Comparison
Current State
(Traditional)1. Catalog displays cached Inventory Management Management data from nightly ERP batch export (12-24 hours stale).
- Customer adds items to cart based on displayed 'in stock' status.
- Customer submits order to supplier.
4. Order entry clerk manually checks actual ERP Inventory Management Management availability (3-5 hours later). 5. Clerk discovers 10-20% of line items out of stock, contacts customer via email to remove or substitute items. 6. Back-and-forth negotiation on alternatives delays order fulfillment by 2-5 days.
Characteristics
- • SAP Ariba
- • Coupa
- • SAP Business One
- • Oracle NetSuite
- • Microsoft Dynamics
- • Akeneo PIM
- • Punchout2Go
Pain Points
- ⚠ Manual data entry leading to errors and delays.
- ⚠ Batch processing delays causing overselling or stockouts.
- ⚠ Lack of integration between ERP, WMS, and e-commerce platforms.
- ⚠ Version control issues with multiple teams updating product data.
- ⚠ Limited ATP visibility until after order submission.
- ⚠ Complex catalog management with large SKUs.
- ⚠ Legacy systems requiring costly custom integrations for real-time punchout.
- ⚠ Inconsistent data due to system silos.
Future State
(Agentic)1. Availability Promise Agent receives customer product view or cart add request. 2. Agent queries real-time Inventory Management Management across all fulfillment nodes: warehouses, distribution centers, stores, and supplier partners. 3. Agent calculates available-to-promise (ATP) quantity considering on-hand Inventory Management Management, committed orders, inbound shipments, and safety stock policies. 4. Agent displays real-time availability status to customer: 'In stock (50+ units)', 'Low stock (3 units)', 'Out of stock - Available Feb 15', or 'Special order (3-5 day lead time)'. 5. Agent reserves Inventory Management Management upon cart add (soft allocation for 30 minutes) to prevent oversells during checkout. 6. Agent validates final ATP at checkout before order submission to guarantee fulfillment.
Characteristics
- • Real-time warehouse Inventory Management Management by SKU and location
- • Committed order allocations and reservations
- • Inbound purchase order and transfer shipment data
- • Store Inventory Management Management for ship-from-store fulfillment options
- • Supplier partner Inventory Management Management for drop-ship items
- • Safety stock policies and lead time data
Benefits
- ✓ 10-15% revenue capture from accurate availability enabling orders
- ✓ 80-90% reduction in backorders through real-time ATP validation
- ✓ Zero oversells with inventory reservation during checkout
- ✓ Improved customer trust through accurate availability promises
- ✓ Multi-node inventory visibility enables ship-from-store and drop-ship fulfillment
- ✓ Reduced customer service time from eliminated inventory disputes
Is This Right for You?
This score is based on general applicability (industry fit, implementation complexity, and ROI potential). Use the Preferences button above to set your industry, role, and company profile for personalized matching.
Why this score:
- • Applicable across multiple industries
- • Higher complexity - requires more resources and planning
- • Moderate expected business value
- • Time to value: 3-6 months
- • (Score based on general applicability - set preferences for personalized matching)
You might benefit from Real-Time Availability Promise if:
- You're experiencing: Manual data entry leading to errors and delays.
- You're experiencing: Batch processing delays causing overselling or stockouts.
- You're experiencing: Lack of integration between ERP, WMS, and e-commerce platforms.
This may not be right for you if:
- High implementation complexity - ensure adequate technical resources
- Requires human oversight for critical decision points - not fully autonomous
Parent Capability
Real-Time Store Inventory Visibility
Provides accurate, real-time visibility into store-level inventory across all channels with intelligent reservation, shrinkage detection, and allocation optimization.
What to Do Next
Related Functions
Metadata
- Function ID
- function-realtime-availability-promise