Ordering Stock from Suppliers with Purchase Orders
Create a purchase order from your low-stock items, send it to a supplier over WhatsApp, and log deliveries against it as stock arrives — from the Purchase Orders tile in POS Retail Operations.
What Purchase Orders does#
The Purchase Orders tile (📋) sits in /pos → Retail Operations and gives you a proper paper trail for reordering stock: build an order from what's running low, send it straight to the supplier over WhatsApp, then log what actually arrives against that same order — including partial deliveries.
This is a separate, more structured system from the free-text supplier field on a plain restock (see Restocking Products and Updating Quantities). An order created here has its own status, tracks ordered vs received quantity per line, and produces a WhatsApp message your supplier can act on directly — use it when you want a record of what you ordered and what showed up, not just a quick stock top-up.
Creating an order#
Open /pos, make sure Retail is the selected sector, and tap the Purchase Orders tile. Tap + New order.
Pick an existing supplier or add one on the spot (name and WhatsApp number — the number is what makes sending possible). If you have low-stock items, AskBiz pre-fills the order for you at a suggested quantity that tops each one back up to twice its reorder point; adjust quantities and unit costs freely, and add other products from your inventory or a note for the supplier. AskBiz totals the order as you edit it. Tap Create order to save it as a Draft — nothing is sent yet and stock is not affected.
Sending it to your supplier#
Open the draft and tap Send to supplier on WhatsApp. AskBiz sends the order automatically if a WhatsApp template is available; if not (for example, while a new message template is still awaiting approval), it opens a wa.me link pre-filled with the same order text instead, so you can send it from your own WhatsApp in one tap. Either way, the order moves from Draft to Ordered.
If you edit quantities or need to chase the supplier again, reopen the order and tap Resend on WhatsApp. If a supplier has no WhatsApp number on file, AskBiz tells you to add one before it can send.
Receiving stock and tracking payment#
When a delivery arrives, open the order and tap Receive stock. Enter the quantity actually received for each line — it does not need to match what was ordered. Confirming updates your inventory levels immediately for any line linked to a catalogue product.
If a delivery is short, the order becomes Partially received and stays open, with the shortfall tracked as a back-order — use the Back-orders filter at the top of the Purchase Orders list to see everything still outstanding. Once every line has its full quantity in, the order becomes Received, and a Mark as paid button appears. Payment status (Unpaid / Partially paid / Paid) is tracked separately from delivery status, so you can always see which suppliers you still owe even after stock is already on your shelves.
Frequently Asked Questions
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