Lot numbers, expiry dates and serial numbers: track them without a spreadsheet
For a lot of businesses, the count on the shelf is the easy part. The detail that actually keeps you out of trouble is which units they are: what lot they came from, when they expire, and which serial walked out the door. Get that wrong and you’re facing failed audits, blind recalls and warranty disputes. Here’s how to track it cleanly with custom fields instead of a side spreadsheet that nobody updates.
Lot and batch numbers: traceability
A lot number ties a group of units back to a production run. When a supplier issues a recall on lot “L-22841,” you want to answer one question in seconds: do we have any, and where? Store the lot as a custom field on the item, and a search instantly tells you what to pull. No lot field, and a recall becomes a shelf-by-shelf hunt.
- Record the lot as stock is received, while the box is still in your hand.
- If you regularly hold multiple lots of the same product, track them as separate items so counts stay honest.
- Keep the format consistent so a search for a partial lot still finds matches.
Expiry dates: rotate first-expiry-first
Expiry dates only help if you capture them. With an “Expiry” custom field shown as a column, your whole catalog sorts by what runs out first, which is exactly the order you should be using and selling it. That is FEFO (first-expiry-first-out), and it’s the difference between selling through stock and writing it off.
Serial numbers: individual accountability
Some items aren’t interchangeable. A power tool, a laptop, a piece of medical equipment: each has a serial number, a warranty window and a history. For those, a serial-number custom field turns “we have 12 drills” into “drill SN-4471 is out with the north crew, warranty through 2027.” That’s the line between inventory tracking and asset tracking.
Why a custom field beats a spreadsheet
A side spreadsheet drifts out of date the moment stock moves, and it isn’t there when someone’s standing at the shelf with a phone. Custom fields live on the item, so they travel with it: scan the QR code, see the lot and expiry, update on the spot. Everything stays searchable, sortable and consistent, and every change is logged.
Stay audit-ready
- Decide which details are mandatory for your business and capture them at receiving, every time.
- Promote the ones an auditor or a recall would ask for (lot, expiry) to columns so they’re visible at a glance.
- Pair it with snapshots for a dated, frozen record you can reconcile against.