Learn about:
What supplemental orders are
When manual orders occur
How to create supplemental orders
For most suppliers, Walmart relies on its Global Replenishment System (GRS) forecast to automatically order products based on a store’s need, weighed against its pipeline.
However, there are times when either Walmart or a supplier needs to create a manual order to supplement automated replenishment. Unexpected shopper behavior can result in all kinds of complications for the retailer and, consequently, the supplier. Supplemental orders help the retailer and supplier meet demands when they crop up. They also flow outside of regular replenishment, so suppliers typically receive them as a new order, not batched in with standard orders.
Some examples for when supplemental orders might be helpful are:
An item unexpectedly outsells forecast thanks to a viral marketing trend, and stores need to rush to find additional inventory outside of regular replenishment.
A buyer decides to send an “in-and-out” promotional item to a set of stores that aren’t traited to get a better sense of consumer trends in those locations.
A Replenishment Manager agrees to allow a supplier to push out the remaining inventory for one of its items at the end of a modular.
A supplier determines there is phantom inventory at certain stores and needs to push products to help with sales.
Related Reading: When to Do SSOs (Store-Specific Orders)
Supplemental orders directly impact suppliers’ bottom lines, putting extra money into the supplier’s pocket that goes above and beyond regular replenishment.
In ideal cases, supplemental orders are a sign that everyone is winning: shoppers become connected with more items they desire, while the retailer and supplier increase their sales volume.
What are Purchase Order Types at Walmart?
Walmart has a wide variety of PO Types that are differentiated from each other by a code. This form of codification is used to distinguish the type of order, who is responsible for generation, and other compatible item types.
Walmart PO Type | Description | Generated From | Commonly Used For | Compatible Item Types |
3 | Non-replenishable Orders | Buyer | New Stores, Initial Sets, Features | 03, 07, 33, 37, 20, 22, 50 |
5 | Samples | Buyer | YBM/Holiday Meetings | 03, 07, 33, 37, 20, 22, 50 |
7 | Ship and Bill | Buyer | Initial Set, New Stores, Features, Tabs | 03, 07, 33, 37, 20, 22, 50 |
12 | Import Storage | Buyer | Initial Set, New Stores, Features, Tabs | 03, 40, 42, 43 |
20 | Staple Stock | System | Regular item replenishment, Manual Orders | 20 |
22 | Staple Stock Seasonal | System | Regular item replenishment, Manual Orders | 22 |
23 | Import Assembly | Store | Initial Set, New Stores, Features, Tabs | 40 |
28 | Warehouse to Warehouse Transfer | Store | IDC to IDC, Warehouse to Warehouse | 20, 22, 40, 42 |
29 | Store to Warehouse Transfer | System | New RDC Stock Warehouse | 20, 22, 40, 42 |
33 | Warehouse Assembly | Store | Initial Set, New Stores, Features, Tabs | 33 |
37 | Assembly Ship and Bill (Direct Store Delivery) | Store | Initial Set, New Stores, Features, Tabs | 37 |
40 | Import Staple Stock | System | Regular import item replenishment | 40 |
42 | Import Seasonal Staple Stock | System | Regular import item replenishment | 42 |
43 | Import | Buyer | Initial Set, New Stores, Features, Tabs | 40, 42, 43, 03 |
45 | Hardlines Import Tab | Buyer | Tab | 03, 40, 42, 43 |
46 | Hardlines Import Samples | Buyer | YBM/Holiday Meetings | 03, 40, 42, 43 |
50 | Quick Response | Store | Just-In Time Warehouse, Just-In Time Store | 50 |
53 | Tab/Circular | Buyer | Tab | 03, 07, 20, 22, 33, 37, 50 |
67 | New Store Ship and Bill | Buyer | Initial Set, New Stores, Features, Tabs | 03, 07, 20, 22, 33, 37, 50 |
73 | Consolidated Pick and Pack | Store | Initial Set, New Stores, Features, Tabs | 33 |
77 | Vendor Managed | Supplier | Initial Set, New Stores, Features, Tabs | 7 |
83 | Store Replenishment | Store | Regular item replenishment | 33 |
87 | Store Replenishment Ship and Bill | Store | Regular item replenishment | 37 |
93 | Non-Stop Replenishment | Store | Regular item replenishment | 33 |
97 | Store Replenishment Ship and Bill | Store | Regular item replenishment | 37 |
Supplemental orders at Walmart exist as subsets within some of these main types, such as 03 and 20.
What are the Most Common Supplemental Order Types at Walmart?
There are three common supplemental orders available to Walmart suppliers when they need to get their products into stores. These are:
Cross-dock (SSO)
Staplestock (PNEW)
Distribution Center Push (SPAQ)
Related Reading: What is Cross-Docking?
Staple Stock Supplemental Orders
Staple stock supplemental orders occur when the supplier ships the merchandise to a specified space within a distribution center (also known as a slot). For example, bottles of water typically have DC slots, as they are a high velocity item. These orders are also known as PNEW (PO New) orders.
Suppliers create staple stock orders in increments of vendor packs.
Staple stock POs are Type 20 POs and apply to inventory that physically resides in the warehouses and DCs.
Cross-Dock Supplemental Orders
Cross-dock supplemental orders occur when the supplier ships the merchandise to a distribution center (DC), but the DC has not slotted the product, and the shipment goes directly to the stores. These orders are a kind of “Store-Specific Order” (SSO).
Suppliers create this type of supplemental order in increments of warehouse packs.
Cross-dock POs are a subtype of PO Type 03.
Distribution Center Push Orders (SPAQ)
Distribution Center Push Orders occur when the supplier is pushing its inventory from a DC to a specific store.
Suppliers create DC push orders in increments of warehouse packs.
These orders are also known as SPAQ orders.
DC push orders must go through the supplier’s replenishment manager. Unlike PNEWs or SSOs, these orders cannot go through NOVA.
Related Reading: What Are the Different Types of Pack Sizes?
How Do I Create a Supplemental Order at Walmart?
Creating supplemental orders in Walmart requires detailed information about the stores and items in question.
Step 1: Identify the Stores
The first step is to identify the stores that need the product. Suppliers should base this calculation on different criteria depending on what they are trying to accomplish with their supplemental order.
Some common use cases are:
Trying to fix instock levels: Suppliers should identify stores that have an insufficient pipeline. Generally, these stores have zero “On Hands” and zero “In Pipe.”
Trying to set a modular or promo: The supplier’s buyer will typically provide a store list for items that have new modulars or promotions, such as endcaps or displays. In most cases, these promos will have to be filled via supplemental orders.
Trying to deplete inventory at the end of a modular: Suppliers should identify top-selling stores to maximize inventory allocation.
Step 2: Determine How to Stock the Stores
There are a variety of ways to stock stores with products. Suppliers must decide by which criteria they want to send orders to Walmart.
Two typical use cases are:
By weeks of supply: This metric varies by department, but Walmart typically has an expected store-level weeks of supply (WOS) to help satisfy demand and safety stock. This can be found by pulling the “Store Weeks of Supply/Weeks on Hand” metric in Scintilla.
By warehouse pack: Walmart expects a pack-and-a-half of each item to fit on a shelf (or two packs for items in Retail-Ready Packaging).
Step 3: Determine Which Stores do Not Fit the Criteria Outlined in Step 2
As some stores may require other use cases, suppliers must next determine which stores do not fit into the criteria of either WOS or warehouse packs. Suppliers must spend considerable time analyzing their store demographics and needs.
In the case of buyer-created supplemental orders, it is best to maintain clear lines of communication with your buyer throughout to make sure that the opportunity is ideal for all parties involved.
Step 4: Submit Supplemental Order Requests
The next step is to recommend warehouse pack quantities to the identified stores in Step 3 and submit the store numbers and the warehouse pack recommendations for each utilizing the Supplemental Order template (available on Retail Link).
Most supplemental orders happen by suppliers communicating with their replenishment managers (RMs). Each RM has slightly different preferences when it comes to how exactly they want this done, some more formally than others.
Pro-Tip: If the product is a breakpack item, suppliers must ensure they are sending full vendor packs to each DC. This process is called “Breakpack Rounding.”
Step 5: Upload the Supplemental Order Template
The final step in the supplemental ordering process is to upload the completed Supplemental Order template to the NOVA app in Retail Link.
Suppliers should ensure they receive their Buyer or Replenishment Manager’s approval before submitting a Supplemental Order. Suppliers must proactively communicate why they’re submitting the order request, along with key metrics such as:
Item information
Warehouse packs scripted in the supplemental order
Store count
Cost impact
Retail impact
Step 6: Follow Up on the Purchase Order in Supplier One
Sometimes a Walmart Buyer or Replenishment Manager will follow up with the supplier, indicating which PO numbers specifically belong to the supplemental order. If not, they can still be found by filtering through orders in Supplier One.
Go to Supplier One > Order Management to follow up on your Purchase Orders.
These are broken down into Owned and DSV. They can also be filtered by 6- and 9-digit supplier number.
Related Reading: Supplier One User Manual
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