🚀 More Money, Less Manual: How Engagement Makes Purchasing Effortless
At Optiply, our ultimate goal is to fully automate your purchasing process. If 100% automation isn't immediately possible for your business model, we aim to get you as close to it as possible.
However, before the algorithm can take the wheel, Optiply must be set up properly. The system needs accurate data, realistic settings, and clear internal processes. We measure how well your account is optimised using a concept called Engagement. This guide will explain how to track it and how to improve it.
📊 1. What is Engagement? (The 3 Pillars)
Engagement is a measure of how efficiently you are using the software, tracked via three core parameters. For all three of these metrics, we strive for a target between 90% and 100%. If you hit these numbers, you can trust that your settings are perfectly calibrated to reach fully automated purchasing!
Purchase Automation: How well is the purchase advice followed? This measures the percentage of purchase order lines where you accept Optiply's suggested quantity without manually editing it.
On-Time Purchasing: How well is the purchasing agenda being followed? This tracks whether purchase orders are actually placed on the exact days Optiply tells you to place them.
Platform Adoption: What percentage of your company's total purchase order lines are actually placed through Optiply, compared to being placed manually outside the system?
⚠️ 2. Warning Signs: How to Recognise Needed Adjustments
Do you find yourself constantly overriding Optiply's suggested quantities before saving an order? Do you feel like the system advises quantities that are way too high or too low for certain products or suppliers?
It is completely normal to feel a lack of trust when the numbers don't look right. However, this is almost always a sign that Optiply is missing crucial data or has an incorrect constraint set up. Optiply is a purely data-driven tool; if the output is wrong, we need to fix the input!
🛠️ 3. The Optiply Tune-Up (Reaching Full Engagement)
If your engagement parameters are dropping below 90%, it is time to periodically review your settings. Here are the most common culprits that cause inaccurate advice:
A. Service Level Goals
Optiply generates purchase advice to reach your Desired Service Level per category.
Cashflow Check: If your service level is set to 99%, but you don't have the cash flow to actually buy that much buffer stock, Optiply’s advice will always feel "too high." Adjust your service levels to match your actual business reality.
Category Splits: Ensure your A/B/C category sizes make sense. The default split is A: 75%, B: 20%, and C: 5%. If you change this, be aware of how it impacts your purchasing strategy.
B. XYZ Categorisation
If your assortment is growing, a simple ABC classification might not be enough. Turning on the XYZ Categorisation feature gives you vastly more control, expanding your strategy from 3 to 9 categories. This greatly increases inventory control and prevents overstocking.
C. The Order Cycle (Reorder Period & Lead Time)
Optiply calculates needs based on your cycle. An incorrect cycle guarantees under- or overstock.
Reorder Period: This determines your purchasing frequency (the agenda). It doesn't matter what period you choose (e.g., every 7 days), as long as you strictly follow it. Ordering late causes stockouts!
Lead Time: This is the "click-to-click" interval (from placing the order to the moment it is checked into your warehouse and ready for sale). Always check the Optiply-calculated Average Lead Time. If the system calculates it takes your supplier 30 days to deliver, but your Set Lead Time is listed as 14 days, Optiply will order way too late!
D. Missing Data (MOQ & Lot Sizes)
Are you constantly rounding Optiply's numbers up or down to fit in a box? Make sure Optiply knows your supplier's constraints! Ensure the Minimum Order Quantity (MOQ) and Lot Size fields are filled out for your products. If we don't automatically import this from your webshop, you can easily bulk import it via CSV.
E. Algorithm Settings & Promotions
Yearly Seasonality: Check your Algorithm settings. The closer this value is to
0, the more Optiply looks at recent sales. The closer it is to1, the more it relies on last year's seasonal patterns. The default is0.4.Promotions: If you have irregular sales spikes (like a random weekend flash sale), use the Promotions module. This ensures the system buys extra stock before the event, and safely filters out that massive data spike after the event so it doesn't inflate your normal forecasts.
🤖 4. Next Steps: Advanced Workflows
Once all of your settings are perfectly tuned and your Engagement score is sitting comfortably above 90%, you are ready for true automation!
Optiply can assist in developing specific Workflows or business rules to fully automate the placement of your purchase orders. Check out our Workflows article, or contact our support team to see what custom automations can be built for your webshop.
❓ 5. Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
What does it mean to "Phase Out" a product?
If you assign the "Phased out" status to a product, Optiply stops proactive inventory-driven purchasing. It essentially means "replenish to zero." The system will only advise ordering this product if a customer places a strict backorder for it.
How often should I review these settings? Supply chains are not static! We recommend doing a high-level review of your lead times, service levels, and ABC categories at least once a quarter, or whenever you notice a significant shift in your supplier's delivery performance.