Distributor days on hand
Know how many days of product every distributor has left
Shopra calculates days on hand by distributor and SKU from the inventory and depletion data you already receive, and flags low or aging inventory before it costs you.
What is distributor days on hand?
Distributor days on hand (DOH) is how many days a distributor's current inventory of an item will last at its recent rate of depletions. It is calculated as on-hand inventory divided by average daily depletions, and it is the most direct early warning of an out-of-stock or an overstock in the beverage supply chain.
How do you calculate days on hand?
- Take the distributor's on-hand inventory for the item from its most recent inventory report.
- Convert all units to one basis, such as cases or case equivalents, including partial cases and loose units.
- Sum depletions for the item over a recent window, such as the last 30 to 60 days, and divide by the number of days to get the daily rate.
- Divide inventory by the daily depletion rate.
- Repeat by distributor and SKU, since a healthy total can hide one distributor about to run out.
What do high and low DOH mean?
| Signal | What it usually means | What to check |
|---|---|---|
| DOH falling while depletions hold | The distributor is ordering less than it sells | Open orders and recent shipments to that distributor |
| Very low DOH on a key SKU | Store orders will soon be shorted | In-stock at the retailers that distributor serves |
| DOH rising while depletions fall | Product is not moving through to retail | Scan, PODs, and pricing in that market |
| High DOH on beer with code dates | Risk of aged or out-of-code product | Inventory age and freshness by lot |
Why does DOH get calculated wrong?
- Inventory reports mix full cases and loose units, which must be converted and combined before dividing.
- Distributors report inventory on different days, so the latest report for each item, not a single shared date, is the right starting point.
- A depletion window that is too short swings with one large order; one that is too long misses a real slowdown.
- Item code changes split one product's inventory and depletions across two codes.
How does Shopra track distributor inventory?
Shopra reads the inventory and depletion data your distributors already send, converts units, and calculates days on hand by distributor and SKU every day. Distributors that are under-ordering, running low, or building inventory are flagged next to your shipments and their depletions, so supply and sales teams see the same picture.
Frequently asked questions
What is a healthy days on hand for beverage distributors?
It depends on the product, freshness requirements, and how often the distributor receives shipments. Agree on a target range per distributor and category, then watch for items that fall below or rise above it.
How is days on hand different from weeks of supply?
They measure the same thing in different units. Weeks of supply is days on hand divided by seven.
Where does distributor inventory data come from?
Most distributors report on-hand inventory to suppliers through their distributor system, such as VIP or Encompass, alongside depletion data.
Can low DOH cause out-of-stocks at retail?
Yes. When a distributor runs out, it cannot fill store orders, and the gap shows up as missing product on the shelf a few days later.
Integrations
Connect the sources you already run on.
Shipments, depletions, distributor inventory, and retail scan flow in through a mix of near real-time integrations and 24-hour SFTP exports and ingestion, including VIP and Encompass, plus API access and a fast agent backend for querying.
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