---
title: Months of Inventory Metric — Doudlah Farms
type: article
created: '2026-02-18'
updated: '2026-02-18'
source_docs:
- raw/2026-02-18-weekly-call-inventory-performance-marketing-123376412.md
tags:
- ecommerce
- inventory
- amazon
- doodla
- forecasting
- operations
layer: 2
client_source: null
industry_context: null
transferable: true
---

# Months of Inventory Metric — Doudlah Farms

## Overview

During the 2026-02-18 weekly call, the team identified a critical gap in Doodla's inventory forecasting: the existing metric (Column W) was dividing monthly velocity by **Column M** (FBA + AWD stock only), which excluded inventory already in the shipping pipeline. This produced an overly optimistic supply picture and contributed to a series of stockouts costing approximately **$3,800/day in lost revenue**.

A corrected "Months of Inventory" formula was defined and adopted as the new standard reorder trigger.

---

## The Formula

```
Months of Inventory = Total Pipeline Inventory (Column O) ÷ Monthly Velocity (Column V)
```

| Column | Description |
|--------|-------------|
| **O** | Total Pipeline Inventory — all stock in FBA, inbound to FBA, AWD, inbound to AWD, and shipments with BOLs created (even if not yet picked up) |
| **V** | Monthly Velocity — consumer orders (units sold) over the trailing 30 days |
| **W** | Months of Inventory — the computed output; update this column to use O÷V |

### Why Column O, Not Column M

Column M captures only stock that is physically present or nearly received. Column O captures **everything in the pipeline**, including:

- Units already at FBA
- Inbound shipments (BOL created, awaiting pickup)
- AWD stock

Using O gives a complete supply picture and prevents false confidence when shipments are labeled but not yet physically in transit. Note: Amazon marks a shipment as "Shipped" as soon as labels/BOL are created, even if the scheduled pickup date is days away. The team flagged adding an internal **"Awaiting Pickup"** status to the shipping queue to distinguish these cases.

---

## Reorder Trigger

> **Reorder any SKU where Column W (Months of Inventory) falls below 3 months.**

Gilbert monitors the sheet and notifies Karly when any SKU crosses this threshold. Karly is responsible for placing the replenishment order.

---

## Stockout Snapshot (as of 2026-02-18)

| SKU | Months of Inventory | Notes |
|-----|--------------------:|-------|
| 1 lb Black Beans | 0 | 540 units inbound; expected this week or next |
| 5 lb Buckwheat | 0 | **No shipment planned** — order needed immediately |
| 1 lb Navy Beans | ~1 | Order needed |
| 5 lb Rye Flour | ~1 | Order needed |
| 1.5 lb Yellow Cornmeal | Low | 1,728 units inbound; delivery 2–3 weeks out |

The 5 lb Buckwheat case is notable: because the SKU has historically never been adequately stocked, its **velocity figure is artificially suppressed** — actual demand is likely higher than the trailing 30-day number suggests.

---

## Business Impact

### Revenue

Sales dropped to **$3,800 on 2026-02-17** and were trending lower on the call date. The primary driver was stockouts on top-selling SKUs (Popcorn, Black Beans, Yellow Cornmeal), which together represent the majority of revenue under the 80/20 rule.

### Organic Search Rank

Stockouts on Amazon cause **immediate and lasting damage to organic rankings**. Recovering position after a stockout requires significant time and ad spend. This makes proactive inventory management a search-performance issue, not just an operations issue.

### Top SKUs to Protect

| Rank | SKU |
|------|-----|
| 1 | Yellow Popcorn |
| 2 | Yellow Cornmeal |
| 3 | White Popcorn |
| 4 | Old World Brand (new; outranking Be Still, Franklin's, Preferred) |
| 5 | 5 lb Black Beans |

These SKUs should be treated as the highest-priority reorder targets. The Old World brand in particular has grown from zero to a top-4 position in roughly six months and should not be allowed to stock out.

---

## Operational Context

Doodla's root constraint is **packing and shipping throughput**, not raw material supply. Beans and grain are often physically on-site but unbagged. The team's role is to maintain enough lead time in the pipeline (target: 3+ months) to absorb Doodla's packing delays, shipper hold times, and Amazon's 1–2 week receiving lag.

A **$35,000 bulk Black Bean order** was scheduled to ship March 11, providing near-term relief on that SKU.

---

## Action Items (from this meeting)

- [ ] **Gilbert** — Update Column W formula to `=O/V` across all SKUs; add "Awaiting Pickup" as a distinct status in the shipping queue
- [ ] **Gilbert** — Monitor weekly; alert Karly when any SKU drops below 3 months
- [ ] **Karly** — Place orders for 5 lb Buckwheat, 5 lb Rye Flour, and 1 lb Navy Beans
- [ ] **Karly** — Schedule next build with Justin; follow-on Old World shipment after current build ships (2026-02-27)

---

## Related

- [[clients/doodla/index]]
- [[knowledge/ecommerce-strategy/amazon-organic-rank-and-inventory]]