Expiry date tracking for perishable materials

Purpose

1.1 Automate expiry date tracking of perishable art materials to minimize waste, reduce manual inventory checking, proactively notify staff, and comply with safety standards.
1.2 Automating alerts for soon-to-expire art supplies such as paints, solvents, adhesives, and chemicals, ensuring optimal stock usage and reordering.
1.3 Supports inventory rotation (FIFO), supplier notifications, automated stock adjustments, and real-time dashboards for store management and compliance reporting.

Trigger Conditions

2.1 Automated triggers upon inventory entry for items with expiry dates.
2.2 Automated schedule: daily or weekly checks of approaching expiry within configurable days (e.g., 30/60/90 days).
2.3 Manual scan/entry by staff or automated RFID/barcode scanning systems detect perishable goods and update their statuses.
2.4 Trigger when sales are made, removing sold expired/soon-to-expire items from alerts.

Platform Variants

3.1 Microsoft Power Automate
- Feature/Setting: Schedule cloud flow with Excel/SharePoint expiry date field trigger; automated email or Teams alert.
3.2 Google Apps Script
- Feature/Setting: Google Sheets expiry date monitor; automated Gmail notification script.
3.3 Zapier
- Feature/Setting: Google Sheets/New row with expiry → Gmail/Slack/SMS notification zap configured for conditionals.
3.4 Make (Integromat)
- Feature/Setting: Scenario for periodic Google Sheets/Inventory DB scan → automated multi-channel notification.
3.5 Salesforce
- Feature/Setting: Process Builder automated workflow on custom object "Art Supply" expiry; automated Chatter post/email.
3.6 Airtable
- Feature/Setting: Automations for “Expiry Date” field triggers; automated Slack, Gmail, or SMS outputs.
3.7 Twilio
- Feature/Setting: Programmable SMS API; automate outbound notifications for expiring items to staff or management.
3.8 SendGrid
- Feature/Setting: Automated transactional email API sends expiry alerts with dynamic expiry field insertion.
3.9 Slack
- Feature/Setting: Automated bot or workflow builder; channel posts for approaching expiry or custom DM reminders.
3.10 Shopify
- Feature/Setting: App with inventory expiry date metafield; automate email/SMS via Shopify Flow.
3.11 SAP
- Feature/Setting: Inventory Management module; automate expiry workflows and notifications in the ERP dashboard.
3.12 Oracle NetSuite
- Feature/Setting: SuiteFlow automates expiry warnings on lot-controlled inventory items, triggers CRM/email alert.
3.13 QuickBooks
- Feature/Setting: Integrate with inventory plugin, automate expiry report generation and scheduled email.
3.14 HubSpot
- Feature/Setting: Custom property for inventory expiry; automates notification workflows to inventory managers.
3.15 Monday.com
- Feature/Setting: Automation to trigger expiry warning emails or status updates when expiry date column hits threshold.
3.16 Notion
- Feature/Setting: Database with expiry property; automate Slack/email push using Notion API and integration platform.
3.17 Odoo
- Feature/Setting: Automated scheduled actions on product expiry with internal messaging or warning banners.
3.18 Trello
- Feature/Setting: Butler automation moves cards or posts comment/tag when expiry approach date is detected.
3.19 Pipedream
- Feature/Setting: Automated workflow schedules expiry sweep and custom API integrations for SMS/email output.
3.20 Freshdesk
- Feature/Setting: Automated ticket creation or notification for each product flagged as near expiring using Freshdesk API.
3.21 Smartsheet
- Feature/Setting: Conditional formatting and automated reminders for “Expiry Date” column; scheduled workflow alerts.
3.22 Asana
- Feature/Setting: Rules trigger tasks or due dates ahead of expiry, automating assigned follow-up workflows.
3.23 WooCommerce
- Feature/Setting: Inventory expire date attribute; automated email or popup via plugin or custom webhook automation.
3.24 Zoho Inventory
- Feature/Setting: Automated report generation and email notifications based on lot expiry fields.
3.25 Klaviyo
- Feature/Setting: Triggered email flows for supply expiry based on custom property/field updates from inventory.

Benefits

4.1 Automated expiry tracking reduces manual effort, minimizes loss, and ensures safer inventory management.
4.2 Automator-ready notifications and reports enable staff to act fast, automatedly increasing product usage efficiency.
4.3 Automation standardizes compliance and audit trails across distributed store locations.
4.4 Automating supplier and customer communication supports proactive replacements and builds trust.
4.5 Automation of inventory rotations automates cost-saving and supports optimal reordering, enhancing profitability.