How To: Lost Demand an item on a Sales Order

Table Of Contents

Mark an Item as Lost Demand
Using Lost Demand Reasons
Mark an Item as Lost Demand with a Reason
Reporting on Lost Demand
Best Practice
Related Articles
Lost Demand allows you to record items that a customer wanted to purchase, but could not because there was insufficient stock available or the item was out of stock. Recording Lost Demand helps you identify missed sales opportunities and improve future stock planning.
Lost Demand can be reported on using:

Mark an Item as Lost Demand

  1. Create a new Sales Order as described in How To: Create a New Sales Order, or open an existing Sales Order that contains the item to be marked as Lost Demand.
  2. Select the stock item line, or multiple lines, that you want to mark as Lost Demand.
  3. Press Alt+E or click Edit to enter edit mode.
  4. Click the Lost Demand button.
  5. In the Lost Demand window:
    1. Acknowledge the warning by clicking the yellow triangle.
    2. Click OK to mark the selected item or items as Lost Demand.
    The selected lines will be removed from the Sales Order.
  6. Press Ctrl+S or click Save.

Using Lost Demand Reasons

If you have configured Lost Demand Reasons, you can record why the sale was lost when marking an item as Lost Demand.
For setup and usage information, see How To: Use Lost Demand Reasons.

Mark an Item as Lost Demand with a Reason

  1. Create a new Sales Order or open an existing Sales Order that contains the affected item.
  2. Select the item line or lines to be marked as Lost Demand.
  3. Ensure the order is in edit mode by pressing Alt+E or clicking Edit.
  4. Click the Lost Demand button.
  5. In the Lost Demand window:
    1. Select a reason from the Lost Demand Reason drop-down list.
    2. Acknowledge the warning by clicking the yellow triangle.
    3. Click OK to continue.
  6. Press Ctrl+S or click Save.
The selected items will be removed from the Sales Order and recorded as Lost Demand together with the chosen reason.

Reporting on Lost Demand

Recording Lost Demand provides valuable information about:
  • Products customers wanted but could not purchase.
  • Missed sales opportunities.
  • Stock shortages and replenishment issues.
  • Trends that may indicate changes to purchasing or stocking policies.
Lost Demand Reasons can provide additional insight into why sales were lost and help support better stock management decisions.

Best Practice

If a customer purchases an alternative product because the original item was unavailable, consider adjusting the value of the original item to reflect any difference in sale value before marking it as Lost Demand.
For example:
  • The customer originally wanted a £100 item.
  • An alternative item was sold for £80.
  • Marking the original item as Lost Demand with a value difference of £20 allows reporting to show both:
    • The item that was unavailable.
    • The value of the lost sale.
This can provide more accurate reporting when reviewing the financial impact of stock shortages.


See Also


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