Modern trade

PO fill rate: the number modern trade buyers judge you on

How to calculate PO fill rate and on-time delivery, why chains penalise low fill rates, and the order-to-dispatch habits that raise them.

2 min read

Every modern trade buyer keeps a supplier scorecard, and near the top of it sits fill rate: how much of what they ordered you actually delivered. Low fill rates lead to penalties, deductions, lost shelf space and, eventually, delisting. High fill rates are what earn a brand more facings and better promotion slots.

How to calculate it

Unit fill rate

Units delivered ÷ units ordered. A PO for 1,000 units with 920 delivered = 92%.

Line fill rate

PO lines delivered in full ÷ total PO lines. A PO with 25 lines, of which 22 arrived complete = 88%.

On Time In Full (OTIF)

Orders delivered complete and within the delivery window ÷ total orders.

Line fill rate and OTIF are harsher than unit fill rate — one short line or one late truck is enough to fail the order. Know which one each buyer uses.

Why fill rates fall

  • Stock promised to two channels. General trade sold what a chain's PO was counting on.
  • POs entered late or wrong, so the warehouse picks against the wrong quantities.
  • No check of PO against available stock before confirming.
  • Loading errors — the right stock, on the wrong truck.
  • Missed delivery appointments, which turn a complete delivery into a failed one.

Habits that raise fill rate

  1. Check stock before confirming a PO, and tell the buyer early about shortfalls.
  2. Reserve modern trade stock for confirmed POs, so it is not sold elsewhere.
  3. Enter POs the day they arrive — or better, let them be read automatically.
  4. Load against a manifest and check it before the truck leaves — see delivery runs.
  5. Record what was actually delivered, with proof, so short deliveries are known the same day.
  6. Review fill rate weekly, by chain and by product.

How Zaqnet helps

  • The PO Inbox turns chain POs into sales orders the day they arrive, with mismatches flagged.
  • Stock across locations is visible in ControlRoom when confirming orders, alongside orders from general trade.
  • Delivery runs and manifests organise the load; drivers check it in GroundLink before leaving.
  • Proof of delivery records what was received, by whom, with a signature or photo.

Fill rate is not a warehouse number. It is the whole chain from PO to proof of delivery, measured by your customer.

Questions people ask.

How is PO fill rate calculated?

Units delivered divided by units ordered on the purchase order. If a PO asked for 1,000 units and you delivered 920, the unit fill rate is 92%. Some buyers measure line fill rate instead — the share of PO lines delivered in full.

What is OTIF?

On Time In Full — the share of orders delivered both within the agreed window and with every line complete. It is stricter than fill rate, because a complete but late delivery still fails it.

What fill rate do retail chains expect?

Expectations vary by chain and category, and they are usually written into your terms of trade. Treat the number in your agreement as the minimum, and track it weekly yourself rather than learning it from the buyer's scorecard.

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