Usage-based supply ordering

> Cost: Paid. Prediko starts at $49/month (Shopify billing, 14-day trial).

Honest note: this is rules-based forecasting (days of cover, lead times, usage history), not a chatbot. The 90% fewer ordering errors, 10 hours a week and 900+ purchase orders come from Prediko's own case study, without a baseline. Prediko is a Shopify app and plans from Shopify sales and stock. A coffee group whose cafes run on another POS needs those sales flowing into Shopify (or a connection Prediko supports). Ask Prediko before you sign up; this guide doesn't cover that link.

Prerequisites

• A Shopify store holding your products and locations (shops, warehouse, roastery or kitchen).
• A list of your vendors with lead times, minimum orders and any shelf-life rules.
• For things you make (roasted coffee, baked goods): a recipe for each, listing the raw materials and quantities.

Step-by-step setup

Step 1. Install Prediko. In the Shopify App Store, install Prediko, create your account and set your Stock Cover.

Step 2. Load your vendors. Go to Settings → Suppliers → Add Supplier, or bulk import from Settings → Import. For each vendor enter Lead Time in days and any Supplier Minimum Order.

Step 3. Order by days of cover. Open the Buy tab and set Days of Cover per item (for example 7 days for milk, 30 for cups). Prediko suggests quantities from your recent usage and the vendor's lead time, so you don't need fixed reorder points.

Step 4. Add raw materials and recipes. Go to Settings → Raw Materials & BOMs → Add Raw Material (or Import). Set Units in Stock, Supplier and Lead Time. Then open the raw material area, choose Bill of Material → Add Bills of Materials, pick the finished product, add each raw material and quantity, and enter production days.

Step 5. Record production. Raw materials are used up through Production Orders, not by shop sales. On the Buy page, select the items you make and Prediko creates a production order for them. Mark it done when the batch is made, so your raw material stock stays right.

Step 6. Replace the whiteboard with saved views. On the Buy table, filter by the vendors you order on Mondays, click Save as new view and name it "Monday vendors". Repeat for each ordering day. Saved views are shared company-wide.

Step 7. Draft the orders. On each ordering day, open that day's view, tick the items, click Create draft order, check quantities and send. Prediko's September 2026 update adds scheduled, automatically drafted POs per supplier (pick a weekday and time). We couldn't confirm where that switch sits, so check on screen or ask Prediko support.

Easier: let your AI do it

Prediko has an official MCP server that lets an AI chat read your Prediko data and, with your OK, draft purchase orders. In Claude, open Settings → Connectors → Browse connectors, search Prediko, click Connect and sign in. If it isn't listed, use Add custom connector with https://mcp.prediko.io/mcp. ChatGPT needs a paid plan with developer mode turned on (Settings → Advanced settings), then Settings → Connectors → Create. Ask: "Show me everything due from my Monday vendors and draft the orders." Check every draft before sending.

What success looks like

Each ordering day takes one saved view and a few clicks. Fewer "we ran out of oat milk" calls from the shops, and fewer over-orders of short-shelf-life items.

Common issues & fixes

• Raw material stock never goes down: production orders aren't being created or completed. Shop sales don't use up raw materials on their own.
• Suggested quantities too big for perishables: lower Days of Cover for those items.
• A vendor is missing from a day's view: check the view's filter and that the vendor is attached to its products.

Optional: Maintenance

• Each month, check recipes when you change a product.
• Each quarter, update vendor lead times and minimums.

Copy-paste prompt

I run [NUMBER] coffee shops plus a [roastery/bakery]. Here are my vendors with lead times, delivery days and shelf life: [PASTE LIST].
1. Group the vendors into ordering days (Monday to Friday) so deliveries arrive before we run low.
2. Suggest a Days of Cover for each item type (dairy, bakery ingredients, cups and packaging, coffee beans) with a one-line reason.
3. Point out any vendor where the lead time and shelf life clash.
Don't invent numbers; ask if anything is missing.

Sources

• Case: Prediko case study (coffee shop group). Credit: the brand's operations team (vendor-published).
• Prediko Help: How to add a Supplier
• Prediko Help: How to edit parameters per SKU on the Buy Table
• Prediko Help: Quick start guide: raw materials
• Prediko Help: Creating a Bill of Materials
• Prediko Help: How to create a production order
• Prediko Help: Views on the Buy Table
• Prediko Help: Product updates, September 2026
• Prediko Help: Connect Prediko to AI agents
• Prediko pricing