Inbound Forecast

1. Scenario

Go to GWMS-Inbound Management-Inbound Forecast for the complete inbound-forecast workflow: search existing orders, create a forecast, import box and SKU details, save or submit, print box labels, and track review, receiving, and shelving.

Create and submit the forecast before shipping goods to the warehouse. The warehouse uses the warehouse, business, arrival method, and goods details to plan receiving and putaway.

For full-pallet inbound, select 【Pallet】 as the arrival method and enter quantities against pallet SKUs. GWMS totals the pallets and shows the standard or non-standard classification. For box-based inbound, continue entering boxes and packing details.

2. Steps

Prerequisites

• Your account can open 【Inbound Management-Inbound Forecast】.
• Products and SKUs have been created and enabled under Product Management.
• The receiving warehouse, business, arrival method, and expected delivery time are known.
• For box forecasts, box count, dimensions, weight, and SKU quantity per box are ready.
• For pallet forecasts, SKU units are set to 【Pallet】 and pallet quantities, full-pallet dimensions, and weight are ready.
• Each attachment is within the 20 MB limit shown on the page.

2.1 Search for an inbound forecast

Menus and filters vary with permissions. Accounts creating orders on behalf of another account may also see an ownership selector.

Legend:

1. The 【Inbound Forecast】 menu entry.
2. The 【Inbound Order No.】 and 【Warehouse】 filters. Use other conditions as needed.
3. The 【Add】, 【Bulk Import】, and 【Export】 actions.
4. The target order in the results. Open its number for details or use its row actions.

Click 【Search】 to apply filters or 【Reset】 to clear them.

The status tabs include 【All】, 【Draft】, 【Pending Review】, 【Pending Storage】, 【Partial】, 【Done】, 【Partially Put Away】, 【Fully Put Away】, 【Force Completion】, and 【Cancelled】. Here, 【Partial】 means partially received and 【Done】 means fully received; neither means that all goods have been put away.

2.2 Create an inbound forecast

Click 【Add】 to open the creation page.

Enter boxes

1. Select the required 【Warehouse】, 【Business】, 【Shipping Method】, and 【Warehouse Arrival Method】.
2. Enter the tracking number, expected delivery time, and notes when applicable.
3. Enter the box quantity in default box #1.
4. Click the add-product action, select the SKU, and enter its quantity.
5. Enter box length, width, height, and weight.
6. Use 【Add Box】 when the packing structure differs.
7. Recalculate box numbers after rearranging groups.

Legend:

1. 【Carton Qty】 and 【Add Product】. Select a SKU and enter its quantity per box.
2. Carton dimensions, volume, and box weight.
3. 【Add Box】 adds a packing group; 【Bulk Import】 imports box-group details.
4. 【Save Draft】 and 【Submit】 save or submit the forecast.

One box row represents one packing structure. If ten boxes have identical dimensions, weight, and contents, enter 10 as the box quantity. Use separate rows when the structure differs.

Enter pallets

1. Select 【Warehouse】, 【Business】, and 【Shipping Method】. Set 【Warehouse Arrival Method】 to 【Pallet】.
2. Click 【Add pallet SKU】, select the pallet SKUs in the shipment, and confirm. Only SKUs with the pallet unit are available.
3. Enter a positive whole number in each 【Forecast Quantity】 field. A quantity of 6 means six pallets, not six items inside a pallet.
4. Check 【Estimated Pallet Quantity】 and the classification tags, then click 【Save Draft】 or 【Submit】.

The image below shows the editable pallet form. Creating an order and continuing a draft use the same fields.

Legend (follow the red arrows):

1. Set 【Warehouse Arrival Method】 to 【Pallet】.
2. Click 【Add pallet SKU】 to open the selection window.
3. Enter each 【Forecast Quantity】 after adding the SKUs. The example counts are 4 and 6, totaling 10 pallets.
4. Check the details, then click 【Save Draft】 or 【Submit】.

Legend (【Add pallet SKU】 window):

1. For a long list, enter a SKU and click 【Search】.
2. Select the pallet SKUs being shipped. The example selects Pallet-50 and Pallet-45.
3. Click 【Confirm】 to add them to the forecast.

【Estimated Pallet Quantity】 adds the row counts automatically and is read-only. The green tag means 【Standard Pallet】. The orange non-standard tag currently reads 【crate】; in this workflow it means a non-standard pallet. You do not select these tags manually.

Standard and non-standard pallet SKUs can share one order and are classified separately. A pallet forecast accepts pallet SKUs only. Create separate orders for goods managed by piece or by box. No box groups, box numbers, or duplicate entry of the pallet total are required.

2.3 Batch import

Import box packing details

Click the batch-import action in the inbound list.

Legend:

1. Click 【Download Template】 for the box-group template.
2. Drop an Excel file into the upload area or click to select it.
3. Click 【Import】 after parsing succeeds. It is unavailable before a valid file is selected.

The dialog accepts .xlsx and .xls files. Use the system template without removing headers or changing its structure.

Use the box-specification sequence in column A to group packing structures:

• The same identifier represents the same dimensions, weight, and packing details.
• Several identical boxes can share one identifier and use a repeated box quantity.
• Use different identifiers when dimensions, weight, or contents differ.
• For several SKUs in one box, enter one row per SKU with the same identifier.

The sequence is not the final box number printed on a label. Review total boxes, SKU quantities, dimensions, and weight after import.

Import pallet forecasts

Use 【Bulk Import】 at the top of the 【Inbound Forecast】 list to open the batch-creation window. The box-group import inside the creation page does not support pallet forecasts.

The current English import window has missing labels on some headings, columns, and buttons. If those controls are blank, switch to Chinese from the top-right language menu before importing. The two import images below show that interface, with English legends explaining the numbered controls.

1. Download the current template. Enter data on its inbound-order worksheet.
2. Use the same inbound sequence for rows belonging to one order. Fill in the warehouse, business, shipping method, and pallet arrival method.
3. Enter pallet SKUs in column L and pallet counts in column M. The current M header means “quantity per box / pallet count”; older templates use “quantity per box.” For a pallet order, both mean the number of pallets to receive.
4. Leave the box-specification sequence and box-quantity columns J and K empty. The estimated pallet total in column G can also remain empty; GWMS calculates it from the SKU rows.
5. Upload the file for automatic parsing. Use the parse-and-preview action if you need to retry.

Legend (download, upload, and parse):

1. Download the current template. Accounts creating orders on behalf of another account may also see an ownership selector.
2. Click the upload area or drop an .xlsx or .xls file. Use the template's inbound-order worksheet.
3. Parsing starts after file selection. The parse-and-preview button retries parsing and is unavailable before a file is selected.

Expand the order sequence after parsing to check the warehouse, business, arrival method, and SKU details. The example contains six Pallet-45 pallets and four Pallet-50 pallets, totaling ten.

Legend (preview regions):

1. One order is previewed, one can be created, and zero have parsing failures.
2. Check the two pallet SKU counts, 6 and 4. Scroll down when more detail rows exist.
3. The green confirm-creation button creates successful orders as 【Draft】. Return to the list to review and submit them for approval.

GWMS creates only successfully parsed orders. If any fail, use their row numbers and messages to correct and upload the file again. Do not reimport rows that have already created orders, as this can create duplicates.

2.4 Save or submit

• 【Save Draft】 saves the order under 【Draft】.
• 【Submit】 sends the order to the warehouse and moves it to 【Pending Review】.
• Back leaves the current edit page.

Check the warehouse, business, and arrival method. For box forecasts, check boxes, contents, dimensions, and weight. For pallet forecasts, check row quantities, total pallets, and classification tags. GWMS generates an inbound order number and returns to the list after successful creation.

2.5 Print box labels

Box labels identify inbound outer cartons. Print them before shipment when the warehouse uses box scanning or the shipment contains multiple or mixed-SKU cartons.

These steps apply to forecasts with box numbers. A pallet-only forecast has no box groups. Do not add placeholder boxes to obtain box labels; prepare physical pallet identification according to the warehouse's instructions.

1. Return to Inbound Forecast and locate the order by order number or tracking number.
2. Confirm that box numbers exist.
3. Open the available row actions and choose the box-label action. It may appear directly or under 【More】.
4. Check the inbound order number, box numbers, and print quantity in the preview.
5. Attach one matching unique label to each physical carton.

Do not reuse one box number on several cartons or cover the barcode or QR code. If no action is shown, confirm that the order was submitted and ask whether the warehouse prints the labels.

A box label identifies a carton; an SKU label identifies an item or product package. See Print SKU Labels when item labels are required.

2.6 Export and track progress

• Click 【Export】 to export the current search scope.
• When received quantity differs from the forecast, check Receiving Record.
• When goods are received but not fully shelved, check Shelving Record.
• For first-arrival measurement records, check New Product Maintenance.

Completion result: the forecast has the correct status, its box or pallet SKU details match the shipment, and physical cartons have matching box labels when required.

3. Notes

The forecast records planned arrival content. Receiving and shelving records show actual warehouse work. Use all three pages when reconciling a quantity difference.

Fully received does not mean fully shelved. Inventory enters its storage location after shelving. Force-closed or cancelled orders do not continue the normal receiving and shelving workflow.

Batch import enters data only; it does not submit or approve the forecast.

Pallet quantities carry through forecasting, receiving, putaway, and inventory. If ten pallets are forecast and six arrive first, the warehouse can receive and put away six while the remaining four await arrival. Finishing the first batch does not complete the whole order.

Classification follows the SKU information and the selected warehouse's rules. You do not select standard or non-standard manually on each row. If classification is pending, complete full-pallet dimensions and weight or ask the warehouse to check the information, then query again. Pending classification does not mean standard.

4. FAQ

Q1: Why are warehouse or business options empty?

A1: Confirm that your account has a warehouse and business relationship. Contact warehouse support or the system administrator if the lists remain empty.

Q2: Why can I not find a SKU?

A2: Select the warehouse and business first, then confirm that the SKU exists and is enabled under Product Management.

Q3: Why is the Import button unavailable?

A3: No file is selected, the format is unsupported, or parsing failed. Correct the system template and upload it again.

Q4: Why is no box-label action shown?

A4: Confirm that the order has been submitted and box numbers exist. The action also depends on status and permissions.

Q5: Why has inventory not increased when the order is fully received?

A5: Fully received is not the same as fully shelved. Check Shelving Record and confirm that the goods entered a location.

Q6: Why can I not edit the pallet total?

A6: GWMS adds the quantities of all pallet SKU rows. Change the relevant 【Forecast Quantity】 instead of entering the total again.

Q7: Why is a product missing from 【Add pallet SKU】?

A7: Only pallet-unit SKUs can be selected. Check the warehouse, business, SKU ownership, unit, and enabled status. Use a separate order with the appropriate arrival method for piece-unit goods.

Q8: Can standard and non-standard pallets share one order?

A8: Yes. Both are pallet SKUs and are classified separately. A pallet forecast currently cannot also contain piece-unit SKUs or box groups.

Updated: 2026-10-28