Building a seasonal inventory buffer without overstock risk

Peak season rewards prepared sellers and punishes guesswork. The goal is enough stock to capture demand—not so much that January becomes a clearance event.

Model expected daily orders by SKU, add inbound transit and putaway time, and set a maximum weeks-of-cover for slow movers. Share that plan with your warehouse early so receiving and storage capacity are reserved.

After peak, compare forecast vs. actual by SKU cluster. Adjust next season’s buffer using data, not optimism alone.