Overview
Purchase Orders (POs) in Luminous let you place and track supplier orders, record costs, and drive inbound inventory. Creating a PO is a three-step wizard: fill in order details, add line items, then review and save.
Step 1 — Open the Create Purchase Order form
- In the main navigation, go to Purchase Orders (under Inventory).
- Click the Create Purchase Order button in the top-right corner of the page.
This opens the PO creation page with three tabs at the top: Set Purchase Order Details, Add Purchase Order Items, and Review and Save.
Step 2 — Set Purchase Order Details (Tab 1)
Fill in the header information for the PO. Fields marked with an asterisk are required before you can advance.
| Field | Notes |
|---|---|
| Choose Supplier | Select the supplier (vendor) this PO is for. Required. |
| Order Type | Choose Bulk Order (default) or Sample Order. |
| Incoterm | Select the trade term (e.g., EXW, FOB). Defaults to EXW. |
| Payment Terms | Select from your configured payment terms. Required. |
| Order Date | The date the order is placed. Required. |
| Requested Ship Date | The date you want the supplier to ship. |
| Arrival Due Date | The expected arrival date at your warehouse. |
| Tracking Info | Optional carrier tracking number or reference. |
| Alternate ID | Optional additional reference IDs (type and press Enter to add). |
| Default Ship to Address | Choose Warehouse (then select a specific warehouse), Supplier Address, or manually add a custom address. If you select Warehouse, the warehouse field becomes required. |
| Client | Optionally link one or more customers to this PO. |
| Invoice # | Optionally link existing invoices. |
| Private / Public Note | Internal or supplier-facing notes. You can @mention team members. |
Once all required fields are filled in, click Next.
Step 3 — Add Purchase Order Items (Tab 2)
You must add at least one SKU line item before you can proceed.
Adding items
You have several options:
- Search bar (top-left): Use the multi-select search to find and add multiple SKUs at once.
- Add New SKU / Add New Variant SKU buttons: Opens a SKU picker to select individual products.
- Upload CSV or Excel: Download the template, fill it in, and upload to bulk-import line items.
SKU line item columns
| Column | Notes |
|---|---|
| SKU Products | Select the product SKU. |
| Source SKU | Optional supplier-side SKU reference. |
| Description | Optional line-level description. |
| Qty | Quantity ordered. |
| UOM | Unit of measure — required. Options depend on the SKU's configured units. |
| Unit Cost | Cost per unit from the supplier. |
| Downpayment | Optional deposit amount for the line (this column may not be shown, depending on your account configuration). |
| Line Total | Calculated automatically (Qty × Unit Cost). |
Use the Add Item(s) dropdown at the bottom of the table to add 1, 5, 10, 25, or 50 blank rows at once.
The Bulk Update button (top-right of the item table, shown once you check items) lets you set the same Quantity, Cost, or Downpayment across all checked items at once.
Extra Costs (optional)
Use the Extra Costs section below the item table to add non-SKU costs (e.g., freight, duties, tooling fees). On some accounts this appears instead as a legacy Additional Fees tab.
When you have at least one SKU line item, click Next.
Step 4 — Review and Save (Tab 3)
- Tags: Optionally apply tags to the PO for filtering and reporting.
- Review the order summary — supplier, dates, incoterm, notes, ship-to address, and all line items are shown.
- You can go Back to correct anything.
- Click Create Order to submit. The PO is saved and starts in Active status.
Tips
- Supplier not listed? If you have admin permissions, an Add New Supplier button appears next to the supplier picker so you can create one on the spot.
- Duplicate a PO: From the PO detail page you can duplicate an existing PO, which pre-fills all fields — useful for repeat orders.
- Auto-created POs: Luminous can generate POs automatically from Sales Orders, Assembly Orders, or Transfer Orders depending on your configuration.
- Status milestones: After creation, you advance the PO through configurable milestones (Production Started, In Transit, Completed, etc.) from the PO detail page.