For a new ecommerce business owner, managing your inventory can be daunting at first. Fortunately, Shopify offers an inventory management system that helps you track your stock levels and keep your business running smoothly.
1. Can I track stock levels in Shopify?
Absolutely. Shopify provides a powerful inventory management system that allows you to track your stock levels with ease. You can view your inventory levels from your Shopify dashboard, and if you have a physical store in addition to your online store, you can track inventory across multiple locations.
Shopify also integrates with third-party inventory management apps like Stocky, which can help you streamline your processes even further (but for most stores, Shopify’s inbuilt inventory system is perfectly adequate).
2. Will stock levels automatically update when customers make purchases?
Yes, your stock levels automatically update when a customer makes a purchase. This means you can avoid overselling products you don’t have in stock. This works seamlessly for online stores.
It works across multiple locations too, so if you pack your online orders out of the stock you have on your shop floor, the product will become unavailable online. All you need to do is keep on top of putting online orders aside as they come in to prevent a customer purchasing that product in store. If you keep your stock in storage however, you should not encounter any problems there.
3. Do I have to track inventory on Shopify for all products?
No, you can choose which products you want to track inventory for. This is useful if you have some products that are made to order, don’t have a limited number, or are digital downloads only. To turn off inventory tracking for a specific product, go to the product’s page in Shopify and uncheck the “Track quantity” box.
4. How do I update inventory and can I upload it from a spreadsheet?
You can update inventory manually by going to the product’s page in Shopify and editing the stock numbers. You can also adjust inventory for multiple products at once under Products > Inventory. Alternatively, you can upload a spreadsheet to update inventory in bulk. To do this, go to Products > Import. You can download a sample CSV file to use as a template, then add your product and inventory information to the file and upload it to Shopify.
5. Does it cost extra for inventory management on Shopify?
No, inventory management is included in all Shopify plans. However, some third-party inventory management apps may charge additional fees for their services.
Overall, Shopify’s inventory management system is a lifesaving tool for ecommerce business owners. With features like automatic stock updates and the ability to track inventory across multiple locations, you can make sure that your customers have access to the products they need, while heavily reducing the risk of overselling.
If you need help setting up Shopify’s inventory management system for your business or have any questions, don’t hesitate to reach out to Glow Creative. I’m happy to help out.
