Did you know that 46% of small businesses struggle with managing inventory quantities, often causing stockouts or overstocking? For Shopify store owners, learning “how to bulk edit inventory on Shopify” is crucial to maintaining accurate product inventory and meeting customer expectations seamlessly.
Using Shopify’s built-in bulk editor or advanced third-party tools, you can streamline the process to bulk edit inventory. This means you can adjust quantities, update prices, and manage multiple products (all in one go) without wasting hours.
“Say goodbye” to boring manual updates and discover how to optimize your Shopify store efficiently.
Why Bulk Editing is Essential for Shopify Store Owners
Managing inventory quantities manually can be time-consuming and frustrating, especially for stores with multiple variants and products. Manual updates often lead to errors (like incorrect stock levels), affecting customer satisfaction and sales.
By leveraging bulk editing, Shopify store owners can streamline their workflow, reduce errors, and ensure consistency across their product inventory.
For businesses managing inventory across multiple locations, understanding how to bulk edit inventory on Shopify allows for swift updates and adjustments, keeping operations efficient and hassle-free.
With the ability to edit inventory tracking, update stock levels, and manage attributes for multiple products, bulk editing ensures that your store stays organized and scalable. It’s a game-changer for anyone looking to grow their Shopify store “efficiently.”
Case Study: How Kimaï saves 10 hours/week on Inventory management
Before implementing bulk editing tools, Kimaï's team spent hours manually updating inventory across multiple SKUs. By adopting efficient bulk editing practices through Prediko, they now save 10 hours per week on inventory management while maintaining higher accuracy in their stock levels.
Built-in Bulk Editing Features in Shopify
Shopify provides a “spreadsheet-like interface” for bulk editing, making inventory management faster and easier. Knowing how to bulk edit inventory Shopify for businesses handling multiple locations ensures quick and efficient updates, enabling seamless operations and better inventory management.
Here’s how you can use it effectively.
How to Access Shopify’s Bulk Editor
- Go to your Shopify admin dashboard.
- Navigate to Products and select the items you want to edit.
- Click on More Actions, then select Bulk Edit.
- Use the dropdown menu or checkboxes to customize which fields you want to edit (e.g., quantity, price, or location).
- After making changes, click Save to apply updates.
Key Features of Shopify’s Bulk Editor
- Customizable Columns: You can add or remove columns based on the fields you need to edit (e.g., inventory quantities, prices, or tags).
- Filters for Specific Products: Narrow your list to target products with specific attributes or at a single location.
- Error-Free Adjustments: Shopify automatically checks for conflicts or missing data, ensuring your product inventory stays accurate.
This built-in tool allows managing stock for multiple locations, reducing manual effort while maintaining consistency across your store.
Step-by-Step Guide to Bulk Editing Inventory in Shopify
Shopify’s bulk editor simplifies managing inventory quantities, especially for stores with multiple locations or complex product inventory setups. Here is a step-by-step guide.
Step 1: Access Your Shopify Admin Dashboard
Log in to your Shopify store and head to the Products section. This is where all your product inventory is listed. Use filters to focus on specific locations or products that need adjustments.
Step 2: Select Products for Bulk Editing
Click on the checkboxes next to the products you want to edit. (Don’t worry—you can select multiple products at once.) After selecting, click More Actions, then choose Bulk Edit.
Step 3: Customize Your Bulk Editor View
Once in the spreadsheet-like interface, you can personalize the editor by going to Columns and selecting data like inventory quantities, prices, or SKUs to work only with what is necessary.
Step 4: Make Your Edits
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- Adjust inventory quantities directly in the cells by typing the new stock levels.
- Use the dropdown menu to change product status (e.g., “Active” or “Draft”).
- For products with multiple variants, ensure that each variant is updated accurately.
- Manage stock for a specific location or a single location if your store operates in different regions.
Step 5: Save Your Changes
Save those changes to your store. This ensures that all edits are sent through and will be visible at every location and in every product listing within Shopify.
Tips for Ensuring Accuracy and Avoiding Common Mistakes
Bulk editing can save time, but errors during the process might lead to discrepancies in your product inventory. Here are some essential tips to ensure accuracy and avoid common pitfalls:
- Backup Your Data First: Always export your inventory quantities into a CSV file before starting bulk edits.
- Verify Fields Before Editing: Customize your spreadsheet-like interface by selecting only the fields you need, such as inventory tracking, prices, or stock levels.
- Review Changes Before Saving: After making edits, go through them carefully. Ensure the updates reflect the accurate quantities or attributes you want to apply.
- Use Descriptive Tags or Notes: Add tags or notes to products you’ve edited (if applicable). This helps you track changes and identify updates easily later.
These tips will help you maintain accuracy and streamline your bulk editing process, ensuring your inventory quantities and product data are always reliable.
When and Why to Use Third-Party Bulk Editing Tools
Shopify’s built-in bulk editor is a robust tool, but it has limitations that may not suit every store owner’s needs.
For example, the native editor might lack advanced features like automation, detailed filtering, or the ability to edit custom fields. This is where third-party bulk editing tools shine.
When Should You Use Third-Party Apps?
- Managing Large Catalogs: If your store has thousands of products or frequent updates, these tools can handle bulk edits more efficiently than Shopify’s native features.
- Frequent Seasonal Updates: Third-party apps save time by automating updates for stores running promotions or seasonal inventory changes.
- Editing Beyond Basic Fields: When you need to update custom attributes or advanced product details, these apps provide the necessary flexibility.
Why Consider Third-Party Tools?
- Automation Capabilities: With third-party solutions, you can automate repetitive tasks like updating prices for seasonal sales or adjusting stock levels across multiple SKUs.
- Improved Efficiency: For stores with large catalogs, third-party tools can handle thousands of edits at once without slowing down your operations.
- Cross-Platform Integrations: Some tools integrate with other platforms, enabling seamless updates across marketplaces such as Amazon, eBay and Shopify.
- Ease of Use for Complex Edits: If you manage a diverse range of products with multiple attributes, third-party apps provide more precise control over bulk editing.
Popular Shopify Apps for Bulk Editing
👉 No.1 Prediko's AI Inventory Management App
Prediko goes beyond traditional inventory management by offering advanced bulk-editing features through its Buying Table.
This central hub allows you to:
- Review and Edit SKUs in Bulk: Use the Bulk bar to update parameters like supplier details, lead times, and reorder settings for multiple SKUs.
- Update Stock Levels: Simplify your inventory management by updating stock levels for multiple SKUs at once.
- Streamline Ordering: Easily update and manage purchase orders in bulk, saving time and ensuring your inventory processes remain seamless and efficient.
- Customizable Views: Tailor your view by selecting and rearranging columns to focus on relevant data.
- Bulk Import Raw Materials: Quickly import raw materials in bulk for efficient and seamless inventory management.
- Pricing: The pricing starts at $119 /month.
2. Ablestar Bulk Product Editor
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- Ideal for mass edits, including prices, descriptions, and tags
- Features a scheduling option for edits
- Pricing: Free plan is available; premium options start at $30/month.
3. Matrixify (Excelify)
- Offers advanced CSV import/export features for large catalogs
- Perfect for bulk updating product data, collections, and even customer records
- Pricing: Starts at $20/month
By leveraging third-party tools, you can overcome Shopify’s limitations and further streamline your bulk editing process.
Advanced Use Cases for Bulk Editing
Bulk editing can be a game-changer for more than just inventory quantities. Here are some advanced use cases to streamline your Shopify store operations:
Managing Seasonal Inventory Changes
- Quickly update stock levels, prices, and product descriptions for seasonal sales.
- Apply seasonal tags to products, like the “Winter Collection,” for better discoverability.
Bulk Editing Tags and Categories
- Add or remove product tags to improve navigation and searchability.
- Assign products to new categories or collections in bulk for easier management.
Updating Prices across Variants and SKUs
- Adjust pricing for multiple SKUs and variants in one go.
- Apply promotional pricing quickly for sales or special offers.
Editing Descriptions and Images
- Update descriptions or images across products for consistency.
- Ensure uniformity in product listings to maintain brand integrity.
New Product Launches
- Add tags like “New Arrival” to highlight new products.
- Pre-schedule updates for availability and pricing during a product launch.
These advanced uses of bulk editing simplify complex tasks and ensure your Shopify store stays organized and efficient.
Best Practices for Bulk Editing Inventory
Although the bulk edit feature is beneficial, best practices ensure that benefits are achieved without risking error and inefficiency. The following are some essential tips to use while managing your bulk inventory.
1. Backup Your Data
Before making any bulk edits, always back up our product data by exporting it to a CSV file. This ensures you have a restore point in case anything goes wrong. (It’s your safety net.)
2. Use Filters to Target Specific Product Categories
Filters are your best friend while doing bulk editing on the inventory. Use filters to select only groups of products, for instance, those that have low stock or products needing an update in price. This will ensure focused edits and avoid unwanted changes.
3. Review Changes Before Saving
After making all the changes, take a little time to look over all your changes to ensure everything looks correct when editing inventory quantities or prices since mistakes in these fields may have a significant impact on how your store performs.
4. Test on Small Batches First
To check for major updates, start testing it on a small batch of products first. You might have to catch some errors there before making changes to the whole catalog.
5. Stay Consistent Across Locations
If you are in several places. You should reflect this in all updates. You update the price to ensure it reflects the right price at each place so the customer does not get confused.
6. Avoid Overlapping Edits
If multiple people are working on bulk edits, ensure there is no overlap in the changes. Work in a coordinated manner to avoid conflicts or accidental changes to the same product data.
By following these best practices, you’ll maintain accuracy, save time, and avoid costly mistakes during bulk inventory updates.
Top Third-Party Bulk Editing Tools for Shopify
Why Bulk Editing is a Game-Changer for Your Shopify Store
The ability to do bulk editing is very precious for Shopify store owners as it saves time and minimizes the chances of errors, which helps keep the inventory up to date. You can quickly change the inventory quantities, product attributes, and many other features using Shopify's bulk editor from one central dashboard.
Third-party apps like Prediko will be helpful for store owners working with larger inventories or complicated workflows, offering more flexibility and advanced features to run smoothly in multiple locations.
Ready to simplify your inventory management? Start your 14-day free trial today and experience the difference for yourself.
