Managing inventory across different stores can quickly turn into chaos.
One store might be sitting on excess stock, while others may be running out of top sellers. To avoid such costly mistakes, you need a single view of inventory across all your stores.
But, can you sync inventory between two Shopify stores?
Absolutely. In this guide, we’ll cover everything you need to know—benefits, top apps, and best practices for smooth multi-store inventory management.
Why Do Shopify Brands Need Multi-Store Inventory Sync?
Siloed inventory visibility across your Shopify stores can impact your business in the following ways.
Reason #1: Stock outs And Overstocking
When inventory across multiple Shopify stores isn’t synced, there’s a high risk of stock imbalances leading to stockouts or excess stocking.
Imagine a clothing brand running two separate Shopify stores—Store A for domestic sales and Store B for international customers. Store A is completely sold out, while the same item collects dust in Store B.
Instead of being able to transfer inventory to meet demand, you're left with unsold products in one store and missed sales in another. This becomes a common issue if you don’t have a single dashboard to view and manage your multi-store inventory.
Reason #2: Challenges In Demand Forecasting And Inventory Planning
Demand forecasting becomes a guessing game when the inventory data from all your stores isn’t centralized.
To determine how many units of a particular product to order, you need a holistic view of its sales across all stores—not just one.
Different stores may have varying levels of demand. For example, a product might be slow-moving in your international Shopify store but in high demand domestically.
So, if you base your entire forecasting solely on one store, the stock levels at your other Shopify stores will be off, as each store has its unique demand patterns.
Reason #3: Higher Operational Costs
Without inventory sync, you’d have to rely on manual processes to track and manage inventory. This might involve your staff spending hours reconciling inventory counts by exporting and importing CSV files, cross-referencing sales data, and updating stock levels between the stores.
You might even have to employ separate teams to manage each store's inventory, doubling the labor costs for inventory management.
Plus, the lack of real-time visibility into stock levels across both stores leads to unexpected expenses like markdowns and warehousing costs.
Reason #4: Lost Sales and Customer Loyalty
Inventory imbalances directly impact customer experience, leading to lost sales and eroding customer loyalty. When products are out of stock in one store but available in another, customers are left frustrated and may turn to competitors.
Additionally, unsynced inventory hinders promotional efforts like cross-selling and upselling. For instance, a customer who buys one product might miss out on a complementary item that’s available in another store but appears out of stock in their location.
This lack of inventory synchronization not only reduces immediate sales opportunities but also damages customer trust and diminishes lifetime value.
Benefits of Syncing Inventory Across Stores
Syncing inventory between your Shopify stores brings you a number of benefits.
1. Efficient Replenishment
With real-time visibility into stock levels across all Shopify stores, brands can set up reorder points and replenishment triggers based on the aggregated data.
When a product reaches a low stock threshold in any store, you may initiate a reorder only after considering the total available inventory across all stores combined. This lets you have optimal stock levels without stock outs and overstocking situations.
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We Are Jolies (WAJ), a French underwear brand struggled with overstocking, stock outs, and manual processes of managing inventory across different channels. This led to costly delays and errors.
Using Prediko’s inventory management app, they gained real-time visibility into their sales, inventory, and revenue across stores and warehouses enabling timely restocks. To put it in numbers, they were able to reduce stock outs by 60%.
2. Informed Business Decisions
With synced inventory, you gain access to data from all Shopify stores in one centralized dashboard. This gives you insights to make strategic decisions on pricing, purchasing, allocation, and promotions.
For instance, a brand with Shopify stores for B2C and B2B customers can easily compare the demand for the same products in these different markets and adjust the pricing accordingly.
3. Better Stock Allocation
Syncing inventory across Shopify stores allows for more accurate and responsive stock allocation. With a real-time view of inventory levels and sales velocities across all Shopify stores, brands can quickly allocate stock to where it's needed most.
This is particularly valuable for managing limited edition items and seasonal products. By having the right products in the right Shopify store at the right time, brands can maximize their sales and minimize the need for markdowns.
4. Improved Customer Experience
Synced inventory across Shopify stores allows you to offer inventory information that is up-to-date and reliable.
Maintaining accurate inventory reduces the chances of stockouts, so customers can find what they need across all your stores. This leads to higher satisfaction, repeat business, and fewer abandoned carts.
Azio Beauty, a skincare brand, experienced customer dissatisfaction due to long wait times from relying on pre-ordered inventory, which led to missed sales opportunities. Using Prediko, they could better forecast their inventory, ensuring their best-selling products were always in stock. This led to faster deliveries and improved customer experience.
Does Shopify Offer Multi-Store Inventory Sync?
No, Shopify does not provide a native feature to automatically sync inventory between multiple stores. Each Shopify store operates independently, with its own inventory, dashboard, and analytics.
However, there are three alternatives to sync inventory across your Shopify stores. These include
- Manual processing: You can manually track and update inventory between stores by exporting and importing CSV files. While this works, it can be time-consuming and prone to errors, especially for brands with high-volume sales.
- Single email login (not true syncing): This method doesn't actually sync inventory but makes switching between stores easier. You can create multiple Shopify stores using the same email account, allowing access to all stores from a single admin login. However, while you can navigate between the stores easily, it does not sync inventory between them. You’ll still need to manage inventory manually.
- Using third-party apps: The most effective way to automate inventory syncing is by using third-party apps like Prediko. These apps allow you to sync stock levels between stores seamlessly, reducing manual effort and avoiding stock imbalances.
What Are Inventory Sync Apps?
Inventory sync apps allow you to automatically update and manage stock levels across multiple stores from a single dashboard. These third-party tools can be easily integrated with your Shopify store for streamlined inventory management.
This means you don't have to manually adjust inventory every time a product is sold or added. These apps ensure that stocks in all your stores are updated in real-time keeping you away from issues like high operational costs, stockouts, and, poor stock allocation.
Since you’re expanding, look for tools that go beyond basic sync features. A complete inventory management solution like Prediko will provide greater control, forecasting abilities, and insights, translating into better outcomes for your Shopify store.
Pricing for inventory sync apps ranges from $5 to $200 per month. See our paid plans
The tool you choose will depend on factors like the size of your business, the number of stores you manage, and the level of automation and advanced features you require.
Common features offered by the best inventory sync apps include
- Real-time inventory sync and control which means stock levels are automatically updated across all stores as soon as a sale is made or inventory is adjusted
- Replenishment notifications and reorder triggers when items are running low or out of stock
- Analysis of historical sales data, seasonality, and growth trends to forecast future sales and inventory
- Detailed reports on aggregated inventory performance, sales, and, revenue to make data-backed decisions
- Purchase order management for generating accurate POs and maintaining supplier communications
Best Practices For Multi-Store Inventory Management On Shopify
Expanding to multiple Shopify stores can feel overwhelming, but keeping these best practices in mind will make the process much smoother and more manageable.
1. Set up low-stock alerts
Stockouts are bad news for both your business and your customers.
Make sure you have an automated system in place that warns you about low inventory levels to manage it proactively.
Start by determining the minimum threshold for each product. Consider factors like sales velocity, lead time for restocking, and seasonal demand. Regularly review and adjust these limits based on actual sales data so that low-stock alerts are accurately triggered across all your stores.
2. Establish reorder points at all stores
Determine specific reorder points for every store. Begin by analyzing historical sales data from each store to understand product-specific demand patterns. Document these points for all your stores in a shared document or automate the reordering in your inventory management app.
For example, if your international Shopify store typically sells 100 units of a product per month, and it takes two weeks to restock, set the reorder point at 50 units for that store. If multiple stores share inventory, you can sync the data and set a single reorder point for the combined stock in your inventory management app.
3. Enable cross-store fulfillment
Cross-store fulfillment allows you to complete orders from one store using inventory from another. This is particularly useful for stores that share inventory. To enable this, implement an inventory sync app to allow visibility of stock levels across all stores. Set rules for when cross-store fulfillment should kick in, such as when an item is out of stock.
If you want to do it manually, train your staff on how to process orders from different stores and establish SOPs for transferring products. This lets you meet customer demands during stock outs and minimize another store’s excess inventory at the same time.
4. Standardize product SKUs
Create a consistent SKU system across all stores to avoid any confusion. Develop a clear naming convention that includes relevant product details, such as category, size, and color. For example, use a format like "CATEGORY-SUBCATEGORY-COLOR-SIZE" (e.g., "SHIRT-POLO-RED-M").
Ensure that all stores use this uniform format, which makes it easier to track inventory, analyze sales data, and reorder products accurately. Create a guide for your team to implement this SKU system for both current products and future additions.
5. Monitor real-time stock and sales data
Access real-time data to keep a constant pulse on your inventory and sales across all stores. You can look at the inbuilt Shopify reports or granular data generated by your inventory sync app.
Use this real-time data to make quick decisions, such as transferring stock between stores or adjusting marketing efforts to push slow-moving inventory. You can also base strategic decisions, such as placing purchase orders or forecasting demand, on this data.
For instance, if you notice a surge in sales for a particular product, you can proactively increase your reorder quantity to prevent stock outs.
Set up automated daily or weekly summary reports to be sent to key team members. Regularly compare this data against your forecasts and adjust your future inventory planning accordingly.
Prediko keeps you informed about which SKUs are at risk or out-of-stock with automated daily and weekly inventory reports sent straight to your inbox.
Sync Multi Store Shopify Inventory with Prediko
Prediko is an all-in-one inventory management solution that not only syncs your inventory but also does more. Its seamless integration with Shopify and smart AI algorithms ensure everything runs like clockwork.
Here’s what Prediko brings to the table.
- Syncs all your sales and inventory data in one place whether you are managing multiple stores, warehouses, bundles, or subscriptions. You can customize the dashboard to reflect the metrics that matter most, be it sales, inventory, or production.
- By analyzing your sales history, seasonality trends, and growth patterns, Prediko’s AI forecasts your revenue goals for the next 12 months. This allows you to align purchasing decisions with your targets.
- Get real-time inventory data with granular insights. From identifying top-performing products to pinpointing SKUs in excess or at risk of stockouts, Prediko keeps you updated every step of the way.
- Stay proactive with daily and weekly email alerts that highlight which SKUs are at risk of running out.
- Prediko’s Buying Table offers real-time purchase order recommendations based on your stock cover levels, sell-through rate, lead times, and forecasted demand. Create POs with a single click and communicate instantly with your suppliers.
See Prediko in action:
Wish to take a closer look? Book a demo today and see how Prediko can give you smarter, data-driven inventory control.
FAQs
1. Can I sync two Shopify stores?
No, Shopify doesn’t offer this feature natively, but third-party apps like Prediko can sync your stores.
2. How do I share inventory between two locations in Shopify?
Shopify doesn’t allow this natively. You’ll need tools like Prediko to sync inventory across locations or sales channels.
3. How to sync inventory on Shopify?
You can manually sync inventory by importing/exporting CSV files or automating it using inventory sync apps.
4. Can you combine two Shopify stores?
You can't fully combine two Shopify stores, but you can manage multiple stores under one email address. While you can navigate between them in Shopify admin, syncing inventory requires third-party tools like Prediko to truly unify operations.
