Overview
We have recently added Location Based Inventory to our bag of tricks for Shopify. This article will cover what location based inventory is, why you might want it, and how you can get it.
What is Location Based Inventory?
Location based inventory means that your inventory is recorded as existing in a specific location. This means if you have multiple locations, but only one of them is carrying pastel nail polish, that information will be recorded in the system. Without location based inventory, there would be one record of your inventory, simply saying "13 bottles of pastel nail polish". With location based inventory, the system would record "5 bottles of pastel nail polish in Cleveland, 5 in Columbus, and 3 in Athens", for example.
Why do I want Location Based Inventory?
Location based inventory is primarily useful when you have multiple locations. With location based inventory it's much easier to have an accurate record of your stock across multiple stores. Location Based Inventory also makes services like Local Delivery, Ship From Store, and In-Store Pickup much easier to handle, since you'll be able to accurately asses which locations have which products.
How do I get Location Based Inventory?
Location based inventory requires Shopify, mutiple location support, and a POS/ERP system that provides the ability to get inventory by location info and the ability to assign ordered items to specific locations. If you're not sure if that describes you, or if you're otherwise interested in getting location based inventory, please contact us with a support request!