SKUSavvy is switching to a new method of managing your stock which utilizes the SKU as the default tracking identifier for inventory.
We're writing to give you an advance notice about an exciting update to SKUSavvy inventory that will roll out in about a month. This change will make managing your stock simpler, more accurate, and more powerful.
The Big Change: We're Moving to SKU-Based Inventory
Soon, SKUSavvy will begin tracking all inventory by its SKU. This means any items in your catalog that share the same SKU will share the same pool of inventory. Barcodes will reference the SKU instead of the item/variant directly.
If you run multiple Shopify stores, this update will dramatically improve syncing. SKUSavvy will manage a single, global inventory level for each SKU. When an item sells on Store A, the available stock for that same SKU will automatically update on Store B, C, and so on.
All replenishment rules, both for internal bin transfers and for purchasing new stock from vendors, will now be based on the SKU. This gives you a more accurate, holistic view of an item's sales velocity, making it easier to maintain optimal stock levels in your picking bins and prevent stockouts.
Creating kits will be much easier. Your bundle recipes will now also be based on SKUs, not specific product variants. This means you just need to add the component's SKU, and the system will know exactly which physical product to pull from your shared inventory pool.
You'll no longer need workarounds to sync inventory for the same physical item sold in different bundles or listings. If they share a SKU, we'll handle it.
This change will increase accuracy in all your daily tasks, from order picking and fulfillment to cycle counting.
Please review your product catalog and ensure every physically distinct item has its own unique SKU.
Since the new system will treat items with the same SKU as identical, taking the time now to audit and fix any duplicate SKUs on different items will prevent any inventory tracking issues after the launch.
Today, SKUSavvy tracks inventory at the variant level. Each variant has its own stock count, dimensions, and barcodes. Under the new system, we are introducing an InventoryItem entity that sits between your product variants and your actual physical inventory.
An InventoryItem represents the physical item itself. Multiple variants can point to the same InventoryItem when they share a SKU. This is what makes shared inventory possible. The InventoryItem holds the physical attributes, the barcodes, and the actual stock quantities.
Each product will have an inventory mode setting.
Variant-based mode works like today. Each variant tracks its own stock independently.
SKU-based mode is the new default. All variants sharing the same SKU will pull from a single shared inventory pool. When you receive a purchase order, adjust stock, or fulfill an order, the quantity changes apply to the shared pool, and all linked variants see the update instantly.
Dimensions, weight, and customs information will no longer live on the variant. They will move to the InventoryItem. If multiple variants share an InventoryItem, they all share the same physical attributes. This ensures consistency when calculating shipping rates, dims, or customs declarations.
Vendor costs will no longer be stored on a VendorVariant record. Instead, they will be stored as UnitCosts on the InventoryItem. Each InventoryItem can have multiple unit costs, one per vendor. This makes it easier to track which vendor supplies an item at what price, and to compare costs across suppliers.
Barcodes will be attached to the InventoryItem, not the variant. When a picker scans a barcode, the system will identify the physical item by its SKU, then determine which variant to associate with the order. This eliminates duplicate barcode issues when the same physical item appears under multiple product listings.
The frozen and fresh inventory tracking fields will be removed from the system. If you currently use these fields, you will need to export that data before the migration if you need it for historical purposes. Standard on-hand and available quantity tracking will continue to work as before.
This platform update will introduce sweeping breaking changes to our API.
The core reason is that inventory quantities (qtys) will no longer reference a single, unique item. Instead, they will reference a SKU, which can be linked to a list of items across your stores. This fundamental shift will affect many endpoints related to inventory and products.
Your existing integrations will require updates to be compatible with the new API structure. We will publish detailed migration guides and updated API documentation well in advance of the release. Please stay tuned for a follow-up announcement with these resources.
We are finalizing this update and plan to roll it out in about a month (end of October). We will send another announcement with the specific "go-live" date well in advance, giving everyone time to prepare.
We're confident this update will be a massive improvement to your workflow. As always, please reach out to our support team if you have any questions.
Yes. During the migration, your existing stock levels will be transferred to the new InventoryItem records. No inventory will be lost or reset. You will see the same on-hand and available quantities you see today.
If two different physical items share the same SKU today, the new system will treat them as the same item. This could cause inventory discrepancies. That is why we are asking you to audit your catalog now. Fix any accidental duplicate SKUs before the migration goes live.
No changes are required on the Shopify side. SKUSavvy will continue to sync inventory back to your Shopify stores. The change is internal to how SKUSavvy tracks and manages that inventory.
Historical purchase orders and fulfilled orders will remain intact. Moving forward, purchase order line items will reference the InventoryItem instead of the variant. Order picking and fulfillment will also resolve to the InventoryItem by SKU. Your historical reports and COGS data will not change.
Please visit our support center or create a ticket in platform to address any concerns or issues you have with the change.