Managing multiple Shopify listings that draw from the same inventory using a WMS like Infoplus requires careful planning, since Shopify doesn’t natively let different listings share inventory—even if the SKUs are identical.
💡 Core Strategy: Centralized Inventory, Unique Listings
The fundamental best practice is to always use Infoplus as the Single Source of Truth (SSOT) for your inventory count, and use a method to ensure all related Shopify listings point back to the same quantity controlled by Infoplus.
Infoplus Configuration: The Single Source of Truth
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Universal SKUs (Must-Have): Every physical item should have one, and only one, Base SKU in Infoplus. This SKU must be the same one used across all your sales channels.
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Handle Bundles/Kits in Infoplus: If a product is sold as a multi-pack or part of a kit, the kit breakdown logic must live in Infoplus. Infoplus will manage the deduction of the individual component SKUs, ensuring accurate stock updates are sent back to Shopify for all related products.
Shopify Configuration: The Crucial Limitation
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Unique SKUs for Fulfillment: For Infoplus to successfully manage fulfillment and push inventory, each unique product variant must be set up in Shopify to be fulfilled by Infoplus.
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Infoplus' Requirement: Infoplus documentation explicitly warns: "Infoplus expects each SKU to be unique within Shopify. If more than one product is set up with the same SKU within Shopify, unpredictable behavior may occur."
NOTE: Shopify permits duplicate SKUs, but this leads to major inventory management and integration issues.
Shopify Alert/Caution: Duplicate SKUs can disrupt integrations with fulfillment systems and undermine inventory accuracy. When Shopify identifies a duplicate SKU within your Inventory section, it displays a warning for that SKU. If your operations require intentional SKU duplication for bundles or specialized workflows, you may disregard this warning; however, proceed with caution, as this practice may still introduce sync or tracking challenges.
For reference: Using SKUs to manage your inventory in Shopify
Problems caused by duplicate SKUs
- Infoplus' Expectation: Infoplus expects a 1:1 match—one unique SKU in Infoplus maps to one unique SKU in Shopify. If it tries to send an inventory update for a SKU, and that SKU exists on two different product listings in Shopify, the system often doesn't know which one to update, or it only targets the first matching product it encounters.
- Shopify's Behavior: Shopify treats every product and variant listing as a separate inventory item, even if they share the same SKU. If you have "Product A" and "Product B" both with SKU "12345," a sale of Product A will only decrement its stock, not Product B's stock, unless you use a specific app or service to link them.
Another scenario: If you have two separate Shopify listings for the same item (e.g., one for a 'Summer Sale' and one for 'New Arrivals'), but they both use the same SKU, Infoplus' direct connection to Shopify's inventory system may break or become unreliable.
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While duplicate SKUs generally introduce inventory accuracy risks and are not recommended, certain business units may require this setup to support specialized marketing workflows. ShipCalm is actively developing a solution within Infoplus to better support these scenarios. At this stage, no action is required from your team.
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Update in progress: Infoplus’ Engineering team is enhancing the Automatic sync process to mirror the behavior of the Manual sync, ensuring all inventory levels are accurately updated across Shopify listings. This improvement is scheduled for release soon and will resolve the automated sync discrepancies you’ve been experiencing.