Syncing stock between a physical store and online shop

To share stock between a shop floor and website, match each sellable variant and selling unit, enable tracking, and decide which location quantities the website may use. Then check what a store sale and an online order each change. An item visible online may still be unavailable because its stock or fulfilment settings differ.

Match variants and locations

Map the items sold in both channels by a reliable product identifier. Do not map a bottle to a case, or one size to another. Decide how damaged, reserved and incoming goods affect the quantity offered online. Where separate systems are connected, check the connector’s field mapping; do not assume identical product names establish a match.

Shopify POS requires tracking to be activated and inventory assigned to locations. Its POS view distinguishes available, committed, unavailable and incoming stock. The selected POS location determines which location’s count a store sale changes. Shopify also lets a merchant exclude a location from online fulfilment; online orders are assigned under the store’s routing and inventory settings.

Square says tracked stock updates from POS sales and orders shipped through Square Online. For an item to be purchasable online, Square says it must be assigned to the relevant online sales channel. Square’s website-only sale price does not sync to its other platforms, so check prices separately from quantities.

Stock Sync Differences: Shopify POS vs Square

Decide what the website may promise

If web orders use shop-floor stock, confirm that the store location is permitted to fulfil them. If the business holds a reserve for walk-in customers, define and maintain that reserve through a supported stock process. A shared catalogue alone does not reserve units.

For a tracked Shopify variant, merchants can enable continued online selling after stock reaches zero. That option does not control Shopify POS in the same way: POS warns staff about unavailable stock but can still sell at zero or below.

Stock held only at a location excluded from online fulfilment will not make the item available on the online store. Check these settings before describing either channel as protected from overselling.

Check sales in both directions

Select a low-risk variant, a similar variant and an item stocked at only one location. Record each starting quantity and any open orders. After a store sale, inspect the intended location and website availability.

After an online order, inspect its assigned fulfilment location, quantity and POS view. Account for any real payment or stock movement caused by a live check.

Shopify says POS orders and inventory cannot sync with your Shopify admin while its device is offline. After reconnection, check both records; Shopify says orders and inventory should sync automatically, and you can also manually force the Shopify POS app to sync with your Shopify admin. Keep a mismatch open until its actual records agree. Physical counts and stock adjustments remain separate stock-control tasks.

Steps to Ensure Accurate Stock Sync

Key Stock Sync Metrics to Monitor