How to Keep Shopify Inventory in Sync Across All Sales Channels
A Shopify inventory template is a spreadsheet you use to track or update stock levels for your products. The quickest way to get one is to export your inventory from Products > Inventory in your Shopify admin, which gives you a CSV with your products, variants, locations and quantities that you can edit and import back.
Many merchants also keep their own inventory tracking spreadsheet with costs, reorder levels and supplier details. This guide covers both: Shopify’s inventory CSV for bulk stock updates and a simple tracking template for planning and reordering.
How to Get Shopify’s Inventory CSV Template
Shopify doesn’t need a separate download for its inventory template, because your own export already has the right format. It takes less than a minute, so follow these steps in your Shopify admin:
- Go to Products > Inventory and click Export.
- In Export from, choose a single location or All locations.
- Under Inventory states shown, choose All states, which Shopify recommends.
- Choose which variants to export, such as all variants or the ones matching your search.
- Choose a file format and click Export inventory.
The file lists each variant at each location, so you can review stock levels in a spreadsheet or change quantities and import the file back. Starting from an export also means your handles, option values and location names already match your store exactly.
Columns in the Shopify Inventory Template
The inventory CSV contains identifying columns, inventory states and the column you edit to change quantities. This table shows what each column does:
| Column | What it holds | Can you edit it? |
|---|---|---|
| Handle | The product’s unique identifier | Required, don’t change it |
| Title | The product title | Optional, for readability |
| Option 1–3 Name and Value | The variant’s options, with “Default Title” for products without options | Used to identify the variant, not to rename options |
| SKU | The variant’s SKU | Doesn’t update the SKU, which you change through the product CSV |
| HS Code and COO | Harmonized System code and country of origin | Optional |
| Location | The location name, which must match exactly | Required |
| Bin name | The shelf, rack or bin within a location | Optional |
| Incoming, Unavailable, Committed, Available | Inventory states, such as stock on order or set aside for unfulfilled orders | Not editable |
| On hand (current) | The quantity at the time of export, used as a safety check | Don’t change it |
| On hand (new) | The new quantity you want to set | Editable, and blank leaves the quantity unchanged |
The file can also include variant packed dimension columns for length, width, height and unit. If you use them, fill in all four for a variant and repeat the same values on every row for that variant.
How to Update Stock With the Inventory Template
Once you have an export, updating stock in bulk takes a few steps. Use the All states export for the safest results:
- Edit On hand (new). Enter the new quantity for each variant and location you want to change, using whole numbers.
- Leave other rows blank. A blank On hand (new) cell keeps the current quantity, so you only need to fill in the rows you’re changing.
- Remove unneeded location rows. Keep one row per location for each variant you’re updating, and delete rows for other locations.
- Import the file. Go to Products > Inventory, click Import, add the file and click Upload file.
- Review and start. Check the summary, click Start import and look for an email listing any failed rows.
Shopify compares your file’s On hand (current) values with live inventory and blocks rows that changed after you exported. This protects you from overwriting sales that happened while you were editing, so export again if many rows fail.
If you export available quantities only, you edit the location columns directly instead, but that format has no overwrite protection. You can also enter not stocked for products that are never stocked at a location.
Build an Inventory Tracking Spreadsheet
Shopify’s CSV is built for updating quantities, not for planning purchases or tracking costs. Many small businesses keep a separate tracking template in Google Sheets or Excel that records the same details every time they count stock. A basic tracking template usually includes these columns:
- SKU or item ID. A unique identifier for each item, matching the SKU in Shopify.
- Item name and description. The product name plus key specifications, such as size or color.
- Quantity in stock. The current count, which you can refresh from a Shopify export.
- Unit cost. What you pay for one unit.
- Total value. Quantity multiplied by unit cost, calculated with a formula.
- Reorder level. The stock level that tells you it’s time to order more.
- Supplier information. The vendor’s name, contact details and typical lead time.
Adapt the template to what you sell. Apparel stores may add size and color columns, while handmade sellers may track materials alongside finished goods.
Useful formulas for your template
A few simple formulas make a tracking spreadsheet much more useful. Total value is quantity multiplied by unit cost, and summing that column gives you the total value of your stock.
For reordering, a common approach is to set a reorder point based on how many units you sell per day, how many days your supplier takes to deliver and a buffer of safety stock. Conditional formatting can then highlight any row where quantity falls below its reorder level.
Connect a Template to Live Shopify Data
Manual spreadsheets go out of date as soon as orders come in. Spreadsheet connector tools offer free templates that pull Shopify data into Google Sheets and refresh it on a schedule.
Porter Metrics, for example, offers a Shopify inventory audit template that combines sales, orders and inventory quantity by product, with views for fast and slow movers and top sellers running low. Coefficient offers a template that brings Shopify and QuickBooks data together to track inventory value by product line, sales trends and low stock alerts.
These templates work best for reporting and planning. If you need to change stock levels, update them in Shopify or through the inventory CSV, since a connected spreadsheet that only reads data won’t change your store.
Use Shopify’s Inventory Reports
Before building a complex spreadsheet, check what Shopify’s built-in reports already show. Go to Analytics > Reports and look in the inventory category for reports such as these:
- Month-end inventory snapshot. The quantity of each item at the end of each month.
- Month-end inventory value. The total value of your stock at month end, useful for accounting.
- Product sell-through rate. How quickly products sell, which helps you spot slow movers.
- Days of inventory remaining. A forecast of how long current stock will last based on recent sales.
Combining these reports with a simple tracking template covers most small stores’ needs. As your catalog grows, you can export report data into your spreadsheet for deeper analysis.
Common Inventory Template Problems
Many inventory import issues come from mismatched details or outdated exports. Watch for these:
- Rows fail the safety check. Inventory changed after you exported, so export a fresh file and try again.
- Location not recognized. The location name doesn’t match exactly, including capitalization.
- Variant not found. The handle or option values were changed in the file.
- SKUs didn’t change. The inventory CSV doesn’t update SKUs, so use the product CSV instead.
- Quantities rejected. Decimals were used instead of whole numbers.
- The upload fails. The file is larger than 15 MB, so split it into smaller files.
- Packed dimensions blocked a variant. The dimension values weren’t identical on every row for that variant.
If you manage product data across Shopify, WooCommerce or Wix, Bulkflow supports bulk import, export and updates to existing product records with field mapping. That can help when you need to export store data for review and update many records at once.
Conclusion
A Shopify inventory template, whether it’s Shopify’s own CSV or a tracking spreadsheet you build, makes stock levels easier to update, review and plan around. Starting from an export, editing only the columns that matter and checking results after each import keeps your inventory accurate across every location. We hope this guide helps you set up the right Shopify inventory template for your store. To export and update store data in bulk, you can explore Bulkflow.
