This document is intended to be a reference and guide on using the Inventory Sync function from within Portal. In this document, we’ll go through the entire sync process from start to finish. We’ll also go over which channels Shipfusion currently syncs with, how to enable inventory sync, and how you can create a link between SKUs.
Channels
Below are the current channels with inventory sync capabilities:
- Shopify
- WooCommerce
- Skubana
- Amazon
- Square
If further integrations are needed, please make a request through your account manager for the development team to proceed.
What is Inventory Sync?
This feature, in its simplest terms, is to push inventory levels from Shipfusion to a sales channel based on its setup.
For example, if you sell your products on Amazon, you can push the inventory amounts listed in Shipfusion’s system to Amazon’s system for updated inventory levels on their platform. If further integrations are needed, a request to your account manager will need to be made in order for the Dev team to proceed. Shipfusion serves as the source of truth, since we physically manage and handle your goods and rely on the real-time inventory movement as a result.
Enabling Inventory Sync
In order to enable your account for inventory sync, it must first be enabled. To do this, please reach out to your account manager.
Note that for country-specific channels, your account manager must set each channel up as separate channels in our system. For example, In the event that you want only your inventory in Toronto to ship for Amazon CA, and inventory in Chicago to ship for Amazon US.
Creating a Link Between SKUs
In Portal, a connection can be established with a sales channel item on the Inventory page. This can be done through the Actions > Sync button, and then Manage Connections in the top right:
Before we start, here is a quick run-down of what each function does:
- Sync - this initiates a push update from Shipfusion into the requested sales channel
- Delete Sync - removes the connection in question
- Manage Connection - this creates a new sync instance for a particular SKU, for a specified channel
- Resync Inventory - this pushes an update from Shipfusion into the requested sales channel - note that the system updates the information between the sales channel to Shipfusion every 15 minutes
- Pause - this will prevent the system from pushing inventory updates on the specific SKU into the sales channel
- Resume - if a SKU was previously paused, this allows for the system to enable the sync connection again
You can also check on already active connections by selecting the X Active option (if already existing) under the Connections column.
You can access the Sync page for a SKU under Products > Products Rules as well.
If you select the Sync option, you will see the Delete Sync, Re-sync Inventory, and Manage Connection options in the top right:
You can connect or re-connect your SKUs through the Manage Connections button. This will look at your active sales channels and check for any inventory connections that can be established:
Once you have created all your connections and would like inventory to be synced up, you can select the Resync Inventory button.
Once selected, the products enter a queue to be synced with other products. The sync occurs every 15 minutes to avoid throttling issues. You can see an updated last synced time once the sync has been sent:
If you are having issues syncing a SKU, you can view the history by selecting the Actions button and then History:
In the corresponding popup, you will see the history of syncs for the selected SKU:
If you wish to Pause or Resume a sync, you can do this under the same Actions button and select either Pause or Resume. The system will give you a confirmation in the top right if either action has been done successfully.
To ‘edit’ or change a warehouse, navigate to the SKU in question and select the Warehouses button:
Unselect the All Warehouses option:
Select the specific, correct warehouse’s checkbox, and then select the Save button:
NOTE: Connections can only be made with channels that have been connected via onboarding. If you have a new channel that needs inventory sync, please make sure the channel has been added properly by your account manager.
Common Issues
“I’m seeing a failed connection - what do I do?”
First, check the History of the SKU and the current status of the connection - are you seeing multiple failures, and is the current connection showing active, or failed?
Second, initiate a push by selecting the Manage Connections button and then selecting Reconnect. You should also check on your sales channel that the SKU is enabled to connect with Shipfusion.
If you are still having issues, please contact your AM.