How to Manage Pre-Made and Made-to-Order Inventory in Shopify

Managing inventory for different types of products can be challenging, especially when you have both pre-made items with limited stock and made-to-order items that are always available. In this comprehensive guide, we’ll explore how to effectively handle these scenarios in your Shopify store, ensuring a smooth shopping experience for your customers while maintaining accurate inventory control.

Understanding Product Types and Inventory Management

Pre-Made Items vs. Made-to-Order Items

When running an e-commerce store, it’s common to have a mix of product types. Let’s break down the two main categories we’ll be focusing on:

Pre-made items: These are products that are ready to ship and have a limited quantity in stock.
Made-to-order items: These products are created only when a customer places an order and are always available for purchase.

Managing these different product types requires a strategic approach to inventory tracking and display settings in your Shopify store.

The Importance of Accurate Inventory Tracking

Proper inventory management is crucial for several reasons:

It prevents overselling and disappointed customers
It helps you plan restocking and production schedules
It provides valuable insights into product popularity and demand

By implementing the right settings for each product type, you can ensure that your store accurately reflects product availability and streamlines the purchasing process for your customers.

Setting Up Pre-Made Items in Shopify

Configuring Stock Levels

For pre-made items that have a limited quantity available, it’s essential to set up accurate stock levels in Shopify. Here’s how to do it:

Go to your Shopify admin panel
Navigate to the “Products” section
Select the pre-made item you want to configure
Enter the current stock quantity in the “Inventory” field

By maintaining accurate stock levels, you’ll be able to track sales and know when it’s time to reorder or restock your pre-made items.

Enabling Inventory Tracking

To ensure that Shopify automatically updates stock levels as sales occur, you need to enable inventory tracking:

In the product editing page, find the “Inventory” section
Check the box next to “Track quantity”
Save your changes

With inventory tracking enabled, Shopify will decrease the stock count each time a sale is made, giving you real-time visibility into your inventory levels.

Handling Out-of-Stock Scenarios

When a pre-made item sells out, you’ll want to prevent further sales while still displaying the product on your store. Here’s how to set this up:

In the product editing page, locate the “Inventory” section
Look for the option “Continue selling when out of stock”
Ensure this option is unchecked for pre-made items

By unchecking this option, Shopify will automatically display a “Sold Out” message and disable the “Add to Cart” button when the item’s stock reaches zero.

Managing Made-to-Order Items in Shopify

Setting Up Unlimited Availability

For made-to-order items that are always available for purchase, you’ll want to configure them differently:

Go to the product editing page for your made-to-order item
In the “Inventory” section, set the quantity to 0
Enable inventory tracking by checking “Track quantity”
Check the box next to “Continue selling when out of stock”

This configuration tells Shopify that while the item shows as out of stock, it should still be available for purchase.

Customizing the Product Display

To avoid confusion for customers, you may want to add a note to made-to-order product descriptions:

Edit the product description
Add text explaining that the item is made-to-order and always available
Consider mentioning any lead times for production and shipping

Clear communication about the nature of made-to-order items can help set appropriate customer expectations and reduce inquiries about availability.

Handling Order Fulfillment

For made-to-order items, you’ll need a system to manage production and fulfillment:

Set up a workflow for receiving and processing made-to-order items
Consider using Shopify’s fulfillment features to track order status
Communicate production and shipping timelines clearly to customers

Efficient management of made-to-order fulfillment ensures customer satisfaction and helps maintain a positive reputation for your store.

Best Practices for Mixed Inventory Management

Regular Inventory Audits

To maintain accuracy across both pre-made and made-to-order items:

Conduct regular inventory counts for pre-made items
Review sales data for made-to-order items to forecast demand
Adjust stock levels and production capacity as needed

Regular audits help prevent discrepancies and ensure your Shopify store reflects real-world inventory accurately.

Utilizing Shopify Reports

Shopify offers valuable reporting tools to help you manage your inventory:

Use the “Inventory reports” feature to track stock levels and movements
Analyze “Product reports” to understand sales patterns for different item types
Set up low stock alerts to prompt restocking of pre-made items

Leveraging these reports can provide insights that inform your inventory management strategies.

Implementing Tags and Collections

Organize your products effectively using Shopify’s tagging and collection features:

Create tags for “Pre-made” and “Made-to-order” items
Use these tags to create separate collections for each product type
Utilize smart collections to automatically categorize products based on inventory settings

This organization can help both you and your customers easily distinguish between different product types in your store.

By implementing these strategies and best practices, you can effectively manage both pre-made and made-to-order items in your Shopify store. This approach ensures that your customers have a clear understanding of product availability while you maintain accurate inventory control. Remember to regularly review and adjust your settings as your business grows and evolves to continue providing an optimal shopping experience.