Can we access inventory history beyond 90 days in Shopify?

Can we access inventory history beyond 90 days in Shopify?

Val_Huggett
Tourist
7 0 41

Hello,

 

It has recently come to our attention that the Inventory History only covers the last 90 days.  We frequently use this feature to investigate inventory outages, assess customer buying patterns, and more. 

 

However, the limit of a 90 day window makes this feature frustratingly useless to us.  We often order product on a seasonal or quarterly basis, which means by the time the next buying window comes around the inventory history is wiped clean. 

 

I want to know if there is any way to bypass the 90 day window in Shopify's buying history, OR create an equivalent report either in Shopify, in Stocky, or using BetterReports (pinging @KBetterReports  🙂 ).  The key for us is that we need to know the quantity sold per order, NOT total sold in a certain time period. 

Replies 106 (106)

PegNorman
Tourist
8 0 7

Unfortunately, we’ve just discovered the same problem.  Did you find an answer?

GhostApps
Shopify Partner
168 2 16

Hi,

I created Inventory History Guardian because of this post and the amount of people saying that it was an issue for them.
The app saves a record of the inventory of each product variant per location per day, allowing you to extend your inventory history beyond 90 days.
It also allows you to create inventory adjustments with custom notes, see all of them across your entire store in a single list view and again save them for more than 90 days whilst still working with Shopify's inventory system.

Hopefully some of the posters in this thread will find the app useful. Let me know if you have any questions

MarcoM0857
Explorer
38 0 126

90 Days inventory history is USELESS!!!

mscmith11
Explorer
54 0 59

Four years later and I believe this is still the case @Shopify ???

Morek
Shopify Partner
835 73 179

Hi!

Hope you're having a great day!

You can view only the last 90 days of inventory history for a product or variant. Unfortunately, there is no way to see the records of inventory events for more than 90 days. There is even no API to get the Inventory History of a specific inventory item.

Others details:

If you have any further questions, please do reach out either here on the forum, or via a private message/email.

If you're looking for a Shopify developer or just want to connect, don't hesitate to reach out!
Portfolio: https://mmorek.com/
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mmorek
WhatsApp: Whatsapp me!
onstad
Visitor
2 0 24

Thanks for the explanation about the 90-day limit. How can we best communicate to Shopify that this is a bizarre shortcoming which frustratingly diminishes the power and usefulness of the platform? It should be remedied such that you can specify a date range like elsewhere in the reporting tools, and if it can't, an explanation of what otherwise seems like an arbitrary cutoff seems warranted.  

MarcoM0857
Explorer
38 0 126

Once again:
90 Days inventory history is USELESS!!! This is a MAJOR shortcoming of Shopify that we literally love BUT this has to be looked at it. At least we should be able to have a 12 Months history (AT LEAST!) Optimal 36 or 48 Months.

Rob_Lent
Tourist
9 0 26

90 days of history makes no sense, but there's most likely a paid app for it... although I have yet to find one. SUPER weird. 

hotpinkdaisy1
Tourist
3 0 2

Any update on this major issue?

 

mscmith11
Explorer
54 0 59

@Shopify  anything new here? When will this be addressed?

Why is there such a blatant attempt to keep our data from us??

cherylfoh
Explorer
73 5 42

I hope this gets an upgrade, because limiting the inventory history to 90 days is unhelpful. 

endotron
Visitor
1 0 20

How do we escalate this so it becomes a frequently requested product feature.  Being a developer myself working with databases and backend code I know that a API can be built for this. 

 

The source of the inventory history request should accept a parameter for requested time frame, this seems like a very simple part of the architecture that should've been considered.  The data is in the database, it's just a matter of exposing it to the clients.  Let's get a date range feature ASAP please.  

 

I'm echoing everyone here that has already stated that the 90 day limit seems arbitrary.  In my scenario I'm attempting to audit our inventory as there appears to be an outage.  I have no way to verify this since the inventory was entered in January 2021 - past the 90 day limit.

MarcoM0857
Explorer
38 0 126

I do not understand... Shopify does so many useful updates and we love it for that BUT it really puzzle me why they don't pay attention to something SO IMPORTANT as this matter it is.

Shopify: Could you please acknowledge all the people  in this discussion (and many other) about this matter?
It seems that as mentioned by @Val_Huggett  should be a pretty easy task...

PLEASE SHOPIFY, RESPOND/ACKNOWLEDGE!

Thanks 

WoolShop
Tourist
7 0 15

This is by far the most frustrating part of this limitation - the data is obviously there because I can export order information from 3, 6, 12 months ago ... So why can't this same data be used for inventory reporting?  Everything is so much more cumbersome than it needs to be. 

mscmith11
Explorer
54 0 59

On the programming end there is absolutely no reason the database should not be storing EVERY adjustment (and most importantly the initial date of receiving an item) in the Shopify system. It should be easily accessible and fully listed from DAY1

 

TobyW
Visitor
2 0 14

I'd like to upvote this and add our company's support (we are also shareholders) for this obvious shortcoming to be fixed in a future update. Please!  This seems utterly stupid and arbitrary, and is a massive compromise to the viability of the platform for any real business.  Shopify needs to stop acting like it's the only option for retailers, spend less time adding dumb visual features like the useless Live View 3D world map and the time-wasting scrolling cart total on the POS app and more time listening to its clients!  

MarcoM0857
Explorer
38 0 126

You said: "Unfortunately, there is no way to see the records of inventory events for more than 90 days."  That sound like BS to me!

Note that your post got 0 (ZERO) likes, while most of the others received several... Maybe that tells you something. Being a Shopify Partner, possibly you may have a more influential saying on the matter, therefore PLEASE listen to your company users (and many like us) also shareholders.

Let's get moving! Thanks! 

ThomasMuller
Visitor
2 0 7

I also notice the lack of likes.  Don't count on anything changing though.

Danae_Horst
Tourist
7 0 18

Just responding here to add to the chorus of voices asking for this feature (which I have also requested directly through Shopify Support). 

 

Other than the fact that it's absurb to have to save a years worth of packing slips, etc to see inventory history- what's more frustrating about this issue is that my team has become convinced there is a glitch in the way Shopify is tracking inventory and without being able to see more than 90 days of history, there is no way to prove that something is going wrong! 

 

To be honest, I think I'm done with Shopify and need to go back to Square. Every day I find yet another functionality lacking in Shopify's POS system that was available even on the free version of Square and I just can't run my business this way any longer. I've started telling everyone who comes to me for business advice to steer clear of Shopify because of these issues. It's not worth it anymore- especially when the Square e-comm platform is getting better and better. 

mscmith11
Explorer
54 0 59

It is now 2024 and still not change to @Shopify . This needs to be addressed.

The inventory system on the back end can only show current inventory numbers from quantities based on past adjustments, it essentially relies on those numbers to display the current value. Shopify is just not reporting than information to the end users (Shopify merchants).

This is an issue that requires attention. Inventory values are one of the most crucial in the retail model on many levels , and Shopify is not prioritizing something completely doable on their end!

Jamie_Orehek
Tourist
3 0 16

Please fix this Shopify!!

CBTradingPost
Visitor
2 0 22

Shopify definitely needs longer history for inventory history. We've been trying to pinpoint the cause of inventory shortages with our multichannel store and it's difficult to do that when it only goes back ~3 months. More than anything it seems like a weird omission.

andrescastaneda
Visitor
1 0 7

i thought it was my account or something until i found this post, this is absolutely bollocks, needs to be fixed, i should ask shopify to get me my data but looks they don't care (hope is not an app)

grandpuba
Tourist
4 0 18

For our business this is such an oversight it's comical. And how are there not more people getting upset about this? It seems inconceivable to me that this is not a more important feature for many businesses than seems.

 

Can someone explain to me why Shopify would do this? Because if they can have an arbitrary number like 90 days then surely they can have 900 days? Are they really saving so much in server costs by cutting it to 90 days? I'd love to know how much money they save by cutting it to 90 days rather than 365 days at least. 

MarcoM0857
Explorer
38 0 126

PLEASE SHOPIFY, RESPOND/ACKNOWLEDGE!

ThomasMuller
Visitor
2 0 7

This issue is stunningly stupid.  When I asked with Shopify their reply was "why do you need to see inventory history beyond 90 days?"  Obviously these people have never worked anywhere other than other in front of a computer screen.  They need to get some people with real-world experience.  This is making me look seriously at going back to Lightspeed, or finding another program.

PaulAButler
Visitor
1 0 6

This is the #1 reason why I have yet to switch to Shopify as my instore POS.
I have been overjoyed at Shopify as my webstore platform, and despite the many boons of the thought of using Shopify for all my POS needs, this one shortcoming makes it a non starter.

mscmith11
Explorer
54 0 59

You are 100% correct. Clearly no programmers at @Shopify have been on the retail end of things.

FishHead-Greg
Excursionist
21 0 21

How did you like Lightspeed on a 1-10 sale? Why did you leave for Shopify?

mscmith11
Explorer
54 0 59

When we were switching over to Shopify I never would have thought of historical inventory data as anything but a basic function of any ecommerce or POS system. TBH, we never thought to ask. What inventory management system with this pricetag wouldn't provide that?!

We opted for Shopify instead of Lightspeed, but it was only after the implementation that I discovered the short-comings on the backend of Shopify. And for the most part, it is due to plain lack of understanding from a merchant standpoint. Hello @Shopify I am available for consulting work!  Even my partner's mediocre SQL-based custom made ecommerce website from 1999 housed over 20 years...20 years of every single quantity, adjustment and order linked back to our thousands and thousands of skus!!!

Seriously, be embarrassed Shopify, because I am embarrassed for you.  And it is more so the complete disregard for merchant requests, even after threads sit open for 5+ years on the same topic and zero changes.  

DailyNightly87
Excursionist
12 0 33

Guys, guys guys....I realize that a the complete lack of inventory records beyond 90 days IS indeed frustrating, but can we take a moment to realize the absolute genius behind Shopify's intentions here? 

Close your eyes. Breath. Join me for a moment, if you will. The digital age has impacted us all. We're demanding, expecting information to be served to us on a platter at will. A few clicks of a button to have months or years worth of inventory history at your fingertips? Psssh! I scoff at how these modern means have only weakened our resolve! Thanks to Shopify, I now have a stack of folders full of packing slips taking up room (and my time), with the paper cuts to prove it! I for one applaud this move by Shopify and anxiously await their next feature: dial-up internet sounds that play when you log in to the back-end overtop pages that load slower than an 85-year old trying to find their way out of a busy Wal-Mart parking lot. And to top it all off, I now hear the "I'm sorry, your ribbon needs to be replaced" message that is set to pop up while you're typing is in the beta phase! Ooo! I can hardly wait - thank you Shopify for making an inventory management system that caters to the Luddite community as we are sorely under-represented in this field. Now if you'll excuse me, I have to flip back through three folders full of paper to find one piece of information that past the 90 day best before date.   

deanna17
Visitor
1 0 5

Well done! 😂  This is the most ridiculous thing I've seen in a long time...this needs to be fixed asap

 

DailyNightly87
Excursionist
12 0 33

Don't thank me, thank Shopify. They're an endless source of memeable content.

mscmith11
Explorer
54 0 59

Thank you for your accuracy!  It's not that they are not able to display all of the information, all the adjustments are sitting there on the back-end. Don't bother trying to explain this to their customer service agents, they have no idea. The programmers, they know.  Either @Shopify simply wants to make money off the 3rd party apps that will supply this info (from tracking it on their end which shouldn't be the case) or just doesn't want the merchants to have access to this. How can I run a retail store and NOT BE ABLE TO SEE WHEN I FIRST RECEIVED PRODUCTS OR HOW MANY. Shopfify is in dire need of hiring consultants that have been retailers that A. have been retails merchants for more than 5 years, B. have an accounting background and C. understand the relationship of how being a business owner relates to not only day to day running of a business but how it affects the year end P&L and balance sheet numbers at year end. Shopify is understating the importance of inventory recording. They could refer back to Lighspeed that readily displays inventory quantities from the inception of the product at the click of a button.  You cannot call yourself an all-in-one inventory system if you keep these numbers from its users.

onstad
Visitor
2 0 24

@Shopify Shopify should really address this topic. It's nearly the three-year anniversary of the OP! 

PegNorman
Tourist
8 0 7

they won't.  There's nothing it it for them.  Worse decision I ever made is switching to shopify.

 

rspvhi
Tourist
7 0 30

Inventory history beyond 90 days is needed. It's insane how a basic feature such as this, Shopify DOES NOT HAVE!

ShopNina
Visitor
2 0 7

This is definitely a real problem that needs solving. 90 days inventory history is just purely useless. Has anyone by any chance been able to find an alternative solution or software to use to solve this problem as it seems Shopify is not tackling this? Thank you.

STMpress
Visitor
1 0 7

Bump.
A lot of our business is seasonal and being able to look at inventory history for the past two or three years would eliminate a lot of guesswork and headaches for us. We almost never use any of the new features being added but we look at inventory history all the time. Right now we're accomplishing this by saving our emails and printing out physical copies of our orders when we buy inventory.

grandpuba
Tourist
4 0 18

"Right now we're accomplishing this by saving our emails and printing out physical copies of our orders when we buy inventory."

Sounds like a perfectly fine way to do things.

If the year was 1996. 

DailyNightly87
Excursionist
12 0 33

@grandpuba wrote:

"Right now we're accomplishing this by saving our emails and printing out physical copies of our orders when we buy inventory."

Sounds like a perfectly fine way to do things.

If the year was 1996. 


LMAO - exactly. And this is my problem. 

mscmith11
Explorer
54 0 59

JUST WOW.

DecorRoom
Excursionist
11 0 23

@Shopify 

How can you address this issue!?? This is a major issue in your system!! 

Please adress this ASAP! 

DailyNightly87
Excursionist
12 0 33

ASAP...

It's been years. Good luck.

DecorRoom
Excursionist
11 0 23

Just replied.

DailyNightly87
Excursionist
12 0 33

This should be a 'baked in' feature, not something you have to add with an add-on. Shopify extensions are great, but use too many of them and your front end web store becomes a sloggingly slow, laggy mess.

hotpinkdaisy1
Tourist
3 0 2

Any updates on this issue or has anyone found an app that will provide this info?

Bougsie
Tourist
7 0 9

Might be time to switch (lightspeed?)- 90 days is nothing. 

 

I wanted to see numbers from last holiday season!!

magnuscricket
Visitor
1 0 2

Any updates on this issue?