How can I track inventory for specific product variations?

[intercom1312]

I have on my Product the Options:
Color

Backseat
Rear Mirror

I Have 3 Colors and 1 per Color but I can take off the Backseat and Rear Mirrors by myself. Is it possible to track for example that I have 1 Black, and every Black option (Backseat and Mirrors) is on 1 but if someone buys a Black Product no matter if with or without the other options, that then all options with the color black go down to zero?

[Keshan97]

Yes, it's possible to track inventory in the way you're describing by utilizing Shopify's variant and inventory management features, with a bit of a creative setup. Here's a breakdown of how you can achieve this:

Step 1: Product Variant Setup

For your product, you'll create variants that combine each color with the options (Backseat and Rear Mirrors) available. Given that you can manually remove the Backseat and Rear Mirrors, you essentially have two "states" for each: included or not included. However, since your main concern is tracking the color inventory and you only have one of each color, you should create your variants based on color only. This is assuming each product (regardless of whether it comes with a backseat or rear mirrors) is considered the same SKU (Stock Keeping Unit).

Step 2: Inventory Tracking

When you set up your product in Shopify, you'll assign inventory to each color variant. In your case, each color will have an inventory of 1. Shopify tracks this inventory at the variant level, so when a customer purchases a product of a specific color, Shopify will automatically deduct from the inventory of that color variant.

Step 3: Adjusting Based on Purchase

To handle the scenario where any purchase of a black product (regardless of whether it comes with backseat or rear mirrors) should reduce the inventory of all black product options to zero, you'll need to manually adjust the inventory or use an app that can automate this based on rules you set because Shopify's standard inventory management doesn't automatically adjust other variant inventories based on a purchase.

Here are some approaches to achieve your goal:

• Manual Adjustment: After a sale, manually adjust the inventory of the other variants to reflect the stock accurately. This is feasible since you mentioned having a limited stock.

• Shopify Apps: Use inventory and order management apps available in the Shopify App Store that can automate inventory adjustments based on rules. For example, apps that allow for bundling can sometimes be configured to adjust inventories of related items based on sales.

• Custom Solution: If you have development resources, you can use Shopify's APIs to create a custom solution that automatically adjusts the inventory levels based on your specific rules. This would involve programming logic to monitor sales and adjust inventory across variants as needed.

It's important to clearly communicate to your customers about the availability and customization options for each product to set the right expectations regarding what they're purchasing. This can be achieved through detailed product descriptions and using variant naming conventions to indicate what exactly each variant includes or excludes.

If your setup or requirements become more complex, or if you find manual management to be cumbersome as your store grows, exploring Shopify apps or a custom solution might be the way to go.

[EasifyApps]

Hi @intercom1312,

The solution for your issue is straightforward. You can maintain only Color as a Shopify option. As for Backseat & Rear Mirror, since these are optional features and you don't want them to affect the main product inventory dependent on the Color option, you can create Backseat & Rear Mirror as custom options using the Easify Product Options app 🤗.

There are several ways to set up Backseat & Rear Mirror as custom options within the app. Here's a suggestion:

• Create Backseat & Rear Mirror as separate products, each with its own price and inventory.
• Install the app and create a new option set.
• Choose a suitable option type, such as Checkbox, to display your custom options. Link the Backseat & Rear Mirror products you've created with the option values of the checkbox.

• Finally, add the option set with Backseat & Rear Mirror options to your main product.

Let me know more about your requirements, and I can suggest a more tailored setup.