Can't search for Product Variant using the Variant's Barcode or SKU in POS App and also in Shopify

Retail & Point of Sale

Topic summary

Shopify POS fails to identify specific product variants when scanning their unique barcodes or SKUs, instead displaying only the parent product. This forces staff to manually select the correct variant during checkout, creating significant workflow delays and increasing the risk of human error.

Key Issues:

  • Inconsistent behavior across platform areas: POS camera scan works for barcodes but not SKUs; product search fails for both; draft orders work for SKUs but not barcodes
  • External Bluetooth barcode scanners don’t bring up specific variants, only parent products
  • Device camera scanning works correctly but isn’t practical for high-volume retail
  • Keyboard disappears when external scanner is connected, requiring disconnection for manual searches

Workarounds Mentioned:

  • Third-party apps like Quick Scan and EasyScan (both require monthly fees)
  • Using device camera instead of dedicated scanners (defeats the purpose of purchasing recommended hardware)
  • Manual variant selection (time-consuming and error-prone)

Status:
This issue has persisted since at least 2014 with no official resolution. Multiple users express frustration that such basic POS functionality remains unaddressed, particularly given Shopify’s recommended expensive scanner hardware doesn’t work properly. The problem is especially critical for businesses with products having 100+ variants or high checkout volumes.

Summarized with AI on November 15. AI used: claude-sonnet-4-5-20250929.
21

Following this.

To be honest, the device camera scan is nonsense - it just doesn’t scan well.

Seriously this problem is the biggest red flag for us.

2 Likes
22

This query was raised in 2021. It is 2023 now and still this problem persists.

I have started re-organizing my entire brick-and-mortar store using shopify thinking that this is the best solution out there, but once I started using the POS,

this issue of manually selecting the variant arised and is slowing down the entire billing process.

Is the shopify support staff even useful or are we just posting queries in thin air.

This is really frustrating. Hope someone from support sees this and resolves this issue

4 Likes
23

following.

There are several threads with exactly the same issue here. We make apps and its not hard to add a simple BLE scanner connection which opens up so many easy inexpensive scanners that would just work. Then on scan if it matches a sku/barcode add the product to the cart. I understand shopify early on allowed multiple variants (regardless of product) with the same sku and people still use it that way. If someone scans a sku and its on multiple variants, just show them in the list.

product search

  • Product 1

  • Product 2

  • Product 3

product search with text that matches a sku or barcode (example with multiple variants with the same sku/barcode)

  • Product1

– matching sku/barcode

– matching sku/barcode

  • Product2

– matching sku/barcode

on ipad/iphone camera scan or ble scanner scan, if value matches exactly to a single variant (add to cart), no search necessary.

This is so simple and such a core component to checking out I cant believe 10 years later it still has not been addressed

2 Likes