Hello,
I’ve been searching for what seems like forever on a solution to a problem we are having.
Basically, our brand sells some products that are unisex. An example being a generic “Black Scarf”. Currently we have these products set up as 2 separate product listings, one for male and one for female, with different meta info and images, but sharing the same SKU - using the SimpleSync app to keep match stock levels. Some product is also customisable, which our developers have setup using variants. So 1 “Black Scarf” can have up to 4 SKUs (male/female and non-monogrammed/monogrammed)
We also have a physical retail store but SimpleSync can’t distinguish between inventory locations. This meant we had to create a 3rd product listing for the physical store, with its own inventory but slightly different SKU to prevent SimpleSync syncing.
We ideally need to get down to 1 SKU, to create a seamless flow of stock between online and physical store. But also not sure how this can be done with our current variants setup and also worried about SEO impact of not having separate product for men/women.
How are others managing unisex/customisable product across inventory locations?
The issue we have is SimpleSync can’t distinguish between inventory locations, as we also have a physical retail store, selling the same product. This meant we had to create a 3rd product listing for the physical store, with its own inventory.
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Hi @connor_bxc
This is quite common as brands grow — and the cleanest solution is usually to move to one single product not multiple listings.
Instead of separate Male / Female / Retail products, you can:
Create one product
Variant 1: Gender (Male / Female)
Variant 2: Personalisation (Monogram / No Monogram)
That keeps everything under one product and avoids SKU duplication issues.
Inventory across online + retail
Shopify already supports multi-location inventory natively.
You can
Enable both locations in Settings → Locations
Assign stock per location
Let Shopify automatically deduct inventory from the correct location
In most cases, you don’t need duplicate products for retail — and removing the syncing workaround simplifies everything.
SEO (Men vs Women concern)
You don’t need separate products for SEO.
Instead:
Use separate collections (Men / Women)
Customise collection descriptions
Use metafields if needed for tailored content
Duplicate product pages can actually dilute SEO rather than help.
Most merchants handling unisex products use:
One product
Variants for differences
Native multi-location inventory
Collections for merchandising
That usually creates a much cleaner and scalable setup
Hello!
I guess the issue with variants means we would still need them to sync, allowing stock levels to be the same across male/female/non-monogrammed/monogrammed. As essentially these are all the same 1 product.
For collection pages, how would that work with imagery? As we would need a clear differentiation between male/female.
Thanks for your reply!
Hello @connor_bxc Thanks for reaching out to Shopify community with your concern.
You can create two separate custom landing pages (not products), for example:
/black-scarf-men
/black-scarf-women
Each page:
- SEO-optimized for gender keyword
- Links to the single product
- Preselects correct variant via URL parameter
This preserves:
- Keyword targeting
- Ad campaigns
- Social links
- Google ranking
Without splitting inventory.
This is how most serious DTC brands handle unisex products.
For retails store, You do NOT need a separate product.
Instead:
- Go to Settings → Locations
- Add your physical store
- Assign inventory per location
- Use Shopify POS
When retail sells, Inventory deducts from retail location
When online sells, Deducts from warehouse (or priority rules)
hii @connor_bxc
If it’s truly the same physical product you shouldn’t need to sync stock between male/female — that usually means the product structure needs adjusting.
If “Male” and “Female” are just merchandising differences (same scarf, same stock), then:
Keep one inventory-tracked variant per physical SKU
Don’t use Gender as a stock-separate variant
Use line item properties or metafields instead if needed
Variants should only represent physically different stock.
For Monogram vs Non-Monogram
If monogramming doesn’t create a separate SKU in real inventory, it can also be handled as a custom option instead of a stock-tracked variant.
For Collection Pages (Men / Women imagery)
You can still differentiate visually
Create separate Men / Women collections
Use different collection banners
Use collection descriptions for tailored messaging
Many brands use one product but present it differently across collections.
That keeps inventory clean while maintaining strong merchandising