How can I better manage SKUs and variants for a two-part product?

Shopify Discussion
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I have essentially a singular product that has two parts which is sold as a unit or separately. I currently have it set up as different SKUs for the combined product and a separate product (ex: bench + cushion = product 1 & cushion along = product 2). It’s horrible for inventory. I want to set it up as 1 SKU for the cushion to be sold separately and the same SKU as a variant for the bench + cushion. When I try to set it up like this it says, “Already used by 2 other items.” It then changes the SKU later. How do I set this up to be able to manage my inventory better?

1 Like
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We recently released an app that can help with this. It’s called Fusion Inventory.

Our app would allow you to define cushion and bench as 2 separate “raw materials”. After that you can configure a “Bill of Materials” for each of your product variants. The bill of materials will define which raw materials are used for each variant.

Once you set up the materials and bill of materials and enable inventory sync, the app will take care of syncing your Shopify inventory with the inventory of materials.

FYI, I’m going to lower the app’s pricing in a few hours based on feedback I’ve received. Feel free to email me for more details.

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Hi @joefio ,
This is Theodore from PageFly - Shopify Page Builder App.

Managing a product with required components like your bench and cushion is tricky with Shopify’s built-in features. Here’s how to improve your inventory control:

  • Inventory Management App (Recommended): Install an app from the Shopify app store that allows linking components. When you sell the assembled product (bench + cushion), the app automatically deducts inventory for both parts.

  • Bundles App (Workaround): If you don’t want a separate app:

    1. Create a separate product with SKU for the cushion (tracked inventory).
    2. Create a product for the assembled product but set its inventory to “Not tracked.”
    3. Use a bundles app to create a bundle that includes the cushion and the “bench” (untracked inventory).

To avoid SKU conflicts: Delete the existing separate cushion product (if no sales history) and create a new product for the bench with a unique SKU. Then, create the assembled product using the existing cushion SKU as a variant.

Best regards,
Theodore | PageFly

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Thank you for your reply. I don’t think this is quite what I’m looking for.

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Thank you for those ideas. I’m looking into a bundle (app I’m wanting anyway) + inventory sync app that may do the trick.

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Hi @joefio ,

This is Camila from Simple Bundles & Kits. It’s nice to have you here in the Shopify Community.

Our Simple Bundles app can definitely address the feature that you are looking for! You can sell your existing Shopify product SKUs as a single product or as part of the bundle without the need to create separate SKUs. For the bundle product, that will be the bundle in the app, you might need to create a new SKU, but this won’t affect your child products at all.

Simple Bundles also uses the lowest product inventory quantities to keep the bundle inventory quantity in sync. This means that to prevent overselling, bundle inventory is calculated based on the number of bundles that can be created using the available child product inventory quantities. If you sell any of the items individually, the bundle will recognize the updates in the inventory to discount the stock available. You can learn more about how we handle the inventory here: Automatically update bundle inventory - Simple Bundles Help Center.

You can always take advantage of our free plan to test the app’s features. You can also contact our support team at hello@simplebundles.ioif you need help setting up your bundle. :slightly_smiling_face:

If you have any questions or need help setting up your bundle inventory, feel free to reply to this thread or send us a message. Our team is happy to assist you further.

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Hi @joefio ,

If your Bench and Cushion products don’t have options and you just want to deduct the quantities of individual Bench and Cushion when the bundle is purchased, the Easify Inventory Sync app can easily handle this. Simply create a Bundle group within the app to connect and sync inventory between the Bench and Cushion Bundle and the individual Bench and Cushion products.

However, if your Bench and Cushion products have options (e.g., Color), you might want to use the Easify Product Options app. This will allow you to set up the Cushion and Bench as custom options for the Bundle, linking these options with the actual Bench and Cushion products.

If you’re interested in either option or need a specific guide on how to use the apps, please let me know or reach out to the Easify team for assistance :hugs: .