[LAUNCH] Introducing Locations and the new Inventory API

[Jordan]

This summer, we’re launching a new concept called Locations, to solve the complexities and operational challenges our merchants face when managing inventory across multiple locations.

Merchants with multiple locations need to know exactly where their merchandise is stocked, fulfilled, and returned. They need to have the right items, at the right place, at the right time.

This release opens up unique opportunities for partners to help solve the complexities and operational challenges our merchants face when managing inventory at multiple locations.

Key benefits:

• Apps and merchants will be able to track and set inventory per location

• Apps and merchants can now specify exactly where orders are being fulfilled from and where items are being restocked

• Merchants will be able to check any item quantities from other locations right from within Shopify Point of Sale

• Inventory specific webhooks are now available

The new Inventory API and what Locations means for existing APIs

To support Locations, Shopify has released a new Inventory API, which includes three resources: InventoryItem, InventoryLevel, and Location. The Inventory API allows apps to retrieve, set, and update Shopify store inventory levels across multiple locations. Additionally, it allows apps to specify the location where they are fulfilling orders or restocking items.

The introduction of Locations impacts the existing Product & Variants, Fulfillment, Fulfillment Service and Refunds APIs. If you have an app currently using any of these APIs, please visit our Multi-location inventory migration guide for more details on these changes.

Join the Locations beta today!

Although Locations is set to be released to all merchants this summer, we are excited to announce that as of today, we are giving Shopify partners exclusive access to beta test Locations on their development stores.

Setup instructions:

IMPORTANT: Locations is currently in beta for partners only. As with any beta, some features are subject to change. Locations should not be used outside of testing and development until general release this summer.

Requirements

• Shopify Partner Account

How to enable Locations on your development stores

1. Create a new  development store

2. Toggle the “Enable Locations beta” checkbox when creating your development store

3. From your Shopify admin, go to Settings > Locations.

4. In the Locations section, click Enable Locations.

5. You’re all set! You can now begin beta testing Locations on your development store. For more information on how to use these features, see our beta Locations documentation.

How to test Locations on our POS app for iOS

1. Once you enable Locations on your development store, the account owner of the development store will receive an email from TestFlight within 24-48 hours with set up instructions for testing POS with new Location features.  

If you have any questions or feedback about Locations, please feel free to comment in the thread below.

[HSL]

Awesome! "Enable Locations beta" toggle is not there yet 🙂 When will it be available? 🙂

[Jordan]

Any moment now! 

[HSL]

After playing around a bit with the merchant side I've got a couple of issues/questions:

Issues:

• Enabling multi_location doesn't trigger shop update webhook.
• Location_id is missing in item_line in order/create webhook payload, would expect that to be in the payload so apps can handle inventory changes correctly.
• When there are 2 items in stock for a variant at #1 location and order contains 4 items, #1 location drops to -2, even though items are not allowed to be sold when out of stock. A next order is also allowed to be placed, even though location #1 does not have inventory, only location #2 and #3 have inventory.
• When requesting locations, the Fulfillment priority position is not listed.

And a question:

• When is the "active: true" added to locations?

Cheers,

Harold