Create, manage and review stock counts in Shopify admin
By Steven Van ·
Staff can count stock by barcode scan or manual entry, in admin or POS, and managers approve variances before inventory levels change.
Shopify admin now has stock counts, a way to check physical inventory against the on-hand quantities recorded in Shopify. The help center page describes a count as a record of the stock physically counted at one store location, checked against what Shopify has on record for each product.
How a count works
A count is created by choosing a location and the products to count. Products can be added by search or by barcode scanning, and counts can be scheduled in admin. Staff record quantities with a barcode scanner or by entering them manually. A manager can then review the results and approve them before inventory levels change.
Approving a count applies the difference between the counted and expected quantities. Each resulting change is recorded in the adjustment history.
Staff and permissions
- Counts can be assigned to staff, who can complete them in admin or in the Shopify POS app. Counting in POS is available at locations with a Shopify POS Pro subscription.
- Several staff members can contribute to the same count without overriding each other.
- Admin shows who recorded each quantity and tracks progress from creation to completion.
- New permissions settings control who can perform counts and who can review and approve them.
Reviewing variances
Before approving, reviewers see the variances between counted and recorded quantities. Counts are managed from the Inventory, Stock counts page in Shopify admin. Shopify positions this as a replacement for counting in spreadsheets or other manual workarounds, with a record of what was counted, who counted it, and what changed.
