Configuring and Checking Inventory Available Online

When managing product inventory in SHOPLINE, inventory quantities are maintained by location for each SKU. For online sales, however, SHOPLINE uses Inventory available online to determine how many units of a SKU can be sold through your online store, regardless of which location holds the inventory.

This guide explains the relationship between location inventory and Inventory available online, how Inventory available online is calculated, and how to check its calculation details and change history. 

Location Inventory and Inventory Available Online

SHOPLINE uses two inventory concepts to manage stock across locations and sales channels:

• Location inventory: The actual physical quantity of a SKU stored at each location. It is used to track and manage inventory across sales channels, such as your online store and SHOPLINE POS, helping keep inventory quantities accurate across your business.
• Inventory available online: The quantity of a SKU available specifically for purchase through your online store. It determines how many units can be sold online and helps prevent overselling.

In most cases, Inventory available online is equal to the total available inventory across applicable locations. However, depending on your inventory configuration and sales channels, it may be lower than the total location inventory.

Inventory Available Online Calculation Methods

SHOPLINE provides three methods for calculating Inventory available online. The method used determines how much inventory is made available for purchase through your online store and how that quantity changes when orders are placed.

The examples below assume a T-shirt has the following available inventory:

• Location A: 10 units
• Location B: 20 units
• Location C: 30 units

Method 1: Total of Location Inventories

This is the default calculation method and is suitable for most merchants. SHOPLINE adds together the available inventory of the SKU across applicable locations to determine Inventory available online.

• Example: With 10 units at Location A, 20 at Location B, and 30 at Location C, Inventory available online = 10 + 20 + 30 = 60 units

When an Online Store order is placed, SHOPLINE assigns the order to a location and reduces the available inventory at that location. Inventory available online is then recalculated.

• Example: If a customer purchases one T-shirt and the order is assigned to Location A, its available inventory decreases from 10 to 9. Inventory available online is recalculated as: 9 + 20 + 30 = 59 units

Method 2: Percentage-Based Calculation

This method lets you make a specified percentage of your location inventory available for online sales. It is useful when you want to reserve part of your physical inventory for other sales channels. 

To use this method, configure a sales inventory plan in the Advanced Inventory Management app.

• Example: If you set 30% of the T-shirt inventory to be available for online sales, Inventory available online is: (10 + 20 + 30) × 30% = 18 units

When an order is placed and the location inventory changes, SHOPLINE recalculates Inventory available online using the configured percentage.

• Example: If a customer purchases 10 T-shirts and the order is assigned to Location A, its available inventory decreases from 10 to 0. Inventory available online is recalculated as: (0 + 20 + 30) × 30% = 15 units

For setup instructions, refer to "Advanced Inventory Management: Configuring Sellable Inventory Plans (Limited Access)."

Method 3: Custom Available Inventory

This method lets you specify a fixed quantity for online sales instead of calculating Inventory available online from your location inventory. This allows you to control the quantity available through your online store independently of the actual inventory quantities at individual locations.

To use this method, configure a sales inventory plan in the Advanced Inventory Management app.

• Example: If you set the custom quantity to 100 units, Inventory available online becomes 100 units, regardless of the actual inventory quantities at individual locations.

When an Online Store order is placed, the purchased quantity is deducted from Inventory available online. 

• Example: If a customer purchases 10 T-shirts, Inventory available online is recalculated as: 100 − 10 = 90 units

Orders from other sales channels, such as SHOPLINE POS, don't reduce the custom quantity.

For setup instructions, refer to "Advanced Inventory Management: Configuring Sellable Inventory Plans (Limited Access)."

Checking Inventory Available Online

You can check a SKU's current Inventory available online, view how it is calculated, and review its change history.

1. From your SHOPLINE Admin, go to Products and select the product you want to check.
2. Access the Inventory section based on the product type:

   • Product without variants: Locate the Inventory section directly on the product edit page.

     

• Product with variants: In the Variant list, click the variant you want to check, then locate the Inventory section on the variant edit page.

  

3. Locate Inventory available online to view the quantity currently available for purchase through your online store.

   

Viewing the Calculation Method

Click See calculation method to view how Inventory available online is calculated for the SKU.

The calculation details show the calculation method currently applied to the SKU and how the inventory quantities from applicable locations contribute to Inventory available online. You can use this information to verify how the current quantity was determined.

Viewing the Item Availability Log

Click Log to open the Item availability log, where you can review historical changes to Inventory available online within a selected date range.

Each record shows the Date, Quantity change, Reason, and Remarks, helping you identify when the quantity changed and what caused the change.

Depending on the cause of the change, you can also access related information from the log:

• Location inventory changes: Click the location name to view the corresponding inventory change records.
• Order changes: Click the related order to view its details.
• Calculation method changes: Review the corresponding record to see changes resulting from updates to the calculation method.

If Inventory available online doesn't match the quantity you expect, check See calculation method to verify how the current quantity was calculated, then use Log to trace the changes that affected it.