Unified Omnichannel Inventory & Real-time Amazon/Shopify Sync
Unified omnichannel inventory means one system holds the true stock and every channel (website, Amazon, Shopify) reads and updates in real time. Real-time Amazon/Shopify sync keeps quantities accurate everywhere—one number, no overselling, no manual reconciliation.
In this article
- Unified omnichannel inventory: manage website and Amazon from one place
- Real-time Amazon/Shopify sync: avoid "inventory never matches"
- How to handle FBA, FBM, and your own warehouse in one system
- Single source of truth vs per-channel spreadsheets
Unified omnichannel inventory: manage website and Amazon from one place
Your inventory system is the single source of truth. You receive stock into it, fulfill orders from it, and it pushes quantity (or receives order events) to your website and Amazon. When a sale happens on either channel, the system deducts stock and updates the other channel. So both channels always show the same availability.
| Per-channel or spreadsheet | Unified omnichannel (one system) |
|---|---|
| Different stock numbers per channel | One quantity per SKU; all channels read and update it |
| Manual updates, delays, errors | Real-time sync; sale on one channel updates all |
| Overselling when one channel is stale | No overselling: one pool, one truth |
| Reconciliation headaches | Reconcile only at physical count; then adjust central system |
Real-time Amazon/Shopify sync: avoid "inventory never matches"
Stop maintaining separate spreadsheets or separate quantities per channel. Maintain one quantity per SKU in one system, and let that system feed every channel. Reconcile only when you do a physical count—then adjust the central system and let the sync update channels.
How do I handle different fulfillment methods (FBA, FBM, own warehouse)?
Treat each fulfillment location as a stock location in your system. FBA stock is one location, your warehouse is another. When you send stock to FBA, you transfer from warehouse to FBA in the system. Sales from each channel deduct from the right location.
| Fulfillment | In your system |
|---|---|
| Your warehouse (FBM / DTC) | One stock location; sales deduct from here |
| Amazon FBA | Another location; transfer from warehouse to FBA; Amazon sales deduct from FBA |
| 3PL or second warehouse | Additional location(s); transfers and sales per location |
For more on staying in stock on Amazon, read automating reorder points to avoid Amazon out-of-stock penalties.
Unified omnichannel inventory and real-time Amazon/Shopify sync keep your numbers accurate everywhere so you sell more and worry less.