Stock takes
Count physical stock against system quantities, apply variances in Inventory Mate, and optionally sync counted quantities to Shopify.
Stock takes (under Dashboard → Stock take) let you count physical inventory at one location, compare it to the quantities Inventory Mate has on file, and apply any differences. You can optionally sync your counted quantities to Shopify so available quantity stays aligned.
Overview
A stock take is a snapshot of selected SKUs at a single location. When you start one, Inventory Mate freezes each line's expected (system) quantity. You then enter counted quantities as you walk the floor. Completing the take updates local inventory for counted lines; uncounted lines are left alone.
Typical flow:
- Start a new stock take for a location (optionally filtered).
- Enter physical counts (or mark remaining lines as matching expected).
- Review variances and complete.
- Optionally sync counted quantities to Shopify.
Starting a stock take
Open Stock take, choose your shop, then New stock take.
| Field | What it does |
|---|---|
| Name | Label for the count (e.g. "July warehouse aisle A"). Required. |
| Location | Which Shopify location to count. Required. One take = one location. |
| Supplier | Multi-select. Limits the list to SKUs assigned to those Inventory Mate suppliers in product location settings at this location. Leave empty for all suppliers. |
| Product type | Multi-select. Limits the list to Shopify product types you pick. Leave empty for all types. |
| SKU contains | Optional text match on SKU (e.g. aisle prefix). |
| Only items with on-hand qty | Skips SKUs that currently show zero available at this location. |
| Notes | Free-text context (who is counting, scope, etc.). Filter choices are also summarized into notes when you start. |
Filters are applied when the take is created. They do not change after the snapshot is built. If nothing matches (for example, on-hand only with an empty shelf), creation fails with an error instead of an empty count sheet.
Supplier filtering uses Inventory Mate supplier assignments on product location settings—not the Shopify product vendor string. Assign suppliers on Suggested Restock / product location settings if you want supplier-scoped counts.
Draft products are excluded unless your shop setting includes draft products in inventory views.
Counting
Open an in progress stock take from the list. Each row shows product/variant context, expected quantity (from the snapshot), and a field for counted quantity.
- Counts auto-save as you edit.
- Variance is counted minus expected. Positive means you found more than the system; negative means less.
- Mark remaining as expected fills every still-uncounted line with its expected quantity (useful when most of the list is correct and you only needed to check exceptions).
- You can toggle show costs to see unit cost and adjustment value on variances (stored in your browser for next time).
Progress at the top shows how many lines are counted, how many have variance, and (when costs are on) net adjustment value.
Completing a stock take
Click Complete when you are ready. You must have counted at least one SKU.
On complete:
- Counted lines update Inventory Mate on-hand/available for that location to the counted quantity.
- Uncounted lines are not changed—so you can do a partial aisle count without touching the rest of the location.
- The take moves to completed and becomes read-only.
Sync to Shopify
In the complete dialog you can enable Sync counted quantities to Shopify. This sets Shopify's on-hand quantity to exactly what you counted.
Safe to retry: The sync uses absolute quantities, not adjustments. If something goes wrong and you need to retry, or if the sync accidentally runs multiple times, Shopify will end up with the correct inventory level. Pushing the same stock take 10 times results in the same final quantities.
Important behavior:
- Shopify sync runs before local inventory is updated.
- If Shopify rejects the sync (credentials, API errors, or a failed batch), the stock take stays open, local quantities are not applied, and you can fix the issue and retry safely.
- Inventory Mate tracks how many times a stock take was synced. If you try to sync a stock take that was already pushed, you'll see a confirmation prompt (though syncing again is safe).
Successful Shopify sync is marked on the completed take with a "Synced to Shopify" badge.
List, status, and delete
The list shows takes for the selected shop (filterable by location). Statuses include in progress and completed.
Delete permanently removes the stock take and its count history. It does not reverse inventory quantities that were already applied when the take was completed. Use delete for abandoned drafts or cleanup—not as an undo for a finished count.
Tips
- Prefer smaller, filtered takes (supplier, type, SKU prefix, or on-hand only) over one giant location dump when you count by zone or vendor.
- Sync inventory from Shopify before starting so expected quantities match the floor as closely as possible.
- If a sync fails, you can safely retry—the system sets absolute quantities rather than applying adjustments, so retrying won't double-count.