Managing inventory across multiple warehouses, retail locations, or fulfillment centers on Shopify requires the right setup. Here’s how to do it properly.
Enable Multiple Locations in Shopify
Go to Settings → Locations → Add location. Shopify allows up to 1,000 locations on all plans. Add each warehouse, store, or fulfillment center as a separate location with its name and address.
Assign Inventory to Locations
For each product, go to the Inventory tab and set inventory quantities per location. Products can have different stock levels at different locations — Shopify tracks them separately.
Set Up Location-Based Fulfillment Priority
In Settings → Shipping → Locations, set the priority order for fulfillment. When an order comes in, Shopify tries the highest-priority location first, then moves to the next if it’s out of stock.
Use Shopify’s Inventory Transfers
When moving stock between locations, create an Inventory Transfer in Shopify Admin → Inventory → Transfers. This tracks the movement and updates quantities at both locations when the transfer is received.
Third-Party Inventory Management Apps
For complex multi-location needs:
- Stocky by Shopify — free purchase order and inventory management (Shopify POS users)
- Inventory Planner — demand forecasting and purchase order recommendations
- Skubana / Extensiv — enterprise multi-channel inventory
- ShipBob — fulfillment network with Shopify integration
Set Low Stock Alerts
In Shopify, you can set an inventory alert email (Settings → Notifications → Low inventory). For more sophisticated alerting across locations, use an inventory management app with location-level alerts.
B2B and Wholesale Inventory Allocation
If you run both B2C and B2B, consider reserving specific inventory at a dedicated location for wholesale orders. This prevents B2C sales from depleting stock needed for large wholesale commitments.
