Many online business owners may wonder what is a SKU in Shopify? Stock keeping units (SKUs) are numerical codes sellers on Shopify use to track inventory and report sales. The Sales by Product Variant SKU report in Shopify will help you analyze your sales for a specific period. Let’s dive deeper into Shopify SKUs.
What does a SKU Mean for Sellers?
SKUs allow sellers to track inventory and see what they have in storage. They are different from barcodes or UPCs. Creating unique SKUs for each product variant is important for accurately tracking inventory and creating reports.
Shopify SKU Format
There are many formats for creating SKUs. Find what works best for you and use it for your business. The following guidelines can help you develop unique SKUs for your inventory tracking purposes.
- Characters: For SKUs, you can combine numbers, letters, dashes, and underscores or just use numbers. However, adding special characters can make it hard to look up products on Shopify or other software applications.
- Length: SKUs should be no longer than 16 characters. Four to eight characters will suffice, depending on how many products and variants you are selling.
- Simple and understandable: Every letter and number you use in a SKU should have a purpose. Make sure you and your staff understand what each letter and number means.
- Unique: No two product variants should have the same SKU. This allows for efficiency in tracking inventory and creating reports.
You should make this fun and exciting for you and your staff. Create your Shopify SKUs with inspiration and creativity, just as you created your products.
What is an SKU example?
Let’s say you have a shoe store, and all your products have a brand, style, and size. You could choose to make a nine-digital numerical SKU (###-###-###). The first three digits would be the brand, the second three digits the style, and the last three digits the size. For example, 459-327-121: 459 is the shoe brand, 327 is the shoe style, and 121 is the shoe size.
Do You Need SKUs on Shopify?
You should use SKUs on Shopify or any other retail setting to avoid mistakes with inventory management. This makes it a great step to complete before your product launch. Possible errors of not using SKUs for your products include inaccurate order fulfillment and lost sales.
Benefits of SKU
A few of the many benefits of using Shopify SKUs include
- Accurate tracking and management of inventory
- More effortless order fulfillment and shipping
- Easier identification of products
The benefits of creating unique SKUs for your products far outweigh the possible mistakes made by not using them.
Where can I find the SKU in Shopify?
Shopify SKUs are usually located in the product description. However, you must follow a technical process to add SKUs to your Shopify listings. First, you must log in to your Shopify Admin Dashboard. Next, click on “Products” in the sidebar. Select the product for which you want to add an SKU and click edit product details.
You will then enter the unique SKU you create for the product into the proper place. Do not forget to click “Save Changes” after you add the SKU. You will then repeat this process for each product and product variant.
Website on Demand Can Help You Discover What SKU is in Shopify
Learning what an SKU is in Shopify and adding SKUs to your products and product variants is the first step in accurate inventory management. Shopify SKUs will help you avoid mistakes and create a better customer experience.
With our Website on Demand apps, you can create an excellent experience for both you and your customers. Contact us to get the help you need and deserve.
