How to sync inventory between Shopify stores

Start with the inventory relationship

Inventory sync between Shopify stores connects the quantities of matching product variants. It is useful when a business sells the same items through separate retail, wholesale, or regional storefronts. The important decision is which stock should be related—not simply which products have similar names.

Before connecting stores, decide which variants belong together, which location each quantity represents, and which store is allowed to update stock. A one-way connection and a two-way connection support different workflows.

1. Install and connect both stores

Install StockBridge from the Shopify App Store on each store you want to connect. Open the app in the source store and use Connected Stores to create an invitation. Accept the invitation in the destination store.

The source store’s plan determines the connection’s features and limits. A destination store can install and connect without its own paid subscription. Free and Starter support two stores, Growth supports five, and Business supports ten.

2. Review matching product variants

Use SKU Mappings to select your connection and run auto-detection by SKU or barcode. Check the resulting pairs at the variant level: the same product in a different size or color is a different inventory item.

Do not assume every item in your catalog should be synced. You can connect only the products shared by your stores. Blank identifiers, duplicate SKUs, and barcodes reused across variants need review before they can give you a reliable match. Read the SKU and barcode matching checklist for examples.

3. Choose direction and location pairs

Use one-way sync when one store is responsible for the inventory updates that should reach the other. Paid plans also support bidirectional sync, allowing updates from either side according to the connection settings.

For warehouse-level inventory, identify the actual source and destination locations. Business includes multi-location mapping. Similar warehouse names are not enough: confirm that each mapped location represents the stock you intend to connect.

If both stores sell from the same physical warehouse, agree on how staff will receive stock and make adjustments. A sync connection does not combine the two stores’ orders or commitments into a single warehouse ledger.

4. Verify a small, known product pair

Before mapping a large catalog, verify a product whose identity and starting inventory you know. Compare its Available quantity at the mapped locations in both stores. Make a controlled, genuine inventory change as part of your normal workflow, then review the receiving store and StockBridge’s Activity Log.

• Check the exact source and destination variants, not just the product title.
• Confirm the selected direction and whether a buffer or percentage rule intentionally changes the result.
• Allow for your plan’s timing: the Free plan uses a 15-minute interval; paid plans use real-time webhooks.
• Review failed or skipped events before connecting more products.

Keep your connections understandable

When new products are added, review their mappings instead of assuming that matching names automatically connect inventory. Each connection has its own product pairs, location mappings, and rules. That makes it possible to use the same variant in different connections, but you should still understand which stores can change its stock.

If a quantity looks wrong, collect the SKU, variant, mapped locations, Available quantities, and approximate time with a time zone. Those details help support trace the update without guessing or overwriting stock.