You sell the same item on two different platforms, but you’ve used two different SKUs to list it on each platform. Is there a way to combine these?
Yes, there is!
There are three scenarios where it is helpful to link and merge data across different platforms:
- Sales data. You want to see trends across platforms to know if something is increasing or decreasing in sales, or even selling out.
- Introducing new products. You can’t forecast if you don’t have any data, but linking similar items can give you an idea of how your new product might perform.
- For ordering purposes. You want to know the total demand across platforms so that you can place one order for everything needed to sell on Amazon and Shopify.
Linking will help you with your combined warehouse data, for example if you sell on Amazon and Shopify. You can see total sales and other performance metrics, revenue, how the variants are selling. Inventory Planner has a feature that allows you to link the same variants. Even if you use different SKUs, they can be manually linked with a master SKU to combine your Shopify and Amazon inventory.
You merge data when you have an old product with a lot of sales history which is being discontinued, but have a new product that you think will perform similarly. An example would be a perfume bottle being sold in a 2-ounce bottle and being replaced with a 2.1-ounce bottle. Because these products are so similar, you can merge the data to make sales forecasts.
How to set-up ‘linked variants’
To link variants across connections it is necessary to assign a unique ‘master SKU’ for variants in each connection. This can be done in two ways:
1. Manually Assign Master SKU from the Replenishment screen by clicking Details (the “i” icon):
> Merged Variants > Manual Link Variants
2. Or you can Import the master SKUs from a CSV. To do this from Replenishment, click on Import at the bottom of the screen then Master SKUs. You will need to import a CSV for each platform (ie, one import for Amazon, one import for Shopify).
The import will need two columns with column titles: The master SKU you are assigning, and the SKU from your connected platform. As an alternative to your platform’s SKU, you can use the product title, barcode, or ASIN.
Connect your first CSV by clicking on ‘select file’.
Use the dropdown options for each field to make sure the correct information is matched. Use the field ‘Select variants source connection’ to indicate which platform uses the SKUs in your spreadsheet. If you are importing SKU information that corresponds to Shopify, select Shopify in this dropdown.
Finally, click Upload.
You will then see the results of your import including information successfully imported and any errors with details.
Click on ‘Download all errors as CSV’ to see issues that need to be corrected. The number in the ‘Line’ column indicates the row in your spreadsheet where the error occurred.
Repeat the process with additional platforms using SKUs that you need to match. After the second import, the two platform SKUs will be matched using the master SKU you have assigned.