How to Set Up Inventory Tracking in Zibster ECommerce
Overview
Zibster ECommerce stock tracking limits how many units customers can purchase. You can track one quantity for an entire product or separate quantities for its choices or combinations. Website orders reduce tracked stock automatically. This guide covers initial setup, adding new choices, and correcting tracking that was started without options.
Before You Begin
Create your product before enabling stock tracking. For option-level tracking, create the product options and sub-options first. For example, Size is an option, and Small, Medium, and Large are its sub-options.
For help, follow How to Add Product Options and Sub-Options in Zibster ECommerce
Have your inventory quantities ready. A SKU identifies a tracked product, choice, or combination. Your account includes 1,000 SKUs. Additional blocks of 1,000 cost $10 per month or $120 per year, depending on your membership billing cycle.
Important: Choices or combinations without a stock tracking entry remain available in unlimited quantities. Create an entry for every choice or combination you want to limit.
STEP ONE
Log in to your Zibster account and click ECOMMERCE in the left-side menu.
STEP TWO
Hover over SELL ONLINE at the top of the ECommerce Dashboard, then click PRODUCTS.
STEP THREE
Click the name of the product you want to track. In the product’s left-side menu, click STOCK. This is separate from TRACKING in the top navigation.
The initial screen displays SET UP STOCK TRACKING and DOES YOUR PRODUCT HAVE MULTIPLE OPTIONS, EACH WITH LIMITED QUANTITIES?
If you see a stock table instead, tracking is already enabled. See “Updating Existing Tracking” or “Correcting Your Stock Tracking Setup” below.
STEP FOUR
Select whether to track the entire product or separate product choices.
Track One Quantity for the Entire Product
Select NO. Keep the automatically generated SKU NUMBER or replace it with your own code. In QUANTITY, enter the number of units currently available. Continue to FINAL STEP.
Track Separate Quantities for Product Options
Select YES. Under SELECT THE OPTIONS THAT HAVE LIMITED QUANTITIES, select the option categories you want to track. You can combine up to three options, such as Size, Color, and Material. Click SET OPTIONS.
If you see “Please set up options for this product under the ‘Options’ tab,” click OPTIONS and create your options and sub-options first. Then return to STOCK to continue.
STEP FIVE
If you selected YES, configure each stock line item. Keep the automatically generated SKU NUMBER or enter your own, select the sub-option for each tracked category, and enter the available QUANTITY.
Click ADD LINE ITEM for additional entries. Add a separate stock line item for each choice or combination you want to limit.
For example, tracking Size and Color lets you give Small/Blue and Small/Green separate SKUs and quantities. Each distinct choice or combination can have only one stock entry. If an option is already in use, find its existing entry. Enter multiple units in its quantity instead of creating duplicate entries.
FINAL STEP
Review your entries and click START TRACKING STOCK.
A stock table replaces the setup form, showing SKUs and IN STOCK quantities. For option-level tracking, NAME identifies each choice or combination. Your inventory limits are now active. Review the table, then preview the product on your website to check its choices and availability.
What Your Clients See
Customers can select quantities up to the remaining tracked stock. When a tracked product, choice, or combination reaches zero, its product page displays “This product is currently out of stock.” and a disabled OUT OF STOCK button.
Zero stock prevents purchasing the tracked product or combination. Other combinations with available stock remain purchasable.
Choices or combinations without stock entries remain available in unlimited quantities. Adding product options alone does not enable inventory limits for them.
In your control panel, entries with zero inventory display OUT under STATUS and 0 under IN STOCK.
Updating Existing Tracking
Add Stock to an Existing Entry
Use the + control beside the entry’s IN STOCK quantity when you restock. Follow How to Add Stock to a Product in Zibster ECommerce for the full procedure.
Website orders reduce tracked stock automatically. Adjust inventory manually for sales made outside your website.
Add New Sub-Options
If you add a new choice under an option already included in tracking, such as XL under Size, click ADD LINE ITEM in STOCK to create its stock entry. Until that entry exists, the new choice is unlimited.
Renaming a product, option, or sub-option does not affect existing stock tracking.
Add Another Option Category
A new option category, such as Color, will not become available in the existing tracking setup. Remove the existing tracking, add the new option and its sub-options to the product, then set up tracking again with the desired categories selected. Follow the reset instructions below.
Correcting Your Stock Tracking Setup
Why Can’t I Add Stock Entries for My Options?
If tracking was started without options, the stock table shows one product SKU, no NAME column, and no ADD LINE ITEM button. The initial YES/NO question is no longer displayed.
To change to option-level tracking, remove the existing tracking and configure it again. Adding stock to the existing SKU or creating product options alone will not change the tracking method.
Remove and Rebuild Tracking
Before deleting: Record your current SKUs and quantities and export any stock history you need to retain. Click a SKU NUMBER to access its history and stock options. Deleting stock entries also deletes their related stock history.
In STOCK, select the checkbox beside each existing entry, or use the checkbox in the table header to select all entries. Click DELETE, review the warning, then click YES, DELETE to confirm.
Deleting all entries removes stock tracking and returns you to the initial YES/NO setup screen. Inventory is no longer limited while tracking is removed.
Create any additional product options you need under OPTIONS. Return to STOCK, select YES, select the option categories, and click SET OPTIONS. Enter your stock line items and current quantities, then click START TRACKING STOCK.
Deleting stock entries is separate from deleting product options under OPTIONS.
Delete Only One Stock Entry
Select that entry’s checkbox and click DELETE. Deleting an entry removes its stock history and leaves the associated choice or combination available in unlimited quantities.
To keep an item unavailable until you restock, keep its entry with zero inventory.
Pausing Stock Tracking
Click PAUSE STOCK TRACKING, then click YES, PAUSE IT to confirm. Pausing allows customers to purchase unlimited quantities; it does not pause sales.
Resuming tracking uses the quantities recorded when tracking was paused. Purchases made while paused do not reduce those quantities. Account for those sales manually when restoring your inventory limits.
Reviewing Inventory and History
Click TRACKING in the ECommerce Dashboard, then click STOCK to review inventory across products. Click a SKU NUMBER for its history and additional stock options.
NEED HELP?
Have questions or need a hand? Contact our Support Team for help with your Zibster website and account.
Phone: 844.353.3412
Support Channels: Phone, Live Chat, Support Ticket
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