Shopify

Manage your Shopify online account and automatically sync your products and inventory to easily manage your online orders and sales.

eCommerce is all about selling products online and at the same time maintaining variety in every aspect of a product. It is a diverse platform where every product has its own properties viz, size, color, price, etc. 

For online store owners, whether large or small, it is impossible to manage all this information and stock status in an inventory manually. Further, if an item is out of stock, it needs to be added in time so that the customers do not switch to another site.

But how is that possible without the manager being informed about the stock status? Here is where inventory synchronization of online stores holds significance. 

Overview

Shopify is one of the most widely used eCommerce platforms that allows businesses to sell products online through a branded storefront. 

The Shopify integration allows merchants to connect their Shopify online store with retailcloud so that products, inventory, pricing, and online orders remain synchronized between both systems.

With this integration:

• retailcloud acts as the primary inventory and catalog management system
• Shopify acts as the online storefront
• Product and inventory information flows from retailcloud to Shopify
• Online orders placed in Shopify flow back into retailcloud

This integration helps merchants:

• Manage online and in-store inventory from one place
• Reduce overselling
• Maintain accurate product availability online
• Automatically sync inventory and pricing
• Process Shopify orders inside retailcloud

How Shopify Works with retailcloud

Understanding how the integration works is important before setup.

Source of Truth

retailcloud is the source of truth for:

• Product information
• Inventory quantities
• Selling prices
• Item status
• Product structure

This means:

• Changes made in retailcloud sync to Shopify
• Changes made directly in Shopify may be overwritten by the retailcloud during the next sync cycle

What Syncs Automatically

The following information syncs automatically:

retailcloud	Shopify
Item ID	SKU
Name	Product Title
Ecommerce Name	Product Title
Description	Product Description
Selling Price	Price
QOH	Inventory Quantity
UPC	Barcode
Ecommerce Enabled	Product Active/Draft Status

Sync Timing

Action	Sync Behavior
Item created/edited directly in Console	Instant
Bulk update in Console (Mass Modification)	Instant
Item import	Scheduler based  (Scheduler timings can vary according to what is configured in the backend - mostly used configuration is within ~15 minutes)
Inventory movement	Scheduler based  (Scheduler timings can vary according to what is configured in the backend - mostly used configuration is within ~15 minutes)
Shopify order placement	Real-time webhook sync

Important Operational Behavior

• All inventory updates and adjustments must be performed in retailcloud to maintain accurate inventory synchronization across systems. 
• For example:
  An item is created and its On Hand (QOH) inventory is updated to 10 in Shopify. The same item’s QOH is updated to 100 in retailcloud. After the inventory sync cycle is completed, the item’s QOH will display as 100, since retailcloud acts as the source of truth.
• Product information and maintenance are recommended to be managed primarily through retailcloud.
• Manual changes made directly in Shopify may be overwritten during the next synchronization cycle from retailcloud.
• Orders created as Shopify Draft Orders do not sync into retailcloud

Prerequisites

Before requesting Shopify integration, ensure the following requirements are completed.

Shopify Requirements

You must have:

• An active Shopify store
• Shopify admin access
• App installation permissions

retailcloud Requirements

You must have:

• A Physical Store with an active Web Register, OR
• A Virtual Store linked to a Physical Store, OR
• An Online Store linked to a Warehouse
• An active Web Register
• Ecommerce-enabled products
• Product catalog configured and ready for online sales

Inventory Planning Requirements

Before setup, decide which inventory source will inventory sync from:

1. Inventory Source: Enterprise Level or Location Level

Enterprise Level:

• Best for merchants using a single online catalog.
• Uses enterprise-wide inventory
• No item entitlement required
• All ecommerce-enabled items are available for synchronization

Location Level:

• Best for merchants with multiple locations.
• Inventory syncs from a specific store or warehouse
• Item entitlement is required
• Only entitled items are available online
• Users have to assign either of the following:
  • Physical Store, or
  • Online Store linked to a Physical Store, or
  • Online store linked to a warehouse

2. Inventory Sharing Percentage

Inventory exposure can be limited to maintain safety stock for in-store sales. Decide how much inventory should be exposed online. You can set this from Console Settings → Shopify → Setup Field.

Example:

Actual QOH	Sync Percentage	Shopify Available Qty
100	100%	100
100	80%	80

This helps merchants maintain safety stock for in-store sales.

Shopify Setup

Step 1: Create Your Shopify Store

Create your Shopify store from Shopify Admin.

Step 2: Share Access

Provide required Shopify access to the retailcloud implementation team.

The retailcloud integration team may require:

• App installation access
• Shopify store access

If technical setup assistance is required, contact retailcloud support.

Step 3: Configure Store Structure

Create and configure:

• Physical Store
  • Navigate to: Console Settings → Store → Create Store
     
• Virtual Store
  • Navigate to: Console Settings → Store → Create Store
  • While creating the store, set the Store Type to Virtual Store
     
• Warehouse
  • This is applicable when user wants to entitle Warehouse as Location Level Pairing
  • Create a Warehouse by navigating to the Console Settings → Warehouse
  • Navigate to: Console Settings → Store → Create Store → Select Type = Virtual Store → Choose a Location (warehouse)
  • While creating the store, set the Store Type to Virtual Store.
     
• Web Register
  • Navigate to: Console Settings → Register → Add Register
  • Select the Virtual Store created in the previous step
  • Set the Type to Web

These components are required for:

• Order processing
• Inventory synchronization
• Online reporting

Step 4: Connecting Shopify with retailcloud

Navigate to: Console → Settings → Integrations → Shopify

From this screen, merchants can:

• Connect Shopify account
• Configure setup fields
• Manage inventory behavior
• Configure automatic sync
• Configure fulfillment settings

Step 5: Pairing Levels

retailcloud supports two pairing levels for Shopify integration: Enterprise Pairing and Location Pairing.

Enterprise Pairing

Synchronizes:

• All ecommerce-enabled products
• Enterprise-wide inventory

Recommended for:

• Single online catalog businesses
• Centralized inventory management

Location Pairing

Synchronizes:

• Location-specific inventory
• Location-specific product catalog

Only items that are:

• Ecommerce Enabled
• Entitled to the selected location

will sync to Shopify.

Important: When the Pairing Level is set to Location and a Virtual Store is selected, each item must be explicitly entitled to that Virtual Store. Only entitled items will be synced and displayed in Shopify.

Product Entitlement

Navigate to:

Store → Virtual Store → Edit → Product Entitlement

Items can be entitled using:

• Add Item manually
• Item Lookup
• Bulk Item Import

How Entitlement Works

Entitlement controls which items sync to Shopify.

Enterprise Level Pairing

With enterprise pairing: All ecommerce-enabled products sync

Location Level Pairing

With location pairing:

Only items:

• Entitled to the paired location
• Ecommerce enabled

will sync.

Shopify in Console

Connect to your Shopify account and automatically sync your merchant details. 

Navigate to Settings →  Integration →  Shopify

If you have an existing Shopify online account, click on the 'Connect' button. Enter your account credentials and pair the accounts. Once the account is paired, you will be directed to the console page where you can manage the Shopify online account.

Online Store: This is the store ID of your connected online website.

Inventory Location: This is the store to which the online site is connected.

Setup Fields

This allows you to map your retailcloud fields with the Shopify online store. 

Sync Products

By default, the sync matches products between online & Shopify using their SKU values. For example, if you have a product named 'Apple iPhone 11' with SKU equal to 23456 on Shopify, and a catalog item 'iPhone 11' in retailcloud POS with ItemID equal to 23456, we treat those products as matching and sync the inventory between them.

Note that our platform is flexible and allows us to customize any aspect of the synchronization. The products can be matched by name, price, or any other way. You can also enable/disable SKUs that should be synced and which not, in case you don't want all product details to get synced. Click here to learn more 

Sync Products allows for instant product synchronization. (eg: product name, price. etc)
 

Sync Inventory 

A customer visits your e-commerce store and places an order. But, where does your e-commerce store get the product from?  Without this information (product and inventory) the e-commerce store cannot work effectively.

For example,

• You are a retailer where you manage product and inventory information independently in your e-commerce and POS systems.
• A customer visits your e-commerce store, explores the store, and really likes an item.
• He/ She visits the product details page and finds that the product is available in the required size and is in stock. He/ She places an order!
• After a few days, the customer receives an email that his/ her order is canceled because that product was out of stock and inventory information was not synced with the POS system.

If this situation happens when there is a very high chance that the customer might never come back and even recommend other customers to not buy from you.

With integration and synchronization, your E-commerce and POS systems will always be in sync with each other and you can very easily avoid scenarios like these.

Inventory sync will minimize back orders, improve customers’ shopping experience and make it easy to sell on multiple channels, build trust and confidence with your customers, manage product information, inventory management, etc.

For example, the inventory information sync can be taken to a different level when the inventory is managed and maintained in multiple warehouse locations. This would then require businesses to maintain the warehouse and inventory information in the POS system and then sync the information back to the e-commerce system.

Sync Inventory allows you to manually sync the inventory quantities.

You can manually keep your inventory counts in sync between Shopify and retailcloud.

For example, if you sell 2 quantities of SKU0001 in Shopify, 2 quantities will automatically be deducted from that same SKU0001 in retailcloud, and vice versa.

Note: The products saved as Master SKUs and Child SKUs are treated as bundles.

For example, selling 1 (Master SKU) product reduces the inventory quantity of the Master SKU by 1, CHILD SKU1 by 1, and CHILD SKU2 by 1 (the whole bundle).

Optionally, when there are no more CHILD SKUs, then it automatically shows the MASTER SKU as 0 or sold out.

Remap Products

Deletes all product mappings and rebuilds them.

Use Remap Products only when:

• Multiple products are missing
• Product mappings are corrupted
• Shopify store was reconnected
• Large sync inconsistencies exist

Important:

• Remap may take 15 minutes or longer
• Inventory should be synced after remap completes

Disconnect: This will disconnect the pairing between the Shopify and retailcloud accounts.

Enable Automatic Sync

The automatic sync toggle helps to avoid the need for manual synchronization through the console portal. Enabling the toggle will ensure that item updates/modifications are reflected in Shopify within 10-15 minutes, eliminating the need to manually navigate and click the 'Sync products' tab.

Order Fulfillment from an Alternative Location

Involves updating the designated store or warehouse responsible for processing and shipping an order. This flexibility optimizes inventory management, reduces shipping times, and addresses stock shortages or logistical issues. By default, each order is linked to a register ID connected to a store, which serves as the inventory source for that order.

For example, an order placed using register R1 of Store S1 can have its inventory location changed to register R2 of Store S2 by enabling order fulfillment from an alternative location. This change will reduce inventory from the new location. However, this update is only possible if the new location has a web register.

When an alternative fulfillment location is selected, it’s crucial to verify that the new location can handle the order. If it can, the order's details and related transactions are updated. This process ensures a seamless transition, maintains order accuracy, and enhances customer satisfaction by ensuring timely and accurate delivery of products.

Order Sync Start Date

Controls from which date Shopify orders start syncing into retailcloud.

Orders placed before this date do not sync.

Post Orders Based on Status

Allows merchants to control when Shopify orders create transactions in retailcloud.

Supported statuses:

• Fulfilled
• Unfulfilled

Item Creation Status

Controls whether Shopify items are created as:

• Active
• Draft

Product Level Sell-Out Percentage

Set percentage values to the status of item when initially adding them to shopify. Click here for more information: Product Level Sell-out percentage

Transfer Bins to Shopify

This setting allows you to synchronize bin data from retailcloud with specific store locations in Shopify. Bin numbers are associated with Variant Bin metafield within the Shopify store.

By linking products to specific bin locations in Shopify, you gain real-time visibility into inventory levels and storage arrangements.

For more information on creating and allocating bins, click here.

How It Works:

• Enable Syncing: When this option is toggled on, the bin locations assigned to items in retaicloud will automatically sync with Shopify items. This is possible if the merchant has defined a variant meta field in Shopify for storing bin location details under the product variant section.
• Initiate Product Sync: Once the product sync is initiated, bin details will be transferred to Shopify, and the variant’s metafield will be updated accordingly. 
• Disable Syncing: Toggling this option off will disable the synchronization of bin data to Shopify.

Product Type Mapping

We’ve added new attribute mapping options to give you more flexibility when syncing products from Shopify to retailcloud.

Product Type Mapping: You can choose to map Shopify Product Type to one of these retailcloud attributes:

• Department
• Category
• Subcategory

• In integration settings, enable Product Type mapping and then select which retailcloud attribute (Department, Category, or Subcategory) you’d like Shopify Product Type to map to. During product sync, the value from Shopify Product Type will be populated into your chosen retailcloud attribute.

Sync Product Updates to Shopify

A new toggle option "Sync Product Updates to Shopify" in the integration settings to enable or disable product updates from retailcloud to Shopify. 

When enabled, any product changes made in retailcloud will automatically sync to Shopify. 

When disabled, product updates will not be pushed, allowing users to manage product details directly in Shopify without being overwritten.

Product Synchronization

How Products Sync?

Products sync from retailcloud to Shopify and vice versa

Products are matched primarily using: SKU / Item ID

How to Make an Item Available Online?

Enable the Ecommerce toggle on the item.

Methods:

• Item catalog edit
• Mass modify
• Item import

Product Sync Behavior

Direct Console Edit

If an item is modified directly in Console:

• Product sync happens instantly

Bulk Update

If updated through bulk update:

• Product sync happens instantly

Item Import

If updated through import:

• Sync occurs through scheduler
• Scheduler runs every 15 minutes

Required Fields for Successful Sync

Items should have:

• SKU
• Selling price
• Barcode/UPC
• Ecommerce enabled

Missing required fields may prevent sync.

What Happens if a Product is Created in Shopify?

If a product is created directly in Shopify:

• Syncs to retailcloud
• Make sure that SKU is added to the item
• Field mapping rules apply

Product Variant & MasterSKU Behaviour

Product Variant

For variants to display correctly in Shopify:

• All variants must share the same Product ID
• Base item and variants must use matching attributes
• Color and/or Size attributes must be configured consistently

Note: Configurations where the base item and variants do not share matching attributes may not display correctly in Shopify.

For example:

Base Item	Variant Item
Size	Size
Color	Color
Size + Color	Size + Color

MasterSKU Behavior

When inventory is received on a Master SKU:

• Child SKUs automatically inherit inventory
• Separate receiving is not required

Within Shopify:

• Child SKUs appear as individual variants

Within retailcloud:

• Parent SKU controls inventory behavior

Inventory Synchronization

Inventory synchronization keeps Shopify inventory aligned with retailcloud inventory.

Inventory updates include:

• Sales
• Returns
• Adjustments
• Transfers
• Receivings

Important Rules

• retailcloud controls inventory quantities
• Shopify inventory changes will be overwritten by retailcloud changes during sync. Always manage inventory in retailcloud.
• Only ecommerce-enabled items synchronize inventory
• For products with variants, all variants must have valid inventory and must be ecommerce enabled.

Sync Frequency

• Automatic scheduler (Scheduler timings can vary according to what is configured in the backend - mostly used configuration is within ~15 minutes)
• Manual Sync Inventory option

Large catalogs or Shopify API rate limits may increase synchronization times.

How Orders work?

Order Flow

1. Customer places order in Shopify
2. retailcloud creates the order
3. Inventory is reduced
4. Order appears in Order Status Report
5. The following sync into retailcloud:
   • Order items
   • Taxes
   • Discounts
   • Shipping charges
   • Customer information
   • Payment information

Note:

• Shopify Draft Orders do not sync into retailcloud.
• Shopify orders are available in the Order Status Report.
• Shopify orders do not appear under Financial → Orders.

Payments Options for Shopify Orders:

When creating or managing Shopify orders, the following payment options are available:

Credit Card Payment

Users can process payment by entering the customer’s card details.

Mark as Paid

Users can manually mark the order as paid using one of the following options:

• Others
• Bank Deposit
• Cash on Delivery (COD)

Fulfillment Options 

Mark as Fulfilled

Once an order is fulfilled, users can mark it as fulfilled within the order workflow.

After fulfillment, an additional Return option becomes available, allowing users to process:

• Returns
• Exchanges

Tracking information is important when processing returns or exchanges.

Refund Behavior

Refund

Users can process refunds directly from the order screen.

During refund processing:

• Item details and purchased quantities are displayed
• Users can enter the quantity they want to refund
• An optional refund reason can be added

Refund Method:

If customer information is attached to the order, the following refund methods are available:

• Original Payment
• Store Credit
• Original Payment & Store Credit

If no customer is attached to the order, only the Original Payment option will be available.

Return

Once an order is fulfilled, users can process returns or exchanges from the Return option.

For exchanges:

• Users can search and add replacement products through item lookup
• Tracking numbers should be maintained for proper return and exchange processing

Best Practices

Product Management

• Use consistent SKUs
• Complete all required item fields
• Must be e-commerce enabled
• If pairing level is at Location, entitle the item to the paired location

Inventory Management

• Manage inventory only in retailcloud
• Use inventory sharing percentages carefully
• Perform manual inventory sync after large updates when immediate synchronization is required

Variant Management

• Use same Product ID
• Configure variant attributes correctly
• Avoid changing Product IDs after products are synchronized
• Variants should have valid inventory

Troubleshooting

Product Not Appearing in Shopify

Check:

• Ecommerce Enabled is turned on
• Required fields such as SKU, Selling Price, are populated.
• Product synchronization completed
• The item is entitled to the correct location (for Location-Level Pairing).
• Product ID structure is correct

Inventory Not Updating

Check:

• Confirm inventory changes were made in retailcloud.
• Verify the item is Ecommerce Enabled.
• Review Inventory Sharing Percentage settings.
• Allow up to 15 minutes for scheduled inventory synchronization.

Shopify Orders Missing

Check:

• Confirm the order is not a Shopify Draft Order.
• Verify the Shopify integration is active and connected.
• Check the configured Order Sync Start Date.

Variants Appearing Incorrectly

Check:

• Ensure all variants share the same Product ID.
• Verify that the base item and variants use matching Size and/or Color attributes.
• Confirm all variants are Ecommerce Enabled.

Location-Level Pairing Not Showing All Products

If some products are missing from Shopify when using Location-Level Pairing:

• Verify the items are entitled to the selected Virtual Store or Location.
• Confirm the items are Ecommerce Enabled.
• Ensure the correct location is paired with Shopify.

Articles in this section

• Item Import Field Descriptions
• Overview
• Merchant Onboarding
• Navigation Bar
• Reports
• Items
• Settings
• Dashboard Overview
• Company
• Register

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