Inventory Syncing in Duoplane

06/09/2022

Retailers, did you know that many companies, even large reputable ones, receive vendor-provided inventory updates via API, but do not know what to do with them? 

 

Because most retailers don’t know what to do with these inventory updates, they default to listing everything in-stock on their own site. Inevitably, this backfires, creating a negative customer experience and lowering the visibility of their own site.  

 

Luckily, there is a solution. Sophisticated dropship automation platforms like Duoplane are able to inventory sync, ensuring that nothing falls through the cracks and only the most accurate information is shown on your site. 

 

In this article, we will dive into what inventory syncing is and how you can set it up in Duoplane.

 

What is Inventory Syncing?

 

“Inventory syncing” also known as inventory feeds, data feeds, product data feed, local product inventory feed, inventory sync, stock feeds, stock sync, merchant inventory, dropship inventory feed, and price and quantity feed, is any supplier or warehouse-provided data that contains inventory information. Additionally, inventory syncing allows you to show the accurate inventory picture across all channels in real-time as transactions happen. 

 

 

 How Does Inventory Syncing Work in Duoplane?

 

 

When managing your product inventory in Duoplane, you have several options regarding how inventory is synced with your eCommerce channels. Keep reading to understand how inventory information is transferred between Duoplane and your eCommerce channels:

Inventory Sync Direction:

 

For each product listed in your eCommerce store, you have 3 options for the direction of the inventory sync:

 

1) Duoplane => Channel

2) Channel => Duoplane

3) No sync

 

These preferences can be set at a store level in your store settings. If any individual products differ from the store setting, you can override the setting at the vendor or individual product level.

 

If you plan to make inventory updates in Duoplane, then set Duoplane to write to your store(s). If you plan to make inventory updates directly within the store / eCommerce channel, then set Duoplane to read inventory information from that store.

 

Importantly, if you make any inventory changes somewhere other than the inventory master, those updates will be overwritten by the inventory master.

 

What is a Master Record? Can Duoplane be the Master Inventory Record?
 
The “master” inventory record is the source for the inventory information that is synced to other inventory records
If Duoplane is the master inventory record, you manage and update inventory availability directly in Duoplane. This way, Duoplane is considered the definitive source of inventory information.
 
Inventory changes made in any of your eCommerce channels will not be recorded by Duoplane, and inventory updates made directly in the eCommerce channel may be overwritten by Duoplane.

What if my eCommerce Store is my Master Record?

 

If one of your eCommerce channels is the master, Duoplane will update its own inventory records based on the information present in that store. That store’s inventory records are considered the definitive source of availability information.


In this setup, inventory updates made directly into Duoplane may be overwritten by updates made at the master eCommerce channel.

When can I Schedule my Inventory to be Synced in Duoplane?

 

There are two ways that your inventory can be synced in Duoplane: automatic sync and manual sync.

 

Automatic Sync

You can configure Duoplane to automatically sync with your eCommerce channel(s) as differences are detected. This is configured at the store level and can be overridden for individual products. In this setup, inventory is synced every 5 minutes.

Manual Sync

If you prefer to sync inventory information at a specific time or selectively sync certain items, you can turn off automatic inventory syncing.

Inventory updates in Duoplane can be uploaded to your store individually or in bulk using import batches.

If you’re interested in learning more about inventory syncing in Duoplane and how Duoplane inventory settings map to eCommerce channels, check out our support article here. 

 
badgley mischka customer review and case study

Case Study: Badgley Mishka

We chat with Katie Ouaknine of Badgley Mischka about her experience using Duoplane. The company loves how Duoplane seamlessly integrates with BigCommerce and automates their day-to-day operations. Katie’s favorite Duoplane features include splitting orders, auto-assigning orders, and managing multi-warehouse inventory.