Best Way to Manage Product Weight & Volume in Shopify: Qoblex Inventory Solution

Shopify has some limitations when it comes to dealing with product weight and volume. If you need to create product variants that are measured based on a main product, managing inventory accurately can be challenging. By integrating your Shopify store with Qoblex, you can efficiently manage inventory for products sold in measured quantities. This guide will show you how Qoblex handles product variants and ensures accurate inventory tracking.

Setting Up Product Variants in Qoblex

To illustrate this process, let’s consider an example product called “Fillet.” The main product variant is a 1-pound fillet, and additional variants represent bundled quantities derived from this main product. Qoblex will track inventory changes automatically. Follow these steps to set up variants correctly:

1. Define the Main Product Variant
   • The default unit of measure for this variant is pounds.
   • Ensure the inventory count is accurate for this base unit in Qoblex. In this case, we have 125 pounds of the 1-pound fillet in stock.
2. Create Additional Variants as Bundles
   • Additional variants should be set up in Qoblex to pull from the main variant’s inventory. 
   • For example, a 1.50-pound fillet is defined as a bundle that takes 1.5 pounds from the main product.

For a detailed guide on creating product variants, check our Variable Products help center article.

Processing a Sales Order in Qoblex or Shopify

Once the variants are set up, follow these steps to process a sales order while ensuring inventory accuracy. Sales orders can be created directly in Qoblex or within Shopify, with Qoblex automatically managing inventory adjustments.

1. Create a Sales Order
   • If using Qoblex, navigate to the Sales Order module and select the 1.50-pound fillet variant.
   • If using Shopify, create an order as usual, and Qoblex will sync the inventory update.
   • Choose a quantity. For instance, selecting five units of the 1.50-pound fillet means you are selling a total of 7.5 pounds.
2. Create and Dispatch a Shipment
   • If processing the order in Qoblex, generate a draft shipment and confirm the dispatch of 5 units of the 1.50-pound fillet.
   • If processing in Shopify, Qoblex will still adjust inventory accordingly once the order is fulfilled.

Inventory Adjustments in Qoblex

Once the order is processed, Qoblex automatically updates the inventory levels:

• The main 1-pound fillet inventory is reduced by 7.5 pounds.
• The 1.50-pound bundle stock is adjusted accordingly.

For example, if the initial stock for the main fillet variant were 125 pounds, after selling five units of the 1.50-pound fillet, the remaining stock would be 117.5 pounds.

By integrating Qoblex with Shopify, you can ensure accurate inventory tracking even when selling measured quantities from a main product. This method helps manage stock levels efficiently while preventing overselling or miscounting of available inventory.