Inventory management for a small shop, step by step
6 min read · Updated October 21, 2026
A small shop does not need a heavy system, but it does need to know what is on the shelf. This guide shows how to set up stock tracking in Inventory: the products, the variants, the barcodes, who on your team can do what and how to show your products on your own website.
Create your shop and categories
- Create the shop: choose its name and the currency your prices use. The currency cannot be changed later, so pick it with care, and the name can be changed in Settings.
- Add categories: group products the way you would on a shelf, for example drinks, snacks and gifts.
Add products with variants
A product holds what stays the same, such as the name, the category and the pictures. Variants hold what changes: size, colour or flavour, each with its own SKU, barcode, price, cost price and stock count. Keeping variants under one product keeps the list short and the stock exact.
If you already have a spreadsheet, you can import it instead of typing: products are matched by SKU, so an import updates what exists and adds what is new.
Scan instead of typing
Open the scanner on your phone and point the camera at a barcode, or use a USB barcode scanner on a computer. A scan looks the item up, lets you add or remove stock, or starts a new product from the code. Adding and removing stock and scanning are free.
Give your team the right access
Invite people by email as viewers, shopkeepers or administrators. Viewers can look, shopkeepers can change stock and administrators manage products, settings and the team. Only administrators see cost prices, so staff can sell without seeing your margins. Everyone sees changes as they happen, on every screen.
Count, get alerts and show products online
- Stock counts: start a count, enter what you find and apply the differences in one step.
- Low-stock alerts: get told when an item drops below the level you set.
- Your website: administrators can create API keys to read your products into a website, with filters such as price range, category and stock.
Try it yourself
Start free: new accounts get credits, and the free plan tops them up every week.
Questions about this guide
- What does it cost?
- Your plan includes free products and categories. After that each new product or category costs a few credits, and stock changes and scanning are free.
- Can I use a USB barcode scanner?
- Yes. A USB scanner works like a keyboard, and the phone camera works too when the site is opened over HTTPS.