Inventory & Variants

Inventory in Podifai is controlled at the option value level. Use custom inventory when Podifai should track a stock count, or link an option value to a Shopify variant when Shopify should be the source of truth for real-time availability.

Overview

Podifai lets each option value use its own inventory setting. You can leave inventory untracked, track a custom stock count inside Podifai, or link the option value to a Shopify variant so stock can be controlled from Shopify.

Inventory is an option value-level feature. It works best for options where the merchant defines selectable values ahead of time, such as image choices, colors, fonts, dropdown values, and badge choices.

Inventory Modes

The Track inventory dropdown supports three modes:

• Not tracking inventory — The option value does not use stock tracking in Podifai.
• Custom — Podifai tracks a stock count for this option value using fields you enter manually.
• Linked to a variant — Podifai reads stock from a Shopify variant in real time.

Supported Option Types

Variant-linked inventory is available from option value settings on value-based option types:

• Image Swatch
• Color Swatch
• Font Swatch
• Dropdown
• Badge Group

Text Input, Text Area, and Image Upload collect customer-entered content, so they do not use per-value inventory in the same way.

Custom Inventory

Use Custom when the option value has its own stock count but should not be tied to a Shopify variant. Custom inventory contains three fields:

• SKU — An internal stock keeping unit for identifying the item in inventory, fulfillment, and reporting workflows.
• Barcode — A scannable product identifier used for fulfillment, retail, and supply-chain tracking.
• Available — The starting quantity available for sale. Podifai deducts stock after an order is created; abandoned carts do not reserve or reduce stock.

Linked Variant Inventory

Use Linked to a variant when you want Shopify to be the source of truth for stock. Each Podifai option value links to one Shopify variant. After linking, merchants can update stock in Shopify, and Podifai uses the current Shopify stock state in real time in both the dashboard and storefront customizer.

Link an option value to a variant

Create separate products for extra item inventory

For add-ons that are not variants of the base product, create separate Shopify products or variants first, then link the Podifai option value to the specific Shopify variant that should control stock.

Podifai does not automatically create Shopify variants for option values. If Shopify should control stock, create the variant in Shopify first, then link it from the Podifai option value.

If the linked Shopify item is out of stock, the matching Podifai option value is shown in a disabled state in Podifai and on the storefront, so shoppers can see the option but cannot select an unavailable item.

If an out-of-stock value was previously set as the default for a required option, it will not be selected on the storefront. The shopper will see the normal required-selection prompt, such as "Please select", and must choose an available value before adding to cart.

Out-of-stock linked variants

When Price Linking Uses a Variant

Dynamic pricing and inventory can both reference Shopify variants. To avoid conflicting setup, Podifai keeps these settings in sync when needed:

• If a price setting is linked to a Shopify variant that is out of stock, inventory is automatically forced to the same variant and cannot be changed separately.
• If that price-linked variant later has stock again, inventory automatically returns to Not tracking inventory, so the merchant can choose the inventory mode again.

Data from Linked Variants

When an option value is linked to a Shopify variant, Podifai can use the following data:

• Price — The variant price, when used for dynamic pricing.
• Compare-at price — The compare-at price, when available.
• SKU — The Shopify SKU for inventory and fulfillment reference.
• Barcode — The Shopify barcode field for the variant.
• Available quantity — The current quantity available for sale.
• Availability — Whether the linked item is in stock or out of stock.
• Image — The variant image, when available.
• Product URL — A link back to the source product.

Multi-Select Inventory

For multi-select options, each option value can link to its own Shopify variant. Because each value can only be selected once in the same option group, selecting multiple values deducts each selected value's linked variant once when the order is created.

For example, if a shopper selects three different charm values from one multi-select Image Swatch, each selected charm can reduce its own linked Shopify variant stock by one after the order is created.

Inventory & Pricing Independence

Podifai lets pricing and inventory stay independent when they do not need to use the same Shopify variant. For example, an option value can track stock through linked variant inventory without adding a surcharge, or it can use a price add-on without tracking stock.

Use Cases

• Track a custom material, color, charm, or add-on without creating a Shopify variant.
• Let Shopify control stock for an option value that already exists as a variant.
• Disable out-of-stock option values automatically on the storefront.
• Keep SKU and barcode data attached to option values for shipping and operations.
• Track color, material, font, charm, patch, or component availability through option values.
• Combine inventory with Dynamic Pricing when price and stock need separate rules.

Shopify Reference

Shopify describes SKUs as internal codes used to track inventory and report on sales. Shopify also notes that barcodes are separate from SKUs and are typically used by barcode scanners and supply-chain workflows. In Shopify inventory, Available means the quantity available for sale.

• Using SKUs to manage your inventory
• Understanding barcodes
• Viewing inventory

Option Value Linking

Variant-linked inventory is available from option value settings, including Color Swatches, Font Swatches, Image Swatches, dropdowns, and badge groups. Select the option value, open Track inventory, and choose either Custom or Linked to a variant.

See Shopify Variants vs Podifai Options when deciding whether a product choice should control the base Shopify variant or remain a Podifai personalization option.