Automate Your Shopify Store
Learn about the best ways to automate your e-commerce business and manage your inventory across multiple Shopify stores.
InventoryInventory Turnover: Definition, Formula, & Impact on Profitability (With Examples)Does inventory turnover sometimes feel like a mystery to you? Certain products take forever to sell (even after you've discounted them many times), while others just fly off your shelves (figuratively speaking).
Firstly, you must understand that inventory turnover is a balancing act between your sales and stock. Think of a scale: if you increase your sales but don't keep enough stock on hand to fill your orders, then you can lose those sales. But if you have few sales, then your stock levels can remain high and cost you money instead of making it.
Secondly, inventory turnover is a key performance indicator that helps you understand how well you're running your store and if your profitability is healthy.
Keeping these two points in mind, let's try to demystify inventory turnover more.
» Compare the best inventory management systems for your Shopify store
Inventory Turnover Defined
Inventory turnover is the ratio of the cost of goods sold (COGS) to the average inventory value over a period of time.
This ratio helps you measure how quickly your products are selling and how efficiently you're managing your inventory.
High inventory turnover rate indicates that you're selling your products quickly and efficiently.Low inventory turnover rate suggests that there's an issue with either pricing or product availability.
As we've already discussed, this is a balancing act, and you need to find that sweet spot between high and low to ensure your long-term profitability. If your rate is too high, you may not have enough stock available to meet customer demand. If it's too low, you may be carrying too much stock and tying up valuable capital with unsold items.
» Follow these tips to manage your Shopify inventory better
Formula for Calculating Inventory Turnover
Inventory Turnover = Cost of Goods Sold (COGS) / Average Value of Inventory
You can compare your inventory turnover number to industry standards or previous years' results to get an idea of how well your business is performing.
Now, let's break the formula down.
Cost of Goods Sold (COGS)
COGS represents the total amount it costs your business to purchase, manufacture, and deliver all the goods you've sold during a specific period.
Average Value of Inventory
You can calculate average inventory by adding your beginning and ending stock levels over a specific period together and dividing them by two.
Example of Inventory Turnover
Let's put the formula into practice:
Let's say your business has $50,000 worth of cost of goods sold over the past year and an average inventory of $20,000 over the same period. To calculate your inventory turnover rate:
COGS / Average Value of Inventory$50,000 / $20,000= 2.5
In this case, your inventory turnover rate is 2.5, meaning it takes your business two and a half times to turn over its entire inventory during the given period.
The Key to Profitability is Lowering Your COGS
COGS has a direct impact on your profitability because it determines your gross profit.
Gross Profit = Revenue - COGS
Gross profit shows you if you're at least selling your products at a good enough price to make a profit. So, are you getting more out of it than you're putting in?
By lowering your COGS, your gross profit can increase, and you can get a better balance between your inventory and sales.
Strategies to Lower COGS
There are a number of strategies you can use to lower your COGS, including:
Negotiating discounts from suppliers.Bulk buying when possible.Implementing just-in-time inventory management techniques.Utilizing barcode scanning systems to accurately and efficiently track your stock levels.Utilizing software to track purchasing trends and identify potential savings opportunities.Automating ordering processes where possible.
» Can decoupling inventory help your online business?
Don't Toss and Turn Over Inventory Turnover Anymore
It's difficult to determine what a good inventory turnover is because it depends on your industry and whether you manufacture your products yourself or buy them to resell.
By keeping an eye on your inventory turnover ratio and profitability, you can make informed decisions about your business's stock levels and overall purchasing strategy. With a bit of strategic planning and diligence, you can ensure that you are making the most of your inventory and achieving a profitable balance in the long run.
» Explore Egnition's Shopify apps to simplify inventory management
Out-of-stockShopify Store's Growth: Why Back-in-Stock Emails Are ImportantKeeping your customers updated about product availability is an integral part of your store's growth because it helps foster customer loyalty and increase sales.
Sending Shopify email alerts for when products are back in stock is a good strategy to cover this aspect of your store management. Below, we'll look into some specific reasons why back-in-stock emails are critical to the growth of your Shopify business, complete with some concrete examples you can try in your store too.
» Want to try back-in-stock alerts? Here's how to notify your customers
5 Benefits of Shopify Back-in-Stock Email Notifications
Back-in-stock email notifications are essential to the expansion of your Shopify store because they help reduce the number of customers you can potentially lose due to product unavailability. When your customers receive back-in-stock emails, they're more likely to return to your store and make their purchases.
This will result in various benefits for your Shopify store, including the following:
1. Increasing Sales
Back-in-stock emails support sales growth in different ways. Apart from reminding your customers to come back and purchase the product once it's available again, these emails also foster a sense of urgency and scarcity that inspires your customers to act quickly. Back-in-stock alerts can also help you identify the products that are in high demand, so you can restock accordingly and increase sales.
Example:Sending out back-in-stock emails to my customers proved fruitful for my own Shopify store. After notifying my customers about the availability of a well-liked product that was previously out of stock, I noticed an instant spike in sales as a result. This demonstrated strong demand for the product, and I was able to use this information to streamline my out-of-stock management and raise my store's overall efficiency.
2. Improving Customer Experience
By informing your customers about product availability, back-in-stock emails enhance the shopping experience at your store. Clients are more likely to feel valued and appreciated if they know you're making every effort to make a product available to them, so this practice can strengthen your relationship with clients and foster trust.
Example:Through client feedback, I was able to confirm that back-in-stock emails improved the customer experience at my store. After receiving a back-in-stock email, one of my customers reached out to express their appreciation for the quick update, sharing how happy they were with the notification. This interaction not only led to a sale but also to a devoted consumer who will probably shop at my store again in the future.
3. Boosting Customer Retention
Shopify email alerts for when a product is back in stock also help foster customer loyalty, prolonging your Shopify store's customer retention rate. By notifying customers about product availability, you demonstrate that you continually value their business and are committed to meeting their needs. This helps reinforce the customers' decision to shop at your store.
Example:By checking customer comments, I found out that one regular customer was delighted with their back-in-stock notification because it allowed them to shop again at my store as they had previously done. This experience not only resulted in a sale but also a loyal customer who will likely keep purchasing my store's products.
4. Attracting New Customers
Back-in-stock emails can help bring in new clients by enhancing your brand's reputation and dependability. Prospective clients are more likely to trust your store and consider making a purchase when they see you're actively refilling popular items, so this approach can enhance sales leads and customer acquisition. What's more, this will give a favorable first impression of your store just as much as an appealing visual design.
Example:Reviewing sales data after sending out back-in-stock emails for a popular product helped me notice a surge of new customers purchasing that product. This meant not only that my store got new sales but also potential long-term customers.
5. Growing Your Email List
Finally, back-in-stock emails can help you expand your email database and gather additional client information to improve your store's future performance. When signing up for a back-in-stock notification, clients provide you with their email addresses, which you can leverage for upcoming marketing campaigns. This will also help you identify the products with high customer demand and use that information to better manage your inventory.
Example:After sending back-in-stock emails, I was able to determine exactly which product was most well-liked and focus my efforts on managing it. In addition to a rise in revenue, this strategy brought me new email sign-ups from customers who were drawn to the product, growing my email list for future marketing campaigns.
» Here's how to craft and automatically send out-of-stock emails
Streamline Your Stock Management With Egnition
Manage Out-of-Stock Products With Ease
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By informing your customers that a previously out-of-stock product is now available, back-in-stock emails can strengthen your store's growth strategy by boosting customer satisfaction, growing your email list, increasing sales, and improving customer retention.
To enhance your store's back-in-stock notification strategy, it's critical to streamline your stock management procedure first, which you can do with Egnition's Out-of-Stock Police. This app will help automate your stock management and provide real-time data insights for better decision-making, ensuring your inventory is constantly updated and your store is on the right growth track.
» Check out this comprehensive Out-of-Stock Police review and gain an in-depth understanding of the app
Multiple storesHow to Sync Inventory Across Multiple Shopify StoresIf you own a store in Shopify, you've probably realized that managing inventory can be a real pain by now. But with a little coordination, effort, and a touch of help from an inventory syncing app, you can easily keep all of your inventory in sync across multiple stores.
Difficulties of Managing Multiple Shopify Stores
Shopify makes it easy to start and manage an online store. However, when you have multiple stores, Shopify inventory management can quickly become a thorn in a store owner's side.
One of the main challenges is synchronizing inventory between two Shopify stores. If the inventory is not synced correctly, it can lead to stockouts and lost sales. Another challenge is managing orders and shipping logistics between two inventories. It can be difficult to keep track of which orders need to be shipped to which store and ensure that all products are available in all stores.
When you're running multiple Shopify stores, it's important to stay organized and efficient with your inventory management. This means keeping track of what's in stock, what needs to be ordered, and when items are scheduled to arrive. Here are a few tips for managing your inventory across multiple stores:
Use Separate Inventories for Each Store
This will help you stay organized and easily track which items are in stock and which need to be ordered.Have a Plan for Ordering Inventory
Know what items you need to order and when they're scheduled to arrive. This will help avoid overlaps or shortages in stock.Record Your Inventory Movement
Use a spreadsheet or inventory management app to keep track of your inventory levels and orders. This will make it easier to keep track of everything and make sure that all stores are adequately stocked.
Why Should You Sync Your Inventories?
There are several key advantages to syncing Shopify inventories. These include:
Saving time: Automate your inventory syncing and gain more time to focus on your business.Saving money: Avoid wasting money on unnecessary inventory purchases.Reducing errors: Prevent manual data entry and reduce the risk of making errors.More reliability: Data is backed up, secured, and more reliable than ever.
Syncing Inventory Across Multiple Shopify Apps
If you're like most Shopify store owners, you probably use more than one Shopify app to manage your inventory. But what if you could sync your inventory between all of your apps? It's now possible with the new Multi-Store Sync Power app for Shopify.
Multi-Store Sync Power connects to all of your Shopify apps and syncs your inventory in real time. This means that any changes to your inventory, including adding or removing products, are automatically updated in all of your other apps. Some notable features of the app include:
Automated Inventory Updating
Sync Power always provides a seamless process to sync the quantities of your inventory. It automatically adjusts inventory in your stores whenever a new order, refund, cancellation, or restock is initiated. Sync Power automatically ensures your inventory amounts are the same in every location.Synchronized Fields Across Multiple Properties
Synchronizing your purchases allows you to upgrade the objects in all of your stores in the event that there is a change in the main product. You can select which fields to update and which fields you don't need to synchronize.Automated Product Creation
While product updates are important, automatically adding new products is even better. Sync Power can be used to automatically compile new products for all stores that own your main store. Just make sure this option is enabled, and your new products will be created in all your other stores, along with the correct fields and synchronization.
Learn more about how Multi-Store Sync Power can help you manage inventory from any store while having the changes reflected in all of the stores instantly:
Multiple storesManaging Multiple Shopify StoresThere are various considerations to make before setting up a new Shopify store, from choosing the right plan to the best inventory management options. If you want to run multiple shops in Shopify, it's important to have the right strategies in place to keep your multi-site business running smoothly.
3 Reasons to Manage Multiple Shopify Stores
1. Strengthening Your Brand's Value
Many businesses with luxury brands have outlets or off-price sales to appeal to diverse audiences. This strategy is perfect for businesses with prominent brands. Having your main store as well as another store where price-conscious customers can get cheaper products will prevent you from devaluing your other products and your store brand.
2. Entering International Markets
You can use Shopify's multi-store feature to streamline the process of expanding into other markets. Having distinct Shopify stores makes it easier to adapt your brand to a locale's culture, purchasing patterns, demands, and values. Expanding your brand into new areas can open the door to discovering new clients and broadening your business's reach.
3. Trying Out Different Business Models
You can also use multiple Shopify stores to experiment with different business models. Whether your approach is B2B or B2C, operating multiple Shopify stores allows you to modify your messaging and product presentation, as well as better target your consumer base.
Problems With Operating Multiple Shopify Stores
The multi-store approach complicates inventory tracking and order management, which may be its most significant shortcoming. When customers place orders from different sites for the same product pool, it may cause confusion, delays, and inaccuracies.
In addition, managing multiple shops and duplicating content can be a cumbersome task and divert your attention from many other duties you must complete to keep your business functioning successfully.
» Supercharge operating multiple Shopify stores by solving the common issues
4 Strategies for Managing More Than One Shopify Store
1. Choose the Right Shopify Plan for Your Business
Separate Shopify plans for multiple stores
Shopify merchants are most familiar with the Basic Shopify, Shopify, and Advanced Shopify plans. However, none of them support multiple Shopify stores on the same account. If you already have a Shopify plan, the simplest way to get more stores is to purchase more plans.Multiple stores on Shopify Plus
If you want to manage more than one store on one account, you need to buy a Shopify Plus Plan. This works well for high-volume businesses with massive traffic. Starting at $2000 per month, this plan includes ten stores, with each extra store costing $250. Once you log into your Shopify admin, you can navigate between the multiple Shopify storefronts associated with the same email address.
» Each store needs a separate account, but you can use the same domain
2. Use PIM to Manage Inventory and Orders
Despite Shopify's policy of not allowing you to manage more than one store from a single account, there's a more cost-effective solution than signing up for a Shopify Plus plan—installing a product inventory management (PIM) system to centralize your inventory.
Using the interface of a PIM app, you'll be able to see how your inventory is distributed throughout all your locations and boost your multi-channel inventory management. When your inventory is synced across multiple stores in this way, a single modification to your inventory, product details, images, or orders will reflect in all your stores.
» Easily handle multi-store inventory with the best inventory management systems
3. Consolidate Customer Support
Centralizing your customer support is as useful as managing inventory from one place. Having a single customer support system that consolidates all your customer order data and queries will save you time and help you monitor support tickets and other communication for minimal slip-ups.
4. Have a Cohesive Theme
A strong, consistent theme with enhanced visual design helps reinforce your brand identity. Your multiple Shopify stores should be designed around a cohesive central theme. While your products and messaging should be customized for different markets, you don't want to stray too far from the original design of your site that customers are already familiar with.
» Use the best practices for managing multiple Shopify stores to your advantage
Supercharge Your Multi-Store Management With Egnition
Synchronize inventory levels and update product data across multiple locations.Full multi-location support for maximum flexibility.Free plan available.
Operating multiple Shopify stores is a challenging undertaking, but it's worth it considering the increased potential sales, better positioning, and more targeted marketing efforts. In addition to keeping our multi-store management strategies in mind, you'll be able to reap these benefits sooner with the help of a dedicated app like Egnition's Multi-Store Sync Power.
Allowing you to automatically sync your inventory levels across multiple locations, this app can greatly facilitate your multi-store management and help you boost your store's bottom line more easily.
» Learn everything there is to know about this handy app in the following Multi-Store Sync Power review
Order to discountShopify Discount Codes: Expert Tips & Examples You Can TrustFor Shopify store owners, running promotional discount codes is a smart strategy to boost product awareness and sales because it can reward your loyal customers and draw in new ones.
In fact, research on consumer behavior shows that over 60% of consumers would purchase an item online at a discounted price. This is why you should consider implementing Shopify promo codes in your store to bring in new customers on the hunt for a good deal.
Shopify Discount Code Examples
Every Shopify plan allows you to create discount codes, making it easy to offer attractive deals to your customers. For example, you can set an end date for the discount's validity, choose how many times the discount can be used, set a minimum number of orders before the discount is valid, and even combine discounts to incentivize your customers.
Consider these Shopify discount code examples to get started:
Percentage or Fixed-Amount Discount
By reducing prices either with percentages or specific monetary amounts, you can have more control over the discount amount compared to other discount code types. This is because these discounts aren't necessarily linked to minimum order values or quantities.
Both types of discounts can increase sales by encouraging your customers to make a purchase or even buy more than they planned.
Example:I recently used a Shopify discount code before checkout to get 15% off my purchase, which motivated me to buy more items than I originally intended.
» Easily create a percentage discount in Shopify in a few steps
Free Shipping
Free shipping discount codes waive the shipping fees your customers would normally have to pay when placing an order. These codes are typically entered at checkout.
Compared to other discount code types, free shipping codes are often easier to execute since they don't require complex calculations or adjustments to product prices. Additionally, free shipping can be more attractive to customers since it directly saves them money and provides a clear benefit.
Example:I got a free shipping discount on a skincare products website! This was great because it let me purchase additional items since I knew I wouldn't have to pay extra for shipping.
Buy X, Get Y
Buy X, Get Y discount codes offer your customers a free or discounted item when they purchase a specified amount of products—for example, "Buy 2 shirts, get 1 free." These codes can incentivize your customers to purchase more items and help you move inventory.
So, you can clear out obsolete inventory by gifting customers items that may not be selling as well. Additionally, you can increase customer loyalty by providing a reward for making a larger purchase.
Example:A Buy X, Get Y discount helped me get a free bottle of vitamins after buying two other supplement products. This promotion pushed me to buy more vitamins than I planned to at first, and I ended up with a bonus bottle I was able to try out for free.
» Learn how to identify obsolete inventory before setting discounts
3 Tips for Effective Discount Codes
To maximize the impact of your discount codes and drive more conversions, you can try the following strategies:
1. Customize the Discount Code Name
Customizing the discount code name helps create a stronger connection between the code and your brand while also making it easier for customers to associate it with a specific promotion. By choosing a name that reflects the purpose of the code, you can communicate the value proposition more clearly to potential customers.
Example:After deciding to run a promotion for 20% off on all the products in my store, I used a customized code like "20OFFTOYS" to communicate the discount amount while also reflecting my brand's messaging.
2. Add a Discount Timer
Discount timers can create a sense of urgency and encourage your customers to act quickly and take advantage of the deal before it expires. This creates a sense of excitement and can drive sales by motivating customers to make a purchase immediately.
Example:While offering a discount of 15% off on all the hoodies in my store for the next 24 hours only, I used a countdown timer on my website to clearly communicate the expiration time to my customers and spark action.
3. Share Discount Codes via Push Notifications and SMS
Push notifications and text messages are highly effective in promoting discount codes, as they can help your business reach customers directly and instantly. By sending targeted messages to your customers, you can increase the visibility of your discounts and drive more sales.
Example:I've benefited from receiving push notifications and SMS sharing from my favorite clothing brand, which alerted me to their latest sales and discounts. This made me more likely to make a purchase, as I was reminded of the brand and the discounts available.
» Automated emails can also help you notify customers about out-of-stock items
Make the Most of Your Discounts With Egnition
Generate personalized discounts on any order.Automatically calculate percentages and fixed-value discounts or free shipping.Free plan available.
Shopify discount codes can help you continue to attract new clients and boost revenue. You can increase brand awareness and consumer loyalty by targeting promotions and tailoring discount code names.
To help you make the most of your discount codes, apps like Egnition's Order to Discount make it easy to manage your customer loyalty programs and maintain client satisfaction using the auto-calculation feature.
» Gain an in-depth understanding of this helpful app in the following Order to Discount review
InventoryExcel Inventory Forecasting: Tips, Tricks, & TechniquesAccurate inventory forecasting can help you reduce inventory waste and prevent obsolete inventory in your Shopify store while promoting financial health by ensuring adequate stock levels are always available.
Inventory forecasting, or e-commerce forecasting, helps e-commerce store owners better manage their inventory by predicting future product demand based on real-time inventory trends and historical metrics, such as past sales data.
To reap the benefits of accurate inventory forecasting, such as supply level optimization and refined pricing and sales strategy, you can try what many brands do and use Microsoft Excel to conduct your inventory forecasts.
However, while Excel can give you useful insights into sales trends and demand changes, it can be difficult to figure out exactly how to forecast inventory in Excel—but we bring you useful techniques and tips to make the process easier.
» Supercharge your Shopify inventory forecasting
3 Techniques for Creating an Inventory Forecast in Excel
Excel is a popular tool for demand forecasting because it's cost-effective and can use conditional formatting. Although it can be error-prone and a bit time-consuming, it can still be an effective inventory forecasting tool that can ultimately help you improve your inventory turnover if you know how to use it properly.
1. Moving Average Technique
The moving average method can help you predict your future inventory demand by looking at the average value of past buyer trends and patterns over a given period. This method "moves" because it takes new data into consideration. For example, if you choose to calculate your average over a 3-month period, this method will use the data from January, February, and March. But next month, the data from February, March, and April will be used instead.
Using an average gives you a baseline and helps combat fluctuations that might give you an incorrect reflection of your inventory demands. You can use this formula to calculate your moving averages:
Moving average = Select the revenue earned from the current month + X number of prior months + apply this formula: =AVERAGE(Data Range)
2. Linear Regression Technique
The linear regression technique predicts demand by comparing two different variables—for example, the number of umbrellas sold vs. rainfall amounts. In this example, if you're forecasting umbrella sales, you'd use the rainfall amount as your independent variable and compare it to the number of umbrellas sold over a certain period to predict future demand more accurately.
To employ linear regression in Excel, follow these steps:
Create three columns and choose one to contain each of the 12 months.Fill the other two columns with data related to the variables you wish to examine (e.g., rainfall in millimeters and the number of umbrellas sold).Select the two columns with data and insert a scatter chart into your spreadsheet.Add a linear trendline to the data points.Your finished graph should resemble this.
3. Exponential Smoothing Technique
Exponential smoothing predicts demand by smoothing out historical data, such as seasonality patterns and confidence intervals. Follow these steps to implement this technique yourself:
Go to the Data menu in Excel.Select Forecast Sheet.Pick a suitable chart (e.g., column or line chart).Select your end forecast date.Click Create to generate a worksheet with a sales forecast.
» For more accurate forecasts, consider your pipeline inventory as well
3 Tips to Optimize Excel Inventory Forecasting
When using Excel for inventory forecasting, the data isn't always perfect, as it can only give you static information. However, you can make the most of Excel's features by optimizing your inventory forecasting using the following tips:
1. Customize Visual Data
Excel offers several customization options that you can use to optimize your inventory forecasting and avoid having to get rid of obsolete inventory. For example, you can customize the visual timeline for specific ranges with color coding and other visual cues that make it easier to understand the data at a glance.
2. Choose a Suitable Forecast Function
While creating inventory forecasts in Excel, you'll be able to use different forecast functions to guide your forecast predictions, such as:
FORECAST: Predicts a future value with linear regression.FORECAST.LINEAR: Has the same purpose as FORECAST, just for newer versions of Excel.FORECAST.ETS: Used for exponential smoothing.FORECAST.ETS.SEASONALITY: Calculates the length of a recurring pattern in a timeline to detect seasonality.FORECAST.ETS. CONFINT: Calculates the confidence interval for a forecasted value.FORECAST.ETS.STAT: Determines a specific value based on exponential smoothing forecasting.
3. Rely on Third-Party Apps and Templates
Finally, you can also leverage Excel's existing functionalities with third-party software and pre-made forecasting templates. You can simplify the whole process by using tools like Asana, Salesforce, and Monday.com or downloading free Excel templates like this one from HubSpot.
» Get helpful demand insights by tracking your inventory in Shopify
Simplify Your Excel Inventory Forecasting
While Excel is a powerful tool for inventory forecasting, it can also be tedious. However, you can streamline the process and create a more accurate inventory forecast using techniques like linear regression, moving averages, and exponential smoothing. Excel's customizable visual data and third-party software or templates can help you further optimize your inventory forecasting.
Understanding how to properly use Excel for inventory forecasting can help you make better decisions about your stock levels and ensure you have the right products at the right time.
All-in-one image masterShopify Variant Image Management: How to Add, Delete, & Hide Your ImagesRunning a Shopify store means you know how important it is to have enough high-quality product images that showcase your merchandise in the best possible light. And if you're offering products with multiple variations (such as different colors or sizes), you'll need variant images to give your customers the full scope.
However, your product variant images need to be properly managed if you're hoping to enhance the customer experience in your store. Knowing how to add, delete, or hide your Shopify variant images can help you create a seamless shopping experience for your customers, increasing the likelihood of them making the purchase and boosting your bottom line.
1. How to Add Variant Images in Shopify
You can easily add multiple images to variants in Shopify by following these steps:
Log in to your Shopify account and navigate to the Products section.Click on the product you want to add variant images to.Scroll down to the Variants section and click on the image icon next to the relevant variant.From the pop-up menu, select the Add image button and upload your images. Note that you can only upload certain file types and image sizes.Select the image that corresponds to the variant and click Done.Click Save to confirm your changes and finish adding your variant images.
Changing Your Variant Images
Once you've added images to new variants, you'll be able to change them again later. Here's how to navigate Shopify to change a variant image:
Log in to your Shopify account and navigate to the product page where the variant image is located.Scroll down to the Variants section and find the variant with the image you want to change. Click on the Edit button next to it.In the Options section of the editing screen, click on the Change button below the image.Click on Add image to upload a new image or select one from the preloaded options to replace the existing variant image.Once you've picked your preferred new image, click Done to confirm your selection.When you're done making changes, click Save to update the product variant with the new image.
2. How to Delete Variant Images in Shopify
Sometimes, you may need to delete variant images in your Shopify store, especially if they're outdated or the product variant is sold out. Here are the steps for removing variant images to keep your product information fresh:
Go to your Shopify admin dashboard and navigate to the Products section.Click on the product that you want to edit.Scroll down to the Variants section and select the variant you want to remove the image from.Click on the ellipsis (three dots) next to the Bulk edit button on the pop-up menu.Select Remove image from the drop-down menu.Click Save to confirm the changes.
3. How to Hide Variant Images in Shopify
Instead of permanently deleting your variant images, there may be cases when you just want to stop displaying them for a while, like when a particular product variant is currently out of stock. That's when hiding variant images in Shopify can come in handy, and this is how to do it:
From your Shopify admin panel, click on Online Store and then Themes.Scroll down and click on the ellipsis (three dots) next to the Customize button for your current theme.From the drop-down menu, select Edit code.In the left sidebar, click on Assets and then Add a new asset.In the Create a blank file section, name the new asset file "custom" and add a "css" extension (e.g., custom.css), then click Done.Open the "custom.css" file and add this code:
.product-single__media-item[data-variant-id="VARIANT_ID"] {
display: none;
}Replace VARIANT_ID with the ID of the variant you want to hide the image for. You can find the variant ID by checking the URL—the ID is the number at the end of it.Save the changes to the "custom.css" file.
Using this code, you'll be able to hide the variant image while keeping the variant itself available on the product page.
» Want to hide the whole product variant instead? Follow these steps
Optimize Your Variant Images
While properly managing your variant images is vital for your store's success, this alone is often not enough—you also need to make sure they're well optimized. By optimizing your images, you can improve page load times and enhance the overall customer experience in your store.
Remove background, resize, and center variant images with ease.Choose between JPG and PNG formats and set your preferred quality.Automatically generate ALT text for variant images.
With a solution like the All-In-One Image Master app by Egnition, you can quickly optimize multiple variant images at once to save time and effort. The app's helpful features let you easily compress and resize images, add watermarks, and even convert file formats to ensure your variant images are optimized for the web. Plus, its user-friendly interface makes it easy to navigate even if you're not a tech wizard.
» Learn everything there is to know about this app in the following All-In-One Image Master review
Manage Your Shopify Variant Images Like a Pro
Including Shopify variant images is incredibly important for enhancing customer satisfaction and helping your products appeal to a wider audience to promote Shopify store growth. However, you need to properly manage your Shopify variant images relying on the steps above to reap their full benefits.
What's more, you should dedicate special attention to optimizing your variant images for the best results, which is where an app like All-In-One Image Master comes in handy. By combining optimization with careful variant image management, you can quickly and easily realize the full potential of having variant images in your store.
» Find out what Shopify does to optimize your images
Product organizationAutomated Inventory Management in ShopifyTracking inventory can be a tedious and time-consuming process for Shopify sellers—even more so when you manage multiple stores. But it remains essential to monitor your stock levels, otherwise, you risk ending up with overstocks or understocks, ultimately causing your sales and customer satisfaction to suffer. This is where automated inventory comes in.
In this post, we'll show you different ways to automate your Shopify inventory management using Shopify and some clever third-party apps.
What Is Shopify Automated Inventory?
Automated inventory helps you maintain accurate stock counts and identify sales trends for strategic planning.
There are several native tools within Shopify for managing inventory:
Shopify admin dashboard: Track, view, and change inventory levels in the "Inventory" section.Inventory reports: Export various reports to perform more in-depth inventory analyses, including month-end and product sell-through rates.Shopify analytics dashboard: View sales information to help you with inventory forecasting.
However, these tools become difficult to utilize as your business scales. Therefore, implementing Shopify inventory apps can help you efficiently manage your stock as your store grows.
Streamline Your Shopify Inventory Management Using Third-Party Apps
Inventory management apps give you detailed store inventory tracking, relevant statistics, automatic product ordering, configurable dashboards, and integrations with other apps. Here are two of the best inventory management apps:
1. Bestsellers reSort
Egnition's Bestsellers reSort app is a comprehensive solution for inventory management and sales optimization.
Automated Inventory Management
The app tracks stock movements and updates inventory levels automatically, saving time and reducing errors. It also lets you set automatic reorder points and receive stock alerts.Sorting by Bestsellers
Using the app's bestsellers filter, you can easily identify your most popular items and put more emphasis on marketing them.Detailed Analytics & Reporting
The app provides you with detailed analytics and reporting tools, allowing you to track sales trends, monitor inventory levels, and make data-driven decisions to optimize your sales and profits.User-Friendly Interface
Bestsellers reSort makes it easy for you to manage your inventory and sales data, even if you have little or no experience with inventory management software.
2. Multi-Store Sync Power
Egnition's Multi-Store Power Sync app is an essential tool for any business owner looking to streamline inventory management across multiple stores.
Multiple-Store Real-Time Inventory Sync
The app ensures that all stores have accurate stock levels by syncing inventory in real time. This reduces the risk of overselling or underselling products allowing you to track inventory levels across multiple stores from a single dashboard.Customizable Inventory Mapping Options
You can map your products across multiple stores based on factors such as SKU or product type. This feature ensures that products are listed in the correct categories and collections across all stores, making it easier for customers to find the products they need.Detailed Analytics & Reporting
The app provides you with detailed analytics and reporting tools, allowing you to track sales trends, monitor inventory levels, and make data-driven decisions to optimize your sales and profits.User-Friendly Interface & Intuitive Design
Multi-Store Sync Power makes it easy for you to manage your inventory and sales data, even if you have little or no experience with inventory management software.
» Need to manage stock across multiple locations? Achieve efficient multi-channel inventory management for Shopify
Importance of Inventory Management
Control your stock levels: Keeping track of your stock levels helps you plan out future orders and avoid running low on supplies before you know it.Save money: If you're ordering products in bulk, you can often get them at a discount, and you may even be able to sell excess inventory for a profit.Stay competitive: When your competitors run out of products, they might not be able to meet customer demand, leaving you to take advantage of their mistakes.
Benefits of Automated Inventory in Shopify
1. Promoting Scalability
An inventory management system that requires little effort is critical for a scalable business. With increased sales, inventory management becomes more vulnerable to errors—including stockouts and unsustainable inventory excess.
Manually getting stock counts from your staff may not seem like an issue now, but if your business grows twice as large, you'll have twice as much work to do. If you're running multiple Shopify stores, automating your inventory will sync products between Shopify stores, ensuring it's updated and current across all of your stores.
2. Minimizing Human Error
Automated inventory management systems minimize human error by eliminating the need for manual inventory data entry. This includes tasks such as receiving, picking, shipping, forecasting, and replenishing products—with this data available in real time.
3. Forecast Demand
You can avoid overstocking low-demand products or understocking high-demand products by forecasting demands and viewing sales trends in real time. Automated inventory apps can notify you of potential problems before they happen, boost inventory turnover rates, and cut down on holding costs.
Is Automating Inventory Management Right for Your Shopify Store?
Automated inventory management is a smart move that can save you time and reduce errors.
Shopify offers built-in inventory tracking features that can help you manage your stock, avoid selling out-of-stock products, and receive notifications when you need to order or produce more. The inventory area of Shopify allows you to view your inventory, adjust your inventory levels, and set up reorder points.
However, using third-party inventory apps can automate the entire process with minimal input, freeing up your time and energy to focus on other important aspects of your business. With the right inventory control app, you can streamline your inventory management and optimize your sales and profits.
Product organizationHow to Build a Fashion Store on Shopify: What Do the Best Stores Have in Common?Online fashion stores are booming. The global fashion e-commerce sector is expected to reach $871.2 billion in 2023 and a further $1, 501.3 billion by 2027. So how do you make your Shopify store stand out and reflect your brand? Below, we explore the common elements all the best online fashion stores have. So, whether you're just setting up your fashion store or want to spruce up your existing store, you can easily implement any of these features.
6 Elements Your Online Fashion Store Should Have
Visually appealing and responsive themeCompelling brand identityHigh-quality product collectionsUser-friendly navigation and search functionalityOptimized checkout processes and payment optionsFocused SEO and marketing strategies
1. Visually Appealing and Responsive Theme
Choose a visually stunning and mobile-friendly theme for your fashion store—remember that more than 70% of your customers shop on their phones. Shopify's theme store offers professionally designed themes that look great on any device. Don't worry about compatibility; these themes seamlessly integrate with the platform, so you can make your store shine!
Some popular fashion themes available on Shopify include:
Vogue: Boasting a wide-screen slideshow, totally adjustable content sections, and a design that looks smashing on any device—this theme is specifically made for fashion stores.District: This theme features customizable content sections, a responsive design, and support for multiple languages.Prestige: This theme features an expansive full-screen slideshow, plenty of customizable content sections, and multilingual support.
Pro tip:Make sure your chosen theme gives you enough customization options so you can tailor your store to clearly reflect your brand identity and look.
» Discover how changing your Shopify store theme affects SEO
2. Compelling Brand Identity
Crafting an iconic brand identity is essential for any fashion store. Start by defining your target audience to build a brand that resonates with them. In your store, make sure you incorporate:
Distinctive yet memorable logosConsistent color schemes and typographyLanguage and tone that solidifies your brand voiceSocial proof and collaboration with influencers
Make sure everything comes together harmoniously to create an unforgettable brand that connects with customers instantly.
Pro tip:Consistency is key across your website, communication channels, product packaging, and marketing materials to create a unified vibe.
3. High-Quality Product Collections
Devise a top-notch, well-curated product collection to make your fashion store stand out. Focus on a specific fashion niche or target market to provide what your customers want and need. Partner with reliable suppliers or consider crafting custom products for that unique edge.
Pro tip:A high-quality product collection isn't just about the products on offer—it's also about how you display them. Excellent photography and captivating descriptions are crucial to showcase your products effectively.
Product images should be:
Well-lit and crispUniform stylesSame size throughout your storeInclude ALT text
» Follow these tips to optimize your Shopify store's online merchandising
Enhance Your Product Images With All-In-One Image Master
Using Egnition's All-In-One Image Master is a great way to give your product photos a more polished, professional look.
Automated image editing: Remove backgrounds, resize and crop images while maintaining aspect ratios, and center product images effortlessly.Image compression and optimization: Choose image quality and format to reduce file size while maintaining the best possible image quality, improving product page loading speed, user experience, and SEO.Consistent style for all products: Set flexible settings once and let them be suggested every time, ensuring a cohesive look and feel for all your product images.Automatic ALT text generation: Create a template for ALT text using the product name, vendor, and additional text. ALT text is generated automatically for every image, improving accessibility and SEO.
By leveraging the All-In-One Image Master app, you can streamline the editing and optimization of your product images, saving time and effort while showcasing your high-quality products effectively.
4. User-Friendly Navigation and Search Functionality
Intuitive navigation and search functionality are essential for a seamless shopping experience. Organize your products into categories and implement filters to help customers find what they're looking for quickly. A prominent search bar and accurate search results enhance navigation.
Pro tip:Explore Shopify's apps and plugins to improve your store's navigation and search functionality.
5. Optimized Checkout Processes and Payment Options
Streamline your checkout process to reduce cart abandonment rates and increase customer satisfaction. By simplifying the checkout steps and minimizing required fields, your customers can complete their purchases faster.
Plus, if you offer multiple payment options, such as credit cards, PayPal, Apple Pay, and Google Pay, you can accommodate your customers' preferences. You don't want to lose 7% of your customers who are right on the verge of converting because they don't have enough choices.
Pro tip:Shopify provides secure payment gateways and built-in payment options for a streamlined checkout process.
6. Focused SEO and Marketing Strategies
Optimizing your fashion store for search engines has a technical and creative side. From a technical perspective, your important keywords should be included in your:
Product descriptionsMeta tagsURLs
This can help your store climb higher on search engine results pages (SERPs) and attract more traffic to your site.
From a creative side, you can:
Create attractive and engaging content like lookbooks or blog postsUse social media and email marketing to reach and inform customersPartner with influencers to boost your credibility and visibility
Building a Thriving Shopify Fashion Store
Now it's your turn to implement these elements in your own fashion store on Shopify. By following these best practices, you can create a store that attracts, engages, and converts your target audience. You can also use Shopify's tools and features to optimize your store's performance and growth. Remember, fashion is about expressing yourself, so show the world your style!