Accurate inventory is a business essential, not just a best practice. Staff trust the numbers on screen, discrepancies surface before they compound, and the business runs on data that reflects what is on the shelf. The locations that maintain that level of accuracy tend to share one thing: a consistent count process, done on a schedule, with the discipline to reconcile what the count reveals.
If you’ve been using Stocky for inventory counts, it’s time to transition. Stocky was removed from the Shopify App Store on February 2, 2026, and will stop working entirely on August 31, 2026. The good news is that Shopify POS already has tools that handle the core counting workflow. Quick Count, a POS Pro extension, lets you scan and count your products in-store, and the Shopify admin handles reconciliation. Quick Count comes included with your POS Pro subscription and is accessible directly from within the POS app. You activate it in the admin under Point of Sale > Settings > POS apps.
This guide walks through the full inventory count process using Shopify POS and the Shopify admin, from preparation through reconciliation. Whether you’re doing your first count after Stocky or setting up a regular counting cadence, this is the process.
Shopify offers two main ways to count inventory. Choose based on your setup, or combine both.
Best for staff counting in-store with a POS device. Scan or search product variants on your POS device, confirm or adjust your current quantities, and submit the session to sync inventory updates to the Shopify admin. Each session handles up to 1,000 variants (1 or more variants per product), so for larger catalogs, you can either work across multiple sessions by submitting one session, then starting another to continue, or use additional devices in parallel.
Best for a headquarters team adjusting counts across locations. Edit inventory quantities directly in Shopify admin under Products > Inventory. Use CSV export and import for large updates.
You can combine both approaches. Staff count in-store with Quick Count, and headquarters reconciles in the Shopify admin.
Inventory counts are most accurate when customers aren’t moving products around. Here are your options, from most practical to most disruptive.
For larger teams, consider making count day an after-hours event. Bring food, assign zones, and work through it together. A focused group count is faster and more accurate than counting between serving customers.
Here’s a rough guide for scheduling. Your timing will vary based on product complexity, staff familiarity, and counting method:
Before count day, make sure the Shopify admin inventory numbers are current. Complete all pending orders and transfers at this location. Process any received shipments. Sync all POS devices so they’re online and up to date. Spot-check a few products to verify that inventory numbers in POS match the admin.
Charge all POS devices and barcode scanners. Scanning is significantly faster than manual search. If you don’t have a barcode scanner, consider getting one before your next count. If you’ve set up bin locations in the Shopify admin, those map directly to your counting zones. Export your inventory from Products > Inventory and use the Bin name column to sort and print zone assignment sheets. If you haven’t set up bin locations, assign zones informally by physical area (aisles, sections, rooms) and note which products are in each. Optionally, print backup count sheets in case of device issues.
Review your product catalog for items with missing or damaged barcodes and tag them for manual lookup during the count.
If you’re closing the store, lock the doors and put up signage. If counting during business hours, brief sales staff that inventory numbers might fluctuate during the count.
Open Shopify POS on each counting device and navigate to Quick Count (accessible from within POS, no separate app needed). Confirm each device is connected to WiFi. Assign each staff member to their zone with their device.
Start a new Quick Count session on each device. For each product in your zone, scan the barcode (fastest) or search by product name or variant, then enter the actual on-hand quantity.
After scanning 1,000 variants, submit the session. Changes sync to the Shopify admin when you submit. Start a new session and continue with the next batch. If a product won’t scan, search for it manually. If a product isn’t found in POS at all, note it on paper for follow-up (it might not be assigned to this location).
When your zone is complete, submit the final session and confirm with the count coordinator.
Use multiple POS devices counting simultaneously. All sync to the same Shopify admin. Assign zones by physical area, not alphabetically, so staff move through the space once rather than doubling back.
In the Shopify admin, go to Products > Inventory and review the adjustment history for this location. Filter for the count date to see all changes. Identify significant discrepancies where the count differs from the expected quantity by more than a few units.
For large discrepancies (more than 5% variance on a product), recount that product physically. Check if the discrepancies match known issues: theft, damage, receiving errors, transfer mistakes, or sales that occurred during the count. Document the cause of each significant discrepancy for your records.
In the Shopify admin, go to Analytics > Reports and select the Inventory adjustment changes report to review what changed. Filter by date and location to see exactly which products were adjusted and by how much.
For larger catalogs, export the report to CSV so you can sort and filter. Start by looking at items with discrepancies above a threshold that matters for your business. You can also build custom inventory adjustment reports to track patterns over time. If you recounted any items, update the quantities in the admin. Resume normal sales operations and notify staff that the count is complete and inventory numbers are current.
Schedule your next count cycle. Quarterly is recommended for most retailers. Monthly is better for high-shrink categories (small, high-value items that are more prone to loss or theft).
If you operate multiple locations, coordinate counts to get an accurate picture across your business.
Decide whether to count all locations on the same day or stagger across the week. Staggering is easier on your team but means total inventory numbers are only accurate after all locations complete. If you use inter-location transfers, pause them during the count window to avoid double-counting.
Use the same Quick Count process at each location. Each location counts independently, and counts sync to the Shopify admin under their location.
In the Shopify admin, compare expected versus actual inventory by location. Investigate any locations with significantly higher shrink than others. Check for items that show a positive discrepancy at one location and negative at another, which may indicate an unrecorded transfer. Document findings and adjust processes to reduce future discrepancies.
For an overview of the migration timeline and what’s changing, see Migrating from Stocky to Shopify inventory management in the Help Center. This guide focuses on the physical counting workflow.
If you’re moving from Stocky, here’s how the tools map:
Quarterly is a good starting point for most retailers. High-shrink categories (small, high-value items) benefit from monthly counts. Some retailers count a different zone each week on a rotating basis rather than doing a full-store count all at once.
Yes. Multiple POS devices can run Quick Count sessions simultaneously, and they all sync to the same admin inventory. This is how larger stores handle counts efficiently: Assign zones to different staff, each with their own device.
Sales adjust inventory in real time, which is expected. When you submit a count, Quick Count adjusts inventory to match what you counted. If a sale occurred between your count and submission, you may want to recount that item or make a manual adjustment in the Shopify admin. To minimize complexity, count during closed hours or low-traffic periods.
Each Quick Count session supports up to 1,000 variants. The app displays a banner when you reach the limit. Submit the session (changes sync to the Shopify admin when you submit) and start a new one to continue. There’s no limit on the number of sessions, so a store with 5,000 variants would run five sessions. For step-by-step details, see changing inventory quantities on POS.
Inventory demand forecasting is an art, not a science. While Stocky historically provided a lightweight solution to forecasting inventory demand and simplified replenishment, Shopify’s App Store offers a range of inventory planning solutions providing greater flexibility and configurability for inventory demand optimization.
Yes. Quick Count scans any barcode format that’s stored in your product records (UPC, EAN, variant, or custom barcode). If the barcode in your system matches what’s on the product, it’ll scan correctly.
