A handy feature for source stores, to protect against oversell.
Note: Synced Stock Buffer is a Shopify only feature for now. The buffer does not apply to products synced to other platforms such as: WooCommerce.
What does the Synced Stock Buffer do?
The synced stock buffer allows you to hold any number of stock as a reserve as protection against oversell. Without the buffer activated, Syncio will sync all available stock according to your inventory location settings:
Here's what happens when you set the buffer:
Notice how Syncio sets aside 5 quantity of the blue shirts in reserve? The effect is:
All 40 shirt are still available on the source store.
But any connected destination store will only have 35 available to sell.
5 qty is kept as a reserve at all times.
Why should I use this feature?
Syncio processes orders in real-time as soon as they are created. However there may be situations where keeping some stock as a reserve can be useful.
Protect against a stock miscount in the real-world.
Example: a product is stored in the wrong location at the warehouse, and therefore not available.
Protect against heavy sales or network traffic.
You may have noticed or heard of situations on your store where things may be a bit slower than usual.
During a sale period: lots of customers are shopping.
When you are doing a bulk update of products or settings:
Example: uploading a CSV file or using a third party app to make hundreds/ thousands of changes.
Heavy activity such as the above may affect syncing speed which results in a delay of the sync. Potentially leading to an oversell situation.
Protect against network outages.
Although very rare, software and apps may experience connection issues.
For example, there might be an issue with your payment processor delaying payments.
How do I use the Synced Stock Buffer
Requirements
You need to have a source store Syncio account
Log into your Syncio source store account.
Select: Product Settings and then click on the Variant tab:
Click the toggle for the Synced Stock Buffer to ON:
Enter a stock buffer you wish to apply to every synced variant. For example: 2
If you are happy with this setting. Click the Save Changes button in the top right:
Syncio will then schedule a bulk update across all synced products within 24 hours.
You can change or update your Synced Buffer settings anytime before this time elapses.
If you make any changes, Syncio will use your latest settings.
Example: If you change the buffer from 2 to 5. Syncio will apply 5 as the stock buffer
You can also use this period to turn off the synced stock buffer too:
Just ensure to save your changes before leaving the app/ screen: