External Stocktake Import & Export

{plan}
Basic:true
Standard:true
Premium:true
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Contracted an external stocktaker to come and count your inventory? Learn all about the stocktake import and export flow and how to get your inventory correct in Shopfront.

{note}Looking at doing a stocktake yourself? Check out our Introduction to Stocktaking article for your options.{/note}

{note}Be careful about stocktaking basket products that track inventory! Please have a look at the article on Basket Products for more information on the effect of tracking inventory for basket products and how it affects the products inside them.{/note}

Exporting Your Product File

The first step when using an external stocktaker is to provide them with a list of your products, in Shopfront we've got a standardised format that stocktakers can use.

1. Head to the External Stocktakes page (Menu > Stock Management > More > External Stocktake) then press the Export Stocktake File button.
2. Select whether or not you'd like to export products that don't contain barcodes. If you do export them, you'll need a way to manually import them back into the system (e.g., some stocktakes provide a custom number to unmatched products you can use in place of a barcode).
3. Finally, press Export.

{note}If you're a multi-Outlet store, make sure you're in the correct location before exporting.{/note}

The CSV file that is downloaded can then be provided to your stocktaker for them to use. It contains the following columns:

Importing the Stocktake File

After the stocktaker has completed counting your products, they can provide you with a CSV file that can be imported back into Shopfront.

Stocktake File Format

The file should contain the following columns:

The bottom of this article (under Attachments) contains an example file with one product.

The following information should be noted about the file:

• Column order does not matter
• Column headers are required
• Column headers are case-sensitive
• If provided, cost must be greater than zero
• Cost can contain currency symbols (e.g. $ and €)
• Quantity can be set to zero

{note}Be careful if you open or save the file using Excel. Unfortunately, Excel attempts to pass barcodes as numbers, and because they're long, they'll be converted to scientific notation.{/note}

Uploading into Shopfront

Once you've received the file from the stocktaker, you then need to upload it into Shopfront, this can be done by:

1. Navigating to the External Stocktake page (Menu > Stock Management > More > External Stocktake)
2. Pressing the Import Stocktaker File button
3. Selecting the file
4. Selecting whether to zero all stock not counted
   • If this toggle is disabled, any products that exist in your file but don't exist in the stocktaker file will not be touched
5. Selecting whether this file will add to the existing stock or override the stock

{note}If you're a multi-Outlet store, you can select which location to import the file into.{/note}

Once you're all ready to start processing it, press the Import button. Shopfront will begin to process this in the background and may take a few minutes, you'll receive a notification once it's done.

Processing in Shopfront

After you've uploaded the file and you've received the notification that it's ready to go, you can now process the stock in your store.

You'll need to view the external stocktake, this can be done by either opening the notification you've received or by pressing the View button on the External Stocktake page (Menu > Stock Management > More > External Stocktake).

Processing an External Stocktake involves two parts:

1. Product Matching
2. Discrepancy Checking & Applying Inventory

Product Matching

Product matching needs to be completed first. Shopfront attempts to match the file back to your products by matching the barcode, but sometimes a stocktaker will provide a barcode you don't have in your file, or you might have a duplicate barcode, and you'll need to select which one to use.

Any product that doesn't match your system will be highlighted in green. You can elect to associate the unmatched barcode with an existing product or you can create a new product.

{note}If you complete the stocktake without associating or creating all the products on the stocktake, they'll be automatically created in your file.{/note}

Once you're happy with how the file looks, you can then press the Complete button which finishes this step and move onto the next step which allows you to adjust the stock in Shopfront.

Discrepancy Checking & Applying Inventory

After you've completed the Product matching step, you'll now be able to check any discrepancies and apply the stocktake to your product file. 

Once you're on the apply screen for the external stocktake, you can elect to either review or apply the stocktake.

Pressing the Apply Stocktake button will cause Shopfront to start applying the stock in the background (this may take a few minutes), alternatively you can press the Review button to check for any discrepancies before applying it (but don't forget to apply it once you're done!).