Amazon Journey

Shopify Inventory Management Tips in Google Sheets

Last updated -

May 28, 2026

Article Summary

✅ Shopify Inventory Management in Google Sheets for stock counts, variants, days of supply, supplier lead time, and purchase-order timing.

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✅ Variant-level inventory is where the clean number can fool you. One product can look fine while the size or color people actually buy is running out.

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✅ Google Sheets helps when you need Shopify inventory data beside sales pace, manual stock notes, and reorder thresholds before placing the next purchase order.

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Is Your Shopify Inventory Management Up to the Task?

Shopify can show the unit count at each location.

But, it still does not tell me whether to place the next inventory order.

If I have 47 units of a SKU, that number means nothing by itself. I need to know how fast those units are selling, how long the supplier needs, whether more units are already on the way, and whether the current season changes the timeline.

Shopify gives me the count.

The buying decision needs the count plus the clock.

Why the Formula Is Simple and Still Easy to Get Wrong

The first check is basic:

available units ÷ recent daily sales = days of supply

If a SKU has 300 units and sells 30 units a day, you have about 10 days left. If the supplier needs 45 days after production, freight, customs, and receiving, you are already late.

That formula is easy.

The inputs are where things get messy.

Lead time changes. A supplier running normally might ship in a predictable window, then stretch when demand spikes or holidays hit. Chinese New Year is the obvious example. You need to buy before the cutoff, but there is another problem too. Factories can rush before shutdown, and rushed production is where quality can slip.

So the threshold is not fixed all year.

The same SKU may need one buffer during a slow season and a wider one before a supplier holiday. If that buffer only lives in your head, it gets missed when the business gets busy.

What Shopify Inventory Data Gives You

Shopify's InventoryLevel object tracks inventory quantities for an inventory item at a specific location, including states like available, on-hand, incoming, and committed. Shopify also shows that an inventory level connects one inventory item to one location.

That is the raw count structure I want in a sheet.

| Column | What it holds | How I would use it | |---|---|---| | sku | Variant-level SKU | Join to sales velocity and COGS | | variant_title | Size, color, or option | Avoid hiding the variant that is running low | | location_name | Where Shopify says the stock sits | Check the location before buying | | available | Units available to sell | Main count for days-of-supply math | | on_hand | Total physical units at the location | Useful, but can include committed units | | committed | Units tied to orders | Explains why on-hand and available differ | | incoming | Units already on the way | Helps avoid buying twice | | updated_at | Last update time | Checks whether the count is fresh |

Use available for the main buying check, not only on_hand. On-hand can make the position look safer if some units are already committed to orders.

Variants Are Where Product Totals Lie

One product with three sizes is not one inventory decision.

A parent product can look healthy while the best-selling size is nearly gone. The slow size sits there and makes the product total look safe.

Shopify's ProductVariant object is built for specific versions of a product, such as size or color, and Shopify says variants can track inventory, assign SKUs, and connect to fulfillment services.

That is the level I want in Google Sheets before buying.

If you roll variants together too early, the spreadsheet can hide the exact SKU you should have ordered. If your SKU structure is already messy, fix Shopify SKU management before building purchase-order rules.

The Count Can Drift After Cancellations

One sneaky Shopify inventory management issue is a canceled order that does not return stock the way you expected.

A customer cancels. The unit should become available again. If a sync issue or workflow gap keeps that unit tied up, the count can look lower than reality.

One missed unit is not a crisis.

A pattern of missed reversals can make you buy too early or too much.

I would not treat a spreadsheet as a replacement for physical counts or system checks. If a SKU keeps showing lower than the real count, look at cancellations, adjustments, and whatever system is touching the inventory feed.

The stock number may look official. Still check it when the pattern feels off.

Stock Outside Shopify Belongs in the Same Workbook

Some inventory sits where software cannot see it cleanly.

A local warehouse. A small storage unit. A prep center. Pallets at a freight forwarder. Overflow stock that never made it into Shopify, ShipStation, NetSuite, or the 3PL portal.

Mentioning this once is enough because the fix is simple: keep a small manual stock table in the same workbook.

Do not leave it in someone's head.

If your days-of-supply formula only uses the Shopify count, it may overstate urgency when extra stock exists outside the connected system.

The Sheet Should Answer the Buying Question

I do not want this sheet to become a warehouse system.

I want it to answer one question:

Do I need to place an inventory order before this SKU runs out?

That usually means combining:

| Input | Where it comes from | |---|---| | Available inventory | Shopify inventory data | | Incoming inventory | Shopify or purchase-order data | | Sales pace | [Shopify sales report](/blog/shopify-sales-report) or sales tracker data | | Lead time | Supplier and freight history | | Seasonal buffer | Your selling pattern and supplier calendar | | Manual stock | Local or offline inventory notes | | SKU margin check | [Shopify COGS tracking](/blog/shopify-cogs), if cash is tight |

If the data layer is still manual, start with Shopify to Google Sheets. If you also sell through Amazon, use Shopify Amazon integration so Shopify inventory does not sit in a separate universe.

Does Gorilla ROI Fit In?

Gorilla ROI helps when Shopify inventory data needs to land in Google Sheets so you can add the buying logic around it.

It does not replace Shopify, NetSuite, ShipStation, a 3PL portal, or a warehouse count. Those systems still move inventory.

The useful job is narrower.

Pull Shopify inventory into Sheets. Keep SKU and variant detail intact. Add sales pace, lead time, supplier cutoff dates, and any manual stock notes. Then run the numbers before placing the next purchase order.

When a Sheet Is the Wrong Tool

If ShipStation, NetSuite, or your 3PL already handles every location cleanly and gives you reliable purchase-order logic, do not rebuild that in a spreadsheet.

A sheet helps when you need judgment layered on top of the count: seasonal lead time, Chinese New Year timing, variant-level risk, local stock, supplier notes, or a quick sanity check before you buy.

If the decision is obvious from Shopify, keep it simple.

If the purchase order is expensive when you get it wrong, put the buying math in one place.

Shopify Inventory Checklist for Google Sheets

Before placing the next inventory order, check:

Available units by SKU and variant
Committed units
Incoming units
Recent sales pace
Lead time for the current season
Supplier holiday cutoff dates
Manual stock outside connected systems
Cancellation or sync issues
Whether the best-selling variant is lower than the parent product suggests
Whether product cost changes the priority

Do not buy from the stock count alone.

Buy from the stock count plus the time it takes to replace it.

Common Questions to Consider

What Shopify inventory management data should I pull into Google Sheets?

‍Start with SKU, variant title, location, available units, on-hand units, committed units, incoming units, and updated time when available. Shopify's InventoryLevel object tracks quantities at specific locations and includes multiple quantity states.

What is the difference between available and on-hand inventory?

‍Available inventory is the count I would use for the main buying check because it reflects units available to sell. On-hand inventory is useful too, but it can include units already committed to orders, so it can make the position look safer than it is.

Does Shopify track inventory at the variant level?

‍Yes. Shopify variants represent specific versions of a product, such as size or color, and Shopify's ProductVariant object supports inventory tracking and SKU assignment.

Should I use units left or days of supply?

‍Use days of supply when you can. Units left can fool you because 300 units may be safe for a slow SKU and dangerous for a fast SKU.

Can Gorilla ROI pull Shopify inventory into Google Sheets?

‍Yes. Gorilla ROI can pull Shopify inventory data into Google Sheets so you can work with SKU, variant, location, and sales data in one workbook. Your purchase-order thresholds still need to match your supplier lead times and business rules.

Is this Shopify inventory operations?

‍No. This article is about inventory data in Google Sheets. Receiving, picking, packing, warehouse workflows, and 3PL operations are separate jobs.