Retail POS as the system of record

Once your Retail POS and Shopify accounts are connected, Retail POS should be treated as the system of record for both platforms. Editing products in Shopify can cause inventory mismatches and stop product updates.

Retail POS overrides any changes made to product URLs in Shopify.

Finding products with the online status filter

If you need to find products that are published or unpublished to Shopify, you can use the Online status filter to streamline navigation.

1. Navigate to Catalog > Products.
2. From the Online Status drop-down menu, choose either Published or Not Published.
3. Choose Shopify, from the Online Status drop-down menu.

   

4. Click Search to apply the filter.

   

Editing synced products

Once you link your products in both Shopify and Retail POS, most product information automatically syncs when edits are made. However, some information doesn't synchronize with Retail POS. This information can be safely edited in Shopify:

• Images and image alt text
• Supply price
• UPC/barcode
• Collections
• Shipping weight
• Compare at price

Updates may take a while to process. If the update doesn’t publish, follow our troubleshooting steps for product synching.

All other fields, including adding a new variant to a product, should be edited in Retail POS. When you edit a product in Retail POS, Shopify automatically updates when you save.

If you need to update a large volume of products, you can update them via CSV import.

Using the Sell Online tab to edit products

You can also edit products in the Sell Online tab. The Sell Online tab is available to retailers integrated only with Shopify. This tab simplifies the product information fields to those needed for Shopify, letting you sell your online products faster.

1. Navigate to Catalog > Products and locate the product you wish to edit.
2. Click the edit pencil to the right of the product, which will take you to the Edit Product page.

   

3. Click the Sell Online tab.

   

4. Add or edit your product information.
5. To publish the product to Shopify when saved, select the Publish this product to my online store checkbox.

   

6. Click Save to apply your changes.

Disabling products synced to Shopify

Disabling products is useful for seasonal items, or items that you aren't selling now, but may sell again. Disabling a product only removes it from sale in store and online. Updates made to linked products in Retail POS will still be reflected in Shopify.

1. Navigate to Catalog > Products.
2. Locate the product you wish to hide, using the filters if required, click the product to expand and select Edit.

   

3. Uncheck the Sell on point-of-sale box to make the product inactive.

   

4. Click Save to finish.

To re-enable the product, follow the same steps above but this time select the Sell on point-of-sale checkbox.

If any changes are made to the unpublished product in Retail POS, the product sync will make the product visible again in Shopify.

Deleting products linked with Shopify

You can unpublish products to break the link with Shopify but retain the sales history, or you can permanently delete products and their history from both Retail POS and Shopify.

Unpublishing products is useful in cases where you don't have in inventory and won't reorder, but you want to keep the sales history. To unpublish products:

1. Navigate to Catalog > Products and locate the product you wish to edit.
2. Select the checkbox next to the products you'd like to unpublish.

   

3. Click Choose an action > Unpublish from Shopify.

   

4. This will break the link with Shopify. The item will still appear on your Shopify store at this stage.
5. Next, delete the item from your Shopify store.

Deleting a product in Retail POS that is published to Shopify will delete the product on Shopify, too. To permanently delete products:

1. Navigate to Catalog > Products.
2. Find the product. You can use search or filtering if necessary.
3. Click on the product to expand the product view.
4. Click Delete.

   

5. Click Delete product.

   

It isn't possible to sell products only on Shopify. If a Shopify order includes a product not included in your Retail POS catalog, the product will be created automatically.

Troubleshooting inventory matching issues

Before troubleshooting, take a moment to make sure the issue isn’t Shopify’s normal rate limits, and that all inventory movements have been replicated between both platforms.

Syncing delays

Sync time is affected by the volume of changes and Shopify’s rate limit. It may take up to two hours to complete. Full inventory counts, large stock orders, or bulk edits may impact sync time.

Comparing product inventory movements

Compare product inventory movements to identify the possible cause of a desync. For example, you may have returned an order on Shopify, but didn't replicate that movement in Retail POS.

Use Retail POS's inventory movements view and Shopify's inventory history to check all movements of a particular product. Check each movement one at a time for any discrepancies.

Desyncs caused by editing products in Shopify

Inventory may not match if a product has been edited in Shopify.

Following the steps below will delete variant images and may impact SEO.

1. Compare the products between Retail POS and Shopify. Additional changes to a product on Shopify can mean that edits were made on Shopify.
2. If you find changes, navigate to Catalog > Products and locate the product.
3. Then, create a backup of your product. You can find a single product to export by filtering the product's name under Search for products.
4. Select the checkbox next to the products you'd like to unpublish.
5. Click Choose an action > Unpublish from Shopify.
6. Delete the product from Shopify.
7. From the Products page in Retail POS, select the product checkbox.

   

8. Click Choose an action > Publish to Shopify. This will restore the connection.

The sync can also be broken if a published product was deleted in Retail POS and recreated in Shopify.

What’s next?