In this article, you can find:
How to switch ON stock sync for WooCommerce?
You can switch ON the stock sync for WooCommerce either during the initial connection or from the reconfiguration flow.
Go to Settings screen > Integrations and find a WooCommerce logo.
If you haven't connected your WooCommerce store to Katana yet, click on Connect and follow the Connecting WooCommerce guide. If your WooCommerce is already connected, the button will display Reconfigure. In both cases, an integration wizard will open.
The third step in the connection/reconfiguration wizard enables you to turn on the stock sync. Tick Yes, automatically synchronize stock levels from Katana to WooCommerce.
Click Ok, connect my store, and your stock sync is now active!
Why should I sync stock levels to WooCommerce?
When connecting WooCommerce to Katana, you can choose whether to start syncing your stock levels from Katana to WooCommerce on a continuous basis.
Syncing stock levels to WooCommerce enables displaying correct inventory levels to your WooCommerce customers.
When you connect Katana to your WooCommerce store, we suggest using Katana as your primary tool for managing stock. Katana becomes your central point of truth for stock management, combining stock on hand with demand from various sales channels.
Stock levels synced from Katana to WooCommerce include comprehensive info of the inventory of your business, taking into account all sales channels and true stock amounts.
You can select whether Sales Orders created directly in Katana affect the stock levels in WooCommerce or not. For example, if you enter large wholesale orders manually to Katana but wish to prevent those from reducing the available stock in WooCommerce, you can opt-out from this option. Read more
Should I switch the continuous stock sync ON or OFF?
We suggest switching the continuous stock sync OFF:
If you have connected Katana to your live WooCommerce store, but are still in the phase of testing Katana functionalities. Otherwise, if you switch the sync ON and change your stock levels in Katana for testing purposes, stock levels synced from Katana to WooCommerce might not reflect the actual status of the stock of your business.
We suggest switching the continuous stock sync ON:
If you have decided to implement Katana for your business and have made sure that your stock levels are correct in Katana.
If you have connected Katana to a WooCommerce test store for testing purposes or if you are just setting up your WooCommerce store. Stock sync enables you to experience the full value of Katana and WooCommerce integration.
If you are looking to switch ON the continuous stock sync after completing the initial connection, you can navigate to Settings screen > Integrations in Katana and select Reconfigure for WooCommerce. Switch ON the continuous stock sync and complete the reconfiguration wizard. Read more
How does the continuous stock sync from Katana to WooCommerce work?
If the stock sync from Katana to WooCommerce is switched ON, Katana will automatically sync stock levels for products to WooCommerce in live (i.e. real-time continuous sync).
1. When is the stock sync triggered?
Stock sync from Katana to WooCommerce for each item is triggered when the In stock or Committed quantity for the product is changed, e.g. a Sales order, Manufacturing order or Purchase order is created or edited for the product, or a Stock adjustment is created or edited.
Please note that stock levels are not synced automatically for your entire portfolio at the initial connection. Your stock levels for products will sync over time as stock changes occur in Katana.
If you wish to get your stock levels from Katana to WooCommerce all at once, you can easily export the Inventory list from Katana to a spreadsheet and import it to WooCommerce. If you have chosen to import your product portfolio from WooCommerce to Katana at initial connection, then your items (incl SKU codes) should match nicely between platforms and the export-import process should go smoothly.
2. Which quantity for a product is synced from Katana to WooCommerce?
The synced quantity for each product is calculated based on Katana data as follows:
Synced quantity = "In stock" quantity - "Committed" quantity
Additional notes on the calculation:
You can select whether Sales Orders created directly in Katana affect the stock levels in WooCommerce or not. For example, if you enter large wholesale orders manually to Katana but wish to prevent those from reducing the available stock in WooCommerce, you can opt-out from this option when setting up the connection. In this case, the "Committed" quantity for those sales orders will not be taken into account in the synced quantity calculation. Read more
If you are using bundles or kits, it is important to note that the "Committed" quantity in the calculation takes into account only those product commitments where the product itself appears directly on the sales order. If you have a sales order or a manufacturing order for a bundle or a kit that includes a certain product in the product recipe (read more about bundles in Katana), then the product commitments to the bundle are not included in the stock sync quantity calculations for the product. In other words, the commitments of the product as a subassembly are not included in the "Committed" quantity for the stock sync calculation purposes. As those commitments are included in the "Committed" quantity in the "Stock" screen in Katana, the "Committed" quantity used in the calculation and the respective quantity in Katana user interface might not match.
3. Why is Katana not syncing the "In stock" quantity but is deducting the "Committed" quantity for syncing purposes?
In WooCommerce, the Stock quantity for a product displays the inventory available for sales. Stock in WooCommerce is decreased when a Sales Order is "Processing", not when the Sales Order is already "Completed".
In Katana, the "In stock" quantity for a product is not decreased immediately when a Sales Order is created, but only after the Sales Order is "Packed" or "Delivered".
Therefore, the Stock quantity in WooCommerce does not match with the "In stock" quantity in Katana. The difference comes from inventory that is committed to open Sales Orders. In Katana, commitments to open Sales Orders are reflected in the "Committed" quantity for a product.
4. For which products is the stock synced?
Stock level is only synced for products that exist in both Katana and WooCommerce. When you create a new product in Katana, then the product with the stock level is not synced to WooCommerce unless you create the same product in WooCommerce manually. New products are not synced from Katana to WooCommerce.
5. How does Katana identify whether the product exists in WooCommerce for stock level sync purposes?
Products are matched firstly by Variant code / SKU and then by WooCommerce ID:
- First, the Variant code of a product variant in Katana is matched to the SKU Code in WooCommerce. If a match is found, then the stock level is synced to the matching product in WooCommerce.
If more than one SKU code match is found in WooCommerce, then the stock level is synced to the product in WooCommerce with the latest created date.
Tip: Keep your Variant Codes / SKU Codes unique in both Katana and WooCommerce to ensure that the stock sync works properly and produces expected results.
- Secondly, if the Variant Code does not match to any SKUs in WooCommerce, then Katana checks for matching WooCommerce IDs. When you import a product from WooCommerce to Katana (either when importing all products during initial connection of the integration or when a new product is synced from WooCommerce to Katana with a Sales order, read more), a WooCommerce ID is attached to the item in Katana (not visible to the user). This ID is then used to match the product between Katana and WooCommerce.
If a matching product is not identified in WooCommerce, then the stock level for the product will not be synced. New products will not be created in WooCommerce when the match is not found.
6. How does the stock sync work when I have connected multiple WooCommerce stores to Katana?
The integration works exactly in the same way for each store. If you have the same product (i.e. same SKU) in multiple WooCommerce stores, Katana will sync the stock for the product to all those stores.