Solution · Automation
Inventory and catalog sync across sales channels
When the same products are sold in a physical shop, on your own website and on a marketplace, stock changes in three places at once. Without synchronisation, one channel sells an item that another sold an hour ago, and someone has to call a customer to apologise. Inventory sync makes one system the source of truth and keeps every channel up to date automatically.
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In short
In short
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One system is the master for stock and prices — usually the warehouse or accounting system, such as 1C.
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Every sale, return and delivery updates the master, and the master updates every channel.
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Sync frequency matches how fast stock moves; for fast-selling items, minutes matter.
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A safety buffer on marketplaces reduces the risk of overselling while updates propagate.
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Errors in sync are detected and alerted, because a silent failure means selling stock you do not have.
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Scope
What is synchronised
- Stock levels, by warehouse or store where needed.
- Prices, including channel-specific prices and promotions.
- Product data: names, descriptions, attributes, images, categories.
- Orders from each channel into the master system, with reservation of stock.
- Statuses from the master back to channels: confirmed, shipped, cancelled.
How the flow is designed
The master system
We agree where stock truly lives. For most retailers in Azerbaijan, that is 1C or another accounting or warehouse system. If there is no such system, a simple inventory service can be built as the central point. See 1C integration.
Events and schedules
When an order is placed on any channel, stock is reserved in the master immediately. Stock levels are pushed to channels on each change where their APIs allow it, or on a short schedule where they do not. Product data changes less often and can sync less frequently.
Buffers and rules
For channels with slower updates or high order volumes, we can show slightly less stock than is available, or stop selling an item on a marketplace when it reaches a threshold. The rules are agreed with you per channel and product group.
Conflict handling
What happens if two channels sell the last item at the same moment? The master system decides, the second order is flagged, and the team is notified to contact the customer quickly. Such cases should be rare; if they are frequent, the sync is too slow.
Marketplaces
Birmarket (formerly Umico) and other marketplaces operating in Azerbaijan offer different seller tools; some provide APIs for stock and orders, others rely on file uploads or their own seller dashboard. We check what each channel supports before designing the sync. The broader choice between selling on marketplaces and on your own store is covered in own online store vs marketplace.
Monitoring
- Each sync run is logged.
- Alerts fire if a sync fails, takes too long, or produces suspicious changes — for example, the entire catalog dropping to zero.
- A simple report compares stock across channels and highlights differences.
What we need from you
- The list of channels and how orders from each are handled today.
- Access to the master system (1C or other) and to channel accounts and APIs.
- Rules for reservations, buffers and channel-specific prices.
- A person responsible for stock who receives alerts.
More detail on the planning side is in multichannel inventory sync.
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FAQ
Frequently asked questions
Can a physical store and an online store share stock in real time?
Yes, if sales in the physical store are recorded in the same system — for example through a point-of-sale system connected to 1C. Then online stock updates as soon as a sale is registered.
What if a marketplace does not have an API?
Stock can often be updated through scheduled file uploads. It is slower, so larger buffers are used for that channel.
How do we start if our stock data is not accurate?
With a stocktake and a process that keeps the master system correct. Synchronising inaccurate data only spreads the inaccuracy to more channels.