Manage stock quantities and product variations
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Monday 30 May 2011
Handmade goods are just that, handmade, so when selling online you need to be sure you don't sell anything that is out of stock; otherwise you could find yourself having to refund a customers payment, or perhaps just working that little bit faster! Don't worry, Markets Central has the perfect easy to use solution for managing your stock and here we take a closer look at how it works!
Products come in many different shapes, sizes and indeed colours. However you probably don't want to upload a new product for each variation, it's much quicker, and easier for the consumer, to have one product page and display the variations with a drop down menu. As shown here:
So how do you create variations?
Once you have uploaded a product you will notice the 'Add Variations' button next to the product in your 'My Products' page.
Simply click on the button to add your variations. Variations are all of the combinations of your products. You can see an example of variations for our 'Demo Apple' product here:
And what about stock availability?
So now you have your variations you can quickly say how many of each variations you have in stock. Once an item is sold, Markets Central automatically adjusts the quantity so you don't have to worry. As soon as the last item is sold it will no longer display in the drop down menus. To order the product, the customer will now have to contact you directly or become your fan to stay updated on new releases!
If you sell an item at the markets you should jump on the website to adjust the variations, either when you get home, or even better log on via your phone and adjust them on the spot!
If you have unlimited stock and are not concerned by managing quantities, don't worry you don't have to. Just ignore the variations button and your products will always be available!
