Inventory Management

Multi-Channel Inventory Sync

One inventory pool. Multiple sales channels. Real-time sync that prevents overselling without holding back stock you could sell.

See How It Works
"
When we first started, we had two virtual warehouse locations at a 3PL and two or three sales channels connected. Now we have 25 sales channels and 15 or 20 warehouses in Fulfil and it all works.
NTWRK
Joseph Vitello
Director, Business Systems, Complex

The Multi-Channel Inventory Problem

Overselling

Sell the last unit on Amazon and Shopify at the same time. Now you're canceling orders and damaging seller ratings.

Over-Buffering

Fear of overselling leads to excessive safety stock per channel. You're showing "out of stock" while units sit unsold.

Sync Lag

Inventory apps sync every 15-30 minutes. During a flash sale, that's enough time to oversell dozens of units.

How Multi-Channel Sync Works in Fulfil

One inventory pool with channel-specific rules. Changes propagate immediately—not on a sync schedule.

Real-Time Architecture

Event-Driven Updates

When inventory changes—sale, return, receiving—channels update immediately. No polling, no scheduled syncs.

Single Source of Truth

All channels read from the same inventory pool. No separate counts to reconcile. What Fulfil shows is what's available.

Channel-Specific Rules

Show different available quantities per channel. Reserve stock for wholesale. Apply safety buffers to marketplaces.

Sync Example

Actual Inventory
500 units
Shopify
480 shown
20-unit buffer
Amazon
450 shown
50-unit buffer
Wholesale Portal
300 shown
200 reserved for DTC
Retail Stores
100 allocated
Per-store allocation

Same 500 units, different visibility rules per channel

Supported Channels

Shopify

Real-time sync with Shopify and Shopify Plus. Multi-location support included.

Amazon

FBA and FBM inventory sync. Automatic quantity updates as orders come in.

Wholesale

B2B portal with separate availability. Reserve stock for key accounts.

Retail POS

Sync with retail stores. Per-location inventory tracking and allocation.

Common Multi-Channel Strategies

Safety Buffer by Channel Risk

Higher buffers on channels with slower sync or higher oversell penalty. Amazon gets more buffer than your own website because cancellations hurt your seller score.

Shopify: 5% buffer Amazon: 10% buffer Walmart: 15% buffer

Channel Priority During Low Stock

When inventory drops below threshold, reduce availability on lower-margin channels first. Keep your highest-margin channel fully stocked.

DTC: Full availability Marketplaces: Reduced

Reserved Stock for Wholesale

Hold back inventory for B2B orders that might come in. Don't sell your last 500 units on Amazon when a wholesale PO could arrive.

500 units reserved for wholesale

Common Questions

Can I show different quantities on different channels?
Yes. Each channel can have its own quantity rules: safety buffers (show 90% of actual), warehouse mappings (only show East Coast warehouse on Amazon), or hard reserves (hold 100 units for wholesale). Your actual inventory stays accurate—only the published quantity changes.
What happens during a flash sale?
Fulfil processes orders and updates inventory in real-time. For extremely high-volume sales (hundreds of orders per minute), you can temporarily increase safety buffers or disable sync to specific channels. Some brands also use pre-sale stock reservations to guarantee availability.

Related Features

Inventory Visibility

Real-time visibility into available, committed, and incoming inventory.

Stock Reservations

Reserve inventory for specific channels, customers, or promotions.

Inventory Management

Complete inventory control with real-time tracking.

Ready to sync inventory across channels?

See how Fulfil handles multi-channel inventory without overselling.

Request a Demo