How to set up Location Groups for shared warehouse inventory

Location Groups keep inventory in sync across stores that share the same physical warehouse. This guide walks you through setup, configuration, and common troubleshooting steps.

Before You Start

Make sure you have:

• At least two stores connected to SyncTec
• Admin access to all stores you want to link
• A clear understanding of which stores share physical warehouse locations

Step 1: Create a Location Group

1. Go to your SyncTec dashboard

2. Click 'Location Groups' in the left sidebar

3. Click 'Create Location Group'

4. Give it a descriptive name (e.g., 'Dubai Warehouse', 'Chicago Fulfillment')

The name should reflect the physical location, not the stores. This makes it easier to manage as you add more stores later.

Step 2: Add Stores to the Group

1. Click 'Add Store' in your new Location Group

2. Select a store from the dropdown

3. Choose which Shopify location in that store corresponds to this warehouse

4. Repeat for each store that shares this warehouse

### Important: Location Mapping

Each Shopify store can have multiple locations (warehouse, retail shop, pop-up, etc.). You need to tell SyncTec which specific location in each store corresponds to this shared warehouse.

For example:

• Store A might call it 'Main Warehouse'
• Store B might call it 'Dubai Fulfillment Center'
• Store C might call it 'Primary Location'

Even though these are all the same physical warehouse, Shopify sees them as separate locations. Location Groups map them together.

Step 3: Enable Sync

Once you've added all stores and mapped their locations, toggle 'Enable Sync' at the top of the Location Group.

SyncTec will immediately start monitoring inventory changes. From this point forward, when inventory changes in any linked store, the change propagates to all other stores in the group.

Step 4: Verify It's Working

Test the sync before relying on it:

1. Pick a product that exists in all stores

2. Check its inventory count in each store

3. Manually adjust the inventory in one store (e.g., add +5 units)

4. Wait 10-15 seconds

5. Refresh the other stores and confirm the count updated

If it worked, you're done. If not, check the troubleshooting section below.

Common Issues

### Inventory isn't syncing

• Check location mapping: Make sure you selected the correct Shopify location for each store
• Verify products exist: The product must exist in all stores. SyncTec won't create products, only sync inventory
• Check SKUs match: Products are matched by SKU. If SKUs don't match across stores, they won't sync

### Inventory is syncing to the wrong products

This usually means SKUs don't match correctly. Check that:

• Product SKUs are identical across all stores (case-sensitive)
• Variants use the same SKU structure
• There are no duplicate SKUs within a single store

### Sync is delayed

Location Groups sync in real-time, but there are a few reasons for delays:

• Shopify API rate limits: If you're making lots of inventory changes at once, Shopify may throttle requests
• Large inventory adjustments: Syncing 1000+ products at once takes longer
• Network issues: Rare, but possible if Shopify or SyncTec is experiencing downtime

Advanced: Multiple Warehouses

Some merchants have multiple warehouses. For example:

• US Warehouse (serves US and Canada stores)
• EU Warehouse (serves UK, Germany, France stores)

Create a separate Location Group for each physical warehouse:

1. Create 'US Warehouse' Location Group → add US and Canada stores

2. Create 'EU Warehouse' Location Group → add UK, Germany, France stores

Products can exist in multiple Location Groups. SyncTec keeps each group's inventory separate.

What Gets Synced (and What Doesn't)

**Synced automatically:**

• Available inventory count
• Inventory adjustments (increases and decreases)
• Changes from orders, returns, or manual adjustments

**Not synced:**

• Product titles, prices, descriptions (use regular SyncTec product sync for this)
• Location settings (e.g., fulfillment priority)
• Inventory at other locations in the store

Best Practices

• Use descriptive names: 'East Coast Warehouse' is better than 'Warehouse 1'
• Test before going live: Verify sync works with a few products before enabling it store-wide
• Monitor for the first week: Check sync logs daily to catch any issues early
• Keep SKUs consistent: This is the single most important thing for reliable sync

Getting Help

If you're stuck, reach out:

• Email: support@storelink.io
• In-app chat: Click the chat icon in your dashboard
• Help center: Full documentation with screenshots and videos

We typically respond within 4 hours for all customers, and within 1 hour for Growth and Enterprise plans.