Inventory synchronization sounds like a technical topic, but it's actually quite simple: making sure your inventory is correct everywhere. Selling on Bol.com and your own webshop? Then a sale on one channel should be immediately visible on the other. Sounds logical, but in practice this often goes wrong.
What Exactly Is Inventory Synchronization?
Inventory synchronization means your stock levels are automatically updated across all your sales channels. When you sell a product via Bol.com, inventory is automatically reduced in Shopify - and vice versa. This happens in real-time, so you always show accurate inventory info to your customers.
Why Is It So Important?
Prevent Overselling
Overselling - selling more than you have in stock - is one of the worst things you can do as a seller. You have to cancel orders, customers are disappointed, and on Bol.com you get penalties. Repeated overselling can even lead to suspension of your seller account.
Maintain Your Reputation
Customers who see an order cancelled are rarely satisfied. Even if you communicate nicely and refund quickly, a bad taste remains. And a negative review is quickly written.
Save Time
Manually tracking inventory across multiple channels takes time. A lot of time. Every sale has to be processed manually, which quickly becomes unworkable on busy days.
How Does Inventory Synchronization Work?
A good synchronization system works as follows:
- Central source: Your inventory is managed in one central system (e.g., Shopify)
- Automatic updates: With every sale, regardless of channel, the central inventory is updated
- Distribution: The new stock level is sent to all connected channels
- Real-time: This happens within seconds, not hours or days
Product Mapping
Inventory synchronization only works if the system knows which Shopify product belongs to which Bol.com product. This is called "mapping". Usually this happens automatically based on EAN/barcode, but you can also set it manually.
Different Synchronization Models
One-way Sync
Inventory is sent from one source (e.g., Shopify) to Bol.com. Changes on Bol.com are not synchronized back. Simple, but limited.
Two-way Sync
Inventory is synchronized in both directions. A sale on Bol.com reduces Shopify inventory and vice versa. This is what you want for multichannel selling.
Real-time vs. Periodic
Some systems synchronize in real-time (immediately after each sale), others periodically (e.g., every hour). For busy sellers, real-time is essential to prevent overselling.
Common Problems
Inventory Doesn't Match
This often happens when your physical inventory doesn't match your digital inventory. Do regular stock counts and correct discrepancies.
Mapping Problems
If products aren't correctly linked, inventory won't synchronize properly. Check your mappings when adding new products.
Sync Delay
With periodic synchronization, inventory can be temporarily incorrect. Choose real-time sync if you process many orders.
"Since we started using real-time inventory synchronization, we haven't had a single oversell. That saves stress and time."
Getting Started with Inventory Synchronization
Ready to synchronize your inventory? With BolSync, you connect Bol.com with Shopify and keep your inventory automatically up-to-date. Setup takes less than an hour and you see immediate results.
Never Oversell Again
Synchronize your inventory in real-time between Bol.com and Shopify.
