Inventory counts
Submit counts and resolve conflicts
What happens in Shopify when you submit a count, how Rack Scanner detects stock that changed mid-count, and how to resolve conflicts or cancel a count.
Submitting is the step that changes Shopify. Until then, a count lives in the mobile app and in its count session.
What submitting does
For every product in the count, Rack Scanner sets Shopify’s available quantity at the count location to the number you counted. In a location audit, lines for the same product on different shelves are added together first.
Each change is recorded as a cycle count in the product’s inventory history in Shopify, so you can see where it came from. Rack Scanner also records the change in the count session: the staff member, the time, Shopify’s quantity before and the difference.
| Mode | How you submit |
|---|---|
| Single Product Count | Submit Count, then Set Shopify to … |
| Full Inventory Audit and Location Audit | Review & submit, then Submit all on the review screen |
How conflicts are detected
Stock can change while you count — an order comes in, or someone edits the quantity in Shopify. Rack Scanner protects against overwriting those changes.
When you scan a product, Rack Scanner notes the Shopify quantity at that moment (Shopify before). When you submit, it asks Shopify to update the quantity only if it still matches. If it doesn’t, that product isn’t changed and is flagged as a conflict with a message such as Shopify stock changed from 50 to 49 during the count.
Products without conflicts are still updated.
Resolve a conflict
In a Single Product Count
The app shows Stock changed during the count and asks whether to set Shopify to your count anyway:
- Set to … — overwrites Shopify with your count.
- Recount — resets the counter so you can count the product again.
In a full or location audit
The review screen shows how many products were updated and how many need attention, with the reason for each. Choose one:
- Use new Shopify stock & resubmit — Rack Scanner reads the current Shopify quantity for the flagged products, uses it as the new Shopify before, recalculates the differences and submits again. If stock changes yet again, the product is flagged again.
- Overwrite with my counts — sets Shopify to your counted numbers without checking for further changes.
Tip: Conflicts happen when stock moves during a count. For products that sell quickly, count when few orders are coming in, or count them on their own with a Single Product Count so the time between scanning and submitting is short.
Failed products
A product can also fail — for example, if Shopify rejects the update. Failed products show the error next to them on the review screen and in the count session. Submit again once the problem is fixed.
Count session statuses
In the Shopify app, Count sessions shows each session’s status:
| Status | Meaning |
|---|---|
| In progress | Being counted, not submitted yet |
| Needs review | Submitted, but some products had conflicts or failed |
| Submitted | Every product was updated in Shopify |
| Cancelled | Stopped without changing Shopify |
Inside a session, each product’s Result is Pending, Updated, Conflict or Failed. The Issues tab lists only conflicts and failures. See Count sessions and reports.
Cancel a count
On the Review count screen, open the menu and choose Cancel count, then confirm. Nothing is sent to Shopify, and the session is marked Cancelled.
To drop a single line instead, swipe it to the left on the review screen.
If the connection drops
Counted products are saved on the phone, and scans wait to upload. The app shows No internet connection with Your work is saved on this phone until it reconnects. Submitting needs an internet connection, because Rack Scanner has to reach Shopify. See Troubleshooting.