Stocky's Gone: Finding the Best Inventory Management Alternatives for Your Shopify Store

Losing Stocky: What Now for Your Shopify Inventory?

Hey everyone, it sounds like a lot of us are in the same boat with Stocky shutting down! I've been digging into the Shopify Community forums to see what solutions folks are finding, and I wanted to share some of the insights I've gathered. It's definitely a pain, but there are some promising options out there.

One thread that caught my eye was titled "Where to go from Stocky?" by Maximus_Kobomo. He (or she!) highlighted a couple of key Stocky features that are missing from Shopify's native inventory reporting:

• The ability to filter inventory reports by multiple vendors.
• Displaying items from Draft Purchase Orders in inventory reports.

These are crucial for a lot of businesses, so finding replacements is a must. Let's dive into what the community is suggesting.

Supplier Filtering: A Common Pain Point

Maximus_Kobomo wasn't alone in feeling the pain of Shopify's limited vendor filtering. It sounds like many of us rely on this to efficiently manage inventory across different suppliers. Shopify's built-in reports just don't cut it when you need to see a consolidated view of stock levels for specific vendors.

Inventory Planner's Approach

Denis_Mipler from Inventory Planner by Mipler jumped into the conversation with a potential solution. He pointed out that their app allows filtering inventory and replenishment reports by one *or* multiple suppliers. This is a huge win if you're used to Stocky's multi-vendor filtering.

Purchase Orders: Reimagining the Workflow

The other big hurdle is managing Purchase Orders, especially draft POs. Denis made a really important point: Shopify doesn't expose Purchase Orders (including Draft POs) via their API. That means no third-party app can directly access or export your existing Shopify POs.

So, how do we work around that? Inventory Planner takes an interesting approach with "Reorder Lists." Here's how it works:

1. You create reorder lists for each supplier.
2. You can see what's planned, ordered, and partially received for each list.
3. You mark items as received to update your inventory levels.

Denis shared a helpful screenshot to illustrate this:

It's not a direct replacement for Shopify POs, but it seems to cover the operational side of things – knowing what you've ordered, what's on its way, and what's still outstanding. Many users migrating from Stocky are finding this a useful alternative.

Finding the Right Fit for Your Needs

Ultimately, the best Stocky replacement will depend on your specific needs. Denis asked some great questions that can help you evaluate different apps:

• Do you mainly rely on POs for planning, receiving, or financial tracking?
• Is supplier-based filtering the most critical part for you, or are there other Stocky features you're worried about losing?

Answering these questions will help you narrow down your options and find an app that truly fits your workflow.

The key takeaway here is that while Stocky's departure is disruptive, it's also an opportunity to re-evaluate your inventory management processes and find tools that better suit your business. Don't be afraid to explore different apps, take advantage of free trials, and ask questions in the Shopify Community. We're all in this together, and sharing our experiences is the best way to navigate these changes!