Best approach to managing simple product with multiple skus

  • Resolved wfinley

    (@wfinley)


    3 months, 1 week ago

    I’ve been trying to figure out how to manage simple products that change SKUs.

    For example – say you have a simple product – like a hat – which is SKU?ABC123. It’s set up as a simple product because there you only sell one color and one size. You sell ABC123 for a while but then you make a small change in production and start producing the same hat but with a slight difference which you call SKU?ABC124.?You liquidate all inventory of?ABC123?and then switch to?ABC124. The products are essentially the same so you don’t want to create a new simple product – and since there are no (size or color) variations you don’t turn this into a variable product.

    What is the best approach to managing this?

Viewing 3 replies - 1 through 3 (of 3 total)
  • Plugin Support shahzeen(woo-hc)

    (@shahzeenfarooq)

    Hi there!

    In situations like this, where the product remains essentially the same but the SKU changes due to a production update, here’s how you can manage it effectively within WooCommerce:

    Update the SKU Directly:
    If the product retains the same listing (e.g., no need for separate sales tracking for the old SKU), you can simply update the SKU in the product settings to the new one (ABC124).

    Track the Transition (Optional):
    If you’d like to retain the old SKU for reporting or reference purposes, you could:

    Add the old SKU to the product description or an internal note for record-keeping.
    Use the Custom Fields feature to store the old SKU for reference.

    Inventory Management:
    Adjust the stock quantity when transitioning from ABC123 to ABC124. Once ABC123 inventory is sold out, you can update the stock quantity to reflect ABC124’s availability.

    Since you’re not working with variations or variable products, this straightforward SKU update approach should work well.

    I hope this helps.

    Thread Starter wfinley

    (@wfinley)

    Thx. I was overthinking it a bit. Seems all I need to do is change the SKU.

    Plugin Support shahzeen(woo-hc)

    (@shahzeenfarooq)

    Hi there!

    You’re absolutely right—sometimes, the simplest approach is the best! In this case, updating the SKU directly is a straightforward way to handle the transition.

    If you don’t need to retain the old SKU for reporting or reference purposes, just changing the SKU in the product settings to the new one (ABC124) and adjusting stock levels is all you need to do.

    Thank you

Viewing 3 replies - 1 through 3 (of 3 total)
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