Clothing, shoe and accessory shops have a stock problem other shops don't: one product comes in many sizes and colours, and each combination sells at a different speed. Set up badly, your system says you have "12 shirts" when the customer wants a medium in blue and you have none. Set up well, you know exactly what to reorder. This guide explains how to set up product variants and keep stock accurate.
Products and variants
A product is the item a customer recognises, such as "Classic polo shirt". A variant is a specific version of it: small blue, medium blue, large white, and so on. Each variant should have its own:
- Stock count, because each size and colour sells differently.
- Barcode or SKU, so scanning picks the exact variant.
- Price, where some sizes cost more (common with larger sizes).
Keeping variants under one product keeps your product list short and your reports readable, while still tracking each size and colour.
Plan your options before you enter anything
- List the option types you use: usually size and colour, sometimes style or material.
- Standardise names. Pick "S, M, L, XL" or "Small, Medium, Large" and use the same everywhere. Mixed naming makes reports confusing.
- Decide on SKUs. A simple pattern such as POLO-BLU-M is easy for staff to read and search.
- Only create combinations you stock. If you never carry the polo in XXL red, don't create it.
Receiving new stock
Most stock problems start at the back door. When a delivery arrives:
- Count it against the supplier's invoice by variant, not just by total.
- Enter it the same day, adding to the right variant counts.
- If you buy by the box or case and sell by the piece, set up case-to-unit conversion so the system adds the right number of units.
- Label or tag items before they go on the shelf.
Selling and returns
- Scan rather than search where possible, so the exact variant is sold.
- Train staff to pick the right variant when searching by name. Selling "medium" when it was a "large" creates two wrong counts.
- Process exchanges through the till: return the original variant and sell the new one, so both counts stay correct.
Reading your reports
Variant-level sales show patterns that totals hide. Typical findings:
- Middle sizes sell out first, while the smallest and largest linger.
- One colour outsells the rest by a wide margin.
- Some combinations never sell and tie up cash.
Use this when reordering: buy more of what sells, fewer of what doesn't, and consider discounting slow combinations to free up shelf space and cash.
Counting stock
Count variants regularly, not just products. Cycle counts, where you count one rack or category each week, keep numbers accurate without closing the shop. Our stock-take routine explains how to run a blind count and investigate differences.
Bundles and sets
If you sell sets, such as a school uniform pack with a shirt and trousers, set them up as bundles that deduct each component when sold. That way the set and the individual items both stay accurate.
How CWPOS handles this
CWPOS supports product variants (sizes, colours, flavours) with their own price and stock, bundles and kits that deduct from each component when sold, and case purchasing where you buy by the case and sell by the unit with the unit cost worked out automatically. Exchanges, partial refunds and full voids are handled at the till, and a full void restores the stock.
