Inventory Sku System

Sku in full stock keeping unit a code number typically used as a machine readable bar code assigned to a single item of inventory as part of a system for inventory control the sku represents the smallest unit of a product that can be sold from inventory purchased or added to inventory applied to wholesale retail or production operations the sku can assist in monitoring transactions.

Inventory sku system.

Tracking stock and sales data using both sku numbers and built in tags give you the reporting you need to make informed decisions every step of the way. For a product these attributes could include manufacturer description material size color packaging and warranty terms. Neither is a sku to be confused with an inventory number. Since an sku is unique to a company a product would have different skus if sold by different companies but they would have the same upc.

Sku management is the process of creating maintaining and optimizing and alphanumeric sku system to effectively identify and organize your inventory. The solution to inventory tracking is to develop a sku skew or stock keeping unit system. Some companies will call them part numbers model numbers product codes skus etc. As you begin selling your products through wholesale or retail channels you ll need to devise an sku system to get your inventory sorted.

While many use the terms sku and upc interchangeably they are actually very different. Sku codes speed up the process of finding products because they allow you and your employees to search track and reference products and inventory levels in your warehouse or basement. Skus are internal and apply only to your company. An sku is the smallest unit of product or service.

But whatever you call them item numbers are important for you and the systems you use. Barcodes are universal and are the same no matter where a product is sold. Along with sku based data systems with inventory management tools let you organize products further using built in category manufacturer and custom tags. There are many procedures that take place in a warehouse in the life of a product and skus can be used in each of these steps to shave seconds or even minutes.

If you or your system can t uniquely identify an item you can t effectively account for its activity and whereabouts within your inventory. Don t confuse a sku system with a barcode. In the field of inventory management a stock keeping unit sku ˌ ɛ s ˌ k eɪ ˈ juː ˈ s k j uː is a distinct type of item for sale such as a product or service and all attributes associated with the item type that distinguish it from other item types. You can have a universal product code upc or stock keeping unit sku.

A upc can be found on most products and are standardized for business use.