Inventory Allocation Mode – OneWarehouse

Function Description:

The inventory allocation feature allows you to flexibly distribute product inventory from OneWarehouse warehouses to various sales platforms and stores. To meet different sales strategies, we offer two mechanisms: Exclusive Mode and Shared Mode . Through reasonable inventory allocation, you can find the optimal balance between "preventing overselling" and "maximizing sales opportunities," improving overall operational efficiency.

Detailed Explanation of the Options: Which one should I choose?

A. Dedicated Mode

Definition : Divide the total inventory in the warehouse into different stores, like cutting a cake.
Core logic :The total inventory allocation ratio of all stores is ≤100% .
Operational method : Each store has its own independent and exclusive inventory quantity, without interference from others.
Advantages : Absolutely safe . Effectively prevents overselling from occurring in store B due to untimely synchronization after store A has sold out its inventory.

B. Sharing Mode

Definition : Allowing different stores to "share" the same inventory pool.
Core logic : A single store can allocate up to 100% of its inventory (multiple stores combined will exceed the total inventory).
Operation method : Multiple stores sell the same batch of goods simultaneously. When an item is sold in store A, the OW system deducts the total inventory and then updates the remaining quantity in store B.
Risk : There is a risk of overselling . In high-concurrency scenarios (multiple people simultaneously trying to purchase), overselling may occur due to untimely inventory synchronization.

📊 Pattern Comparison and Applicable Scenarios

Comparison Dimensions	Dedicated mode	Sharing mode
Inventory attribution	Dedicated and exclusive (cut and allocated)	Joint ownership (shared inventory pool)
Overselling risk	Extremely low (safest)	Medium/High (Requires close monitoring)
Inventory utilization rate	Lower (unsold stock in one store cannot be sold to other stores)	Highest price (sold through all channels)
Suitable for	Sellers who focus on inventory control Businesses that have large inventories and wish to allocate them selectively, or businesses that strictly prohibit overselling.	Sellers seeking rapid turnover have limited inventory and hope to simultaneously promote their products on multiple platforms in order to sell out as quickly as possible.

Important Notes

⚠️ Warning about switching modes

Exercise caution : Avoid frequently switching modes while inventory synchronization is in progress. Mode switching typically requires recalculating the allocation of all resources, which can significantly impact the current synchronization task.

Effective Immediately : Switching between inventory modes and adjusting ratios is essentially editing the "rules". Once you click "Save" , the new rules will take effect immediately and apply to the next triggered synchronization.

Operating procedures and setting examples

Step 1: Select Allocation Mode

Go to the [Inventory Synchronization Settings] page (whether it's the automatic or manual synchronization interface), and select the [Inventory Allocation Mode] that suits you from the top options .

Step 2: Set general rules

In the general rules area, set the inventory ratio for each platform/store. OneWarehouse will calculate the "available inventory" based on this ratio and synchronize it to the platform.

🟢 Example of setting up exclusive mode (see image below)

Assuming a certain product has a total inventory of 100 units in OneWarehouse , your settings would be as follows:

Shopline A : 80% allocation set
Shopline B : 20% allocation set
SHOPLINE2 stores : Sync not enabled (0%)

👉Synchronization Results:

Shop A receives: $100 * 80% = 80 items (exclusive, cannot be sold by Shop B)
Shop B receives: $100 * 20% = 20 items (exclusive, cannot be sold by Shop A)
Total allocation = 100%, no risk of overselling.

🔵 Example of sharing mode settings