Multiple Sites Same Stock

[mogdesign]

I run a website in many different languages and its been quite hard to keep track of stock as they all have the same products.

i was wondering if there are any software out there that could solve this problem.

like could update the stock of all sites automatic?

[paulbeckett]

Hi

I am currently working with Andy Barrow at Codepath (http://www.codepath.co.uk/) on the very issue of multiple sites sharing the same stock.

He has come up with a great solution that would allow multiple sites to share stock / update all sites automatically.

He hasn't started development yet... if you are interested in reviewing the requirements I can send to you.

Because Andy hasn't started development yet, maybe we could update the requirements to include what you need and split the costs.

Let me know if you are interested!?!?

My office number is 0117 9095373. If I'm not there, ask them for my mobile number!

Paul

[Jan]

You can do this already with external linking, create a separate database (not in excel because it's not multiuser and it's slow) with the product reference and the stock levels and then you can link Actinic to that, whenever you sell anything the external database is updated and so all sites are updated and if you change stock on one of the sites then all sites are updated as well.

V10 has an automatic stock updating system but I don't that it supports external linking at the moment but you can use Actinic in batch mode to force the updates to the online store or you can use my Automation mole to do that as well (http://www.mole-end.biz/acatalog/One...r-Actinic.html for a free trial and more information).

Regards,

[paulbeckett]

Hi Jan

So with external linking, the master product list is completely seperate from all sites?

I think our solution was based around having one site as a master site and the others as children.

The biggest issue, for both systems (I would imagine) is how to deal with conflicts (e.g. three same products sold and only one available in stock).

Paul

[malbro]

Hi Jan

So with external linking, the master product list is completely seperate from all sites?

I think our solution was based around having one site as a master site and the others as children.

The biggest issue, for both systems (I would imagine) is how to deal with conflicts (e.g. three same products sold and only one available in stock).

Paul

That problem will always exist with any such system, even with Actinic EPOS it would still be possible to sell it in the shop and on the web at about the same time and if there is not enough stock to fullfil both orders, one of the systems will be selling non existent stock.

Given that there will always be some delay between selling an item and updating the stock no matter what you do there is a possible scenario, albeit less likely as the update speed improves, that will defeat you so you have to setup a manual system to deal with it.

Setting high values in the Suspend level will mean holding excessive stock as you have to deal with the highest possible multiple sale. Even when the system updates stock levels when item is put in basket rather than when it is actually sold is not foolproof when there is more than one selling channel.

[Jan]

You can't link to an ActinicCatalog.mdb file the program prevents it because of the filename but you could set it all up in a site and then just copy the database to a different name, then link it to the original and all of the others.

If you use Actinic real time stock then you wouldn't have that problem, it might be worth checking with Actinic as to when external linking might be available for RTS (I might even be wrong, I haven't checked 10.0.1 out as yet).

Regards,

[mogdesign]

Hi

I am currently working with Andy Barrow at Codepath (http://www.codepath.co.uk/) on the very issue of multiple sites sharing the same stock.

He has come up with a great solution that would allow multiple sites to share stock / update all sites automatically.

He hasn't started development yet... if you are interested in reviewing the requirements I can send to you.

Because Andy hasn't started development yet, maybe we could update the requirements to include what you need and split the costs.

Let me know if you are interested!?!?

My office number is 0117 9095373. If I'm not there, ask them for my mobile number!

Paul

Hi Paul,
I sent you an email regarding this, but i don't know if you have received it.
I'm very interested as it will solve this problem if all works as planned.

let me know.

Diego

[Andy Warner]

just for info, I use V8 multisite, and I run a number of shops from one linked database with Mole End software doing the batch processing. Its really easy, but you do need to keep an eye on the frequency of uploads.

andy