Before you update Shopify
The same SKU can mean two different location records
Your count file shows SKU-001 twice. One row is for Tokyo and one is for Osaka. That is not automatically a duplicate: Shopify tracks inventory separately at each location, so matching by SKU alone can put a correct count in the wrong place.
Compare my count by location →
Keep each location's quantity on its own row
For the same variant, the Shopify All states export has separate rows for each location. Treat the pair of variant identity and location as the comparison key. Do not add quantities together unless the job is specifically to calculate a network total.
| SKU | Location | Shopify on hand | Physical count | Proposed result |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| SKU-001 | Tokyo | 12 | 10 | Tokyo becomes 10 |
| SKU-001 | Osaka | 4 | 7 | Osaka becomes 7 |
Build a location-aware key in Excel or Sheets
A helper key makes the intended row explicit. If SKUs are not unique across variants, use Shopify's variant identity (Handle and option values) plus Location. Check duplicate keys before looking up quantities.
=[@SKU]&"|"&[@Location]
=COUNTIFS(Counts[Key],[@Key])
=XLOOKUP([@Key],Counts[Key],Counts[Counted],"")
How CountAlign handles locations
CountAlign matches the external count to the exact location in the Shopify export and keeps each location's row separate. It does not use fuzzy location matching. A missing or different location name remains an exception for a person to resolve.
Before import
- Confirm the count file has one row per counted variant and location.
- Review repeated SKU values as separate records when their locations differ; review repeated variant-location keys as duplicates.
- Check the prepared file by location and inspect Shopify's import summary before starting the import.