Connect store locations to Sumtracker warehouses

After connecting your store, the next step is to link your store locations to Sumtracker warehouses. This tells Sumtracker which physical location each piece of inventory belongs to and how it should be synced.

To access Warehouse Connections, go to the Sales channels page from the navigation menu. On this page, you will see all the stores that are connected to Sumtracker.

Click on Settings for the store and go to the Warehouse Connections tab on the channel details page.

Linking locations to warehouses

For each store location, you have two choices:

Create a new Sumtracker warehouse — for locations being added to Sumtracker for the first time
Link to an existing Sumtracker warehouse — useful when you're connecting a second or third store, and the new store's location is physically the same as a warehouse you've already created in Sumtracker

💡 When connecting a second or third store, carefully review whether each new store location should map to an existing Sumtracker warehouse or to a new one. Linking the right locations together is what keeps your inventory consistent across multiple sales channels.

Choosing the inventory master

For each connection, you also need to decide who is the inventory master — Sumtracker or your store. The master is the source of truth for inventory: its numbers will overwrite the other side.

There are two options: Sumtracker Master and Shopify Master. Choose the one that matches how that specific location is operated.

Sumtracker Master

Set Sumtracker as the master when you want to manage your inventory operations inside Sumtracker.

This is the recommended setting for most locations, and it is required if you want to use Sumtracker for any of the following:

Inventory sync across stores
Bundles
Stock adjustments
Stocktakes
Stock transfers
Any other day-to-day inventory operations

Once set, Sumtracker pushes inventory updates to Shopify. Any inventory change made directly on Shopify will be overridden.

Shopify Master

Set Shopify as the master only in specific cases:

The location is fulfilled by a 3PL or third-party app that updates inventory directly on Shopify. In this case, Shopify holds the correct stock numbers, and Sumtracker mirrors them.
You're testing Sumtracker before going fully live. You can start with Shopify as the master to safely validate the inventory sync and replenishment features, then switch to Sumtracker Master once you're comfortable.

When Shopify is the master, inventory is copied from Shopify into Sumtracker at regular intervals.

💡 If the location is your own warehouse or fulfilment center (not a 3PL), do not set Shopify as the master for long-term use. Shopify Master is meant for third-party-controlled locations or for short-term testing — it does not let you manage inventory operations in Sumtracker.

Recommended approach for first-time setup

If you're new to Sumtracker:

Start with Shopify Master on all locations to test the sync and replenishment without risk.
Once you're comfortable with how Sumtracker behaves, switch your own warehouses to Sumtracker Master.
Keep 3PL locations on Shopify Master permanently.