Stocktaking deviations

Stocktaking deviations - display and handling

During a stocktaking process, a difference indicator will be displayed. This article explains how to interpret this indicator, helping you understand and manage deviations in your stocktaking.

Understanding the deviation indicator

On the product card, you'll find a field displaying the difference. This indicator has three statuses, each explained below:

• Remember, the displayed difference is not definitive; it's a tool to help you identify significant discrepancies. Ultimately, you should count what is physically in stock, even if it creates a deviation.
• If you prefer not to see the difference, you can disable it at the top of the stocktaking interface.

Deviation statuses

• Orange arrow: An orange arrow pointing upwards with a positive number means you have counted more items than were in stock when you started the stocktaking.
• Green equals sign: A green equals sign with the number 0 means there is no deviation. You have counted the same number of items as were in stock when you started the stocktaking.
• Red arrow: A red arrow pointing downwards with a negative number means you have counted fewer items than were in stock when you started the stocktaking.

Calculating deviations

The calculation compares the expected physical stock (what the store has in stock at the start of counting) with the quantity counted.

When you start a new count, the counter is always set to 0, so you count upwards as you find products in the warehouse.

If the product you are counting has an expected physical stock of 10, the deviation will be -10 because the system expects your store to have 10 in stock, but you have counted zero. As you count upwards, the deviation will decrease.

Below is an example of how the deviation will be updated as you count:

In the example above, we see that the deviation is 0 when you have counted as many as the expected physical stock.

If you count more than the expected physical stock, you get a positive deviation, i.e. that you have counted more than what the system has stocked at the start of the stocktaking.

Frequently asked questions

Some are a little unsure of what deviation means and how to relate to it. Here we answer some common questions we receive.

Is it important that the count ends in zero deviation?

In short: no.

The deviation is only intended as an aid so that you can more easily see if something is terribly wrong. Ultimately, you should only count what you have physically in stock, even if it gives a deviation.

Can I confirm the count even if there is a deviation?

Of course! The number counted is what is updated on the stock balance, regardless of the deviation.

So, if you have counted an item where the expected stock was 8 but the stock count says 10, and then gives a positive deviation of 2, it is 10 that will be the new stock value when you confirm the count.

I have a positive deviation even though I have not counted anything, how is that possible?

This is a question that is repeated and that can create some confusion.

Some customers experience that the deviation is positive even if you have not counted anything, as the illustration below shows.

Why is this happening?

The answer is quite simple: the product has a negative physical stock at the start of counting.

In the example below, we see that the deviation is 10 and counting 0. It tells us that physical stock here is -10 after 0 is 10 more than -10.

How do we solve this?

Easy! Correct the physical stock of the product.

A product should never have fewer than 0 in physical stock. Think of it this way: it is not possible to have less than nothing lying on physical stock.

If you have minus on physical stock, it may be that order statuses are set up incorrectly, consequential errors from old or an import with incorrect stock balance.

To correct this, you must manually correct the stock balance. This is done in one of the following ways:

1. Open the product in the control panel, click "Quick adjustment" and make the necessary changes.
2. Go to menu > Tools > Stock management, search for the product and make the necessary changes.

What about overselling, shouldn't that give a minus on physical stock?

Nope! When overselling, physical stock should not be lower than 0. It is only available stock that can go into minus.

When you oversell, the item is reserved in stock but should not affect physical stock.

A typical item that is oversold will look like this:

Here we see that physical stock is 0, i.e. that the item is not in stock. 2 pieces are reserved in one or more orders, which then gives available stock of -2.