Stock taking

Stock taking lets you count the stock physically in one location, compare the counted quantities with the quantities in Zid, and update them. Find it in Products > Inventory > Stock taking.

How a count works

Create the count: choose the location, name the count and choose a full or partial count.
Start counting: the count is In progress, and you enter the quantity you counted for each product.
Review the count: compare counted and expected quantities, and see what sold while you were counting.
Complete the count: Zid updates the quantities of the counted products, taking into account units sold during the count.

You can save a count as a draft at any step and come back to it later.

Count statuses

Status	What it means	What you can do
Draft	You saved the count with Save as draft before counting started.	Add or remove products (partial counts), edit the comment, or click Start counting.
In progress	Counting has started.	Enter counted quantities, export or import them, review the count, pause it or cancel it.
Paused	You clicked Save as draft while counting or reviewing.	Open the count to continue counting where you left off.
Completed	You clicked Complete count. Quantities are updated.	View the results, Print the report and Export products.
Cancelled	You clicked Cancel count. The data you entered is discarded.	View the count.

Stock taking list

The Stock taking page lists your counts, 10 per page. Use the search box to find a count by its number or name.

Column	What it shows
Count name / Count number	The count's name and number. Click to open the count.
Inventory address	The location being counted.
Total cost	The value of the differences found. Shown only to staff with the permission to see stock taking costs.
Completion date	When the count was completed.
Creation date	When the count was created.
Status	The count's status.
Edit or View	Edit for drafts and counts in progress or paused; View for completed and cancelled counts.

Create a count

On the Stock taking page, click Create count stock taking.
Sample data from a demo store.
Fill in the fields below.
Sample data from a demo store.
For a partial count, click Add product to count, select the products, and save your selection. Choose variants rather than their parent product.
Click Start counting to begin now, or Save as draft to start later. Undo returns to the list without saving.

Field	Required	Details
Inventory location	Yes	An active location. Choosing it fills in Count name with the location's name and the date and time, and clears any selected products.
Count name	Yes	Change the suggested name if you like.
Count type	Yes	Full counts all the location's products: the table says "All products have been added". Partial counts only the products you add.
Comment	No	A note about the count.

A partial count needs at least one product. The products table shows each product's Barcode number and Expected quantity, its current quantity in the location. Use the bin icon to remove a product.

You can add only published, purchasable single products that are stocked in the chosen location. Digital files, vouchers, grouped products and dynamic bundles can't be counted, because they have no stock of their own in a location. Products with unlimited quantity have no quantity to compare, so leave them out of the count.

Edit a draft count

Open a Draft count from the list. The location, name and count type are locked; you can still edit the Comment.

Add product to count adds products to a partial count. Use the bin icon to remove one.
Save as draft saves your changes and returns to the list.
Start counting saves your changes and starts the count.
Undo returns to the list without saving.

Enter counted quantities

Open a count that is In progress or Paused. The products table has these columns:

A count in progress with the Counted quantity field for each product — Sample data from a demo store.

Column	What it shows
Product	The product name and SKU.
Barcode number	The product's barcode.
Expected quantity	The quantity Zid had for the product when counting started.
Counted quantity	Type the quantity you counted. It can't be negative.
Quantity difference	Not counted until you enter a quantity, then the difference: green with + for more, red for fewer.

Then choose what to do next:

Review count: saves your quantities and opens the review.
Save as draft: saves your quantities, pauses the count and returns to the list.
⋮ > Export products: sends an export of the count's products. The dashboard opens Export requests, where you download the file.
⋮ > Import products: upload the file you exported, with the counted quantities filled in. The dialog accepts one .xls or .xlsx file. Click Save.
⋮ > Cancel count: cancels the count after you confirm. Everything you entered is lost, and you'd need to enter it again in a new count.

For a large count, export the products, fill in the counted quantities in the spreadsheet, then import the file.

Review and complete the count

The review page shows the products in tabs, each with its number of products:

The count review with the product tabs, the review columns and the Complete count button — Sample data from a demo store.

Tab	Products
All products	Every product in the count.
Matching products	Counted products whose counted quantity equals the expected one.
Non-matching products	All other products, including those not counted yet.
Counted products	Products with a counted quantity.
Non-counted products	Products you haven't counted.

Search by product name, barcode or product code. The columns are:

Column	What it shows
Product	The product name and SKU.
Previous quantity	The expected quantity when counting started.
Quantity sold during counting	Units sold from the location while the count was open.
Counted quantity	Your count, or Not counted.
Quantity difference	Counted minus previous quantity. Shortages show in red.
Quantity after completing count	The product's quantity once you complete the count.
Cost	The difference multiplied by the product's price, in your store currency. Shown only with the costs permission.

Then:

Complete count: completes the count and updates the quantities.
Save as draft: pauses the count and keeps your quantities.
Undo: goes back to the counting page.

Quantity changes from a completed count appear in Stock history as Stock count.

View a completed count

Open a Completed or Cancelled count. The Stock taking data card shows the Count creator, Count number, Count name, status, Creation date, Count type and Comment.

A completed count with its details, products and the Print the report and Export products buttons — Sample data from a demo store.

The products table has the same tabs and search as the review, with the columns Product, Expected quantity, Counted quantity, Difference and Cost.

Print the report prints the page.
Export products sends an export of the count's products to Export requests.

Plans and permissions

Stock taking is part of the Professional plan. If your plan doesn't include it, the list shows an upgrade offer and the create button is hidden. See Subscription.

The Stock taking page in a store whose plan doesn't include it, with the upgrade offer and the sidebar path highlighted — The green boxes mark the path: Products, then Inventory, then Stock taking.Personal details are covered.

Staff need the permission to manage stock taking to use this page. The Total cost and Cost columns need the separate permission to see stock taking costs. See Staff groups.

Last updated 28 October 2026

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