A stocktake (cycle count) is a physical inventory count session for one store location. You count what is actually on the shelf, Organizely compares it to the expected quantity, and committing the count files inventory adjustments that bring your records in line with reality (and sync to Shopify). Find stocktakes at Warehouses → Stocktakes.
Create a count
Go to Warehouses → Stocktakes and start a new count.
Pick the store location you are counting.
Choose the scope: a full count of every variant at the location, or a partial count (see the scope options below).
Set the count options you want (blind count, committed-inventory column) before you open it.
Open the count. At the moment it opens, Organizely freezes the expected on-hand quantity and cost for each variant in the count, so later stock movements do not shift your baseline mid-count.
Note: The expected figures are a snapshot taken when the count opens. That frozen baseline is what every line's variance is measured against.
Scope options (full or partial)
A full count includes every variant at the chosen location. A partial count lets you focus on a subset, scoped by any of:
Vendor
Supplier
Category
ABC grade
A variant limit (cap the number of variants in the count)
Count each line
Each variant in the count is one line in the worksheet. For every line you can:
Click "correct" for a one-click match, which sets the counted quantity equal to the expected quantity (nothing changed on the shelf).
Enter a counted quantity manually when the shelf differs from what was expected.
As you count, Organizely shows a live variance per line and a running total, in both quantity and cost, so you can see the size of the discrepancy while you work.
Barcode counting
You can count by barcode instead of typing quantities:
Put your cursor in the worksheet's barcode field.
Scan a barcode with a USB or handheld scanner (the scanner types the code and presses Enter), or type the barcode by hand.
Each accepted scan adds +1 to the matching line.
The input stays focused after each scan, so you can fire off back-to-back scans without clicking again. If a barcode is unknown, or belongs to a variant that is not in this count, it is flagged rather than silently counted.
Tip: For camera-based scanning, use the global scan button in the app.
Blind counts
Turn on a blind count when you create the stocktake to hide the expected quantities while your team counts. Counters record what they physically find without seeing the target number, which keeps the count honest. Variance is still calculated behind the scenes, and the expected quantities and per-line variance are revealed once the count is committed.
Committed-inventory column
The optional committed-inventory column shows, next to each line, the units already committed to open Shopify orders. It is on by default and is a per-stocktake toggle you set when you create the count.
It loads in the background after the count opens and does not block counting.
It fills in live as the data hydrates.
If it only partially loads or fails, a Retry action is available.
You can commit the count while this column is still loading.
Missed lines
Lines you never counted collect in a missed-lines tab. For those uncounted lines you can:
Zero them as shrinkage (treat the missing units as lost stock and adjust them to zero), or
Exclude them from the count (leave their recorded quantity untouched).
This lets you close out a count cleanly without having to physically touch every single variant.
Commit the count
Committing is the step that changes your inventory. When you commit:
Organizely files cycle-count inventory adjustments for every line whose count differs from the frozen expected quantity.
Those adjustments sync to Shopify like any other inventory movement.
Once a count is committed (or cancelled), it becomes read-only, preserving it as a historical record.
Note: Review your variances (and handle the missed-lines tab) before committing. Committed and cancelled counts cannot be edited afterward.
Export a variance report
At any point you can export the count's variance report as a CSV. Each row covers one variant (with its SKU and barcode), its expected and counted quantities, and the resulting quantity variance and cost variance, followed by a totals row, so you have a complete per-line record for your own review.
Need help?
If you have questions about running a stocktake, reach out to  our support team .

Notes on a stocktake and on individual lines
Since this guide was written, stocktakes gained two kinds of notes: one for the count as a whole, and one for any single line in the count. Notes are for context only, so they never change a counted quantity or a variance.
Notes for the whole stocktake
You can write notes when you create the count: the Create stocktake dialog has a Notes (optional) field. You can also add or change them later. On the stocktake's page, the header shows a Notes block with an Add notes button (it reads Edit once notes exist), which opens the Stocktake notes dialog. Saving shows "Notes saved", and saving an empty box clears them and shows "Notes cleared".
The header also now shows when the stocktake was created (date and time) and who created it, as "by <creator>".
Notes on a single counted line
The count table has a Notes column with a sticky-note icon on every row while the count is open. Click it to open the Line note popover and write why that line looks the way it does. The field suggests the shape of a good note with its placeholder text, "e.g. Found 2 damaged; bin looked short". The icon turns amber once a note is saved, so you can scan the table and see at a glance which lines carry an explanation. A Clear button appears when a note exists, and saving an empty note clears it: you will see "Note saved" or "Note cleared".
Two details worth knowing:
Both the stocktake notes box and a line note hold up to 5,000 characters.
Adding a note to a line does not mark that line as counted. Notes and counts are recorded separately, so a noted but uncounted line still shows up as uncounted.
Notes can only be added or edited while the stocktake is open. Once a stocktake is committed or cancelled it becomes read-only: existing notes still display, but lines without a note no longer show an add option, and an attempted edit is rejected with "Cannot edit a line note on a committed stocktake" (or the equivalent message for a cancelled stocktake).
Notes need no permission of their own, so anyone who can open a stocktake can leave notes on it.
More recent stocktake changes: the list page, a renamed column, and a commit warning
Since this guide was written, the stocktakes list gained search, filters, grouping and sorting, one count column was renamed, and the commit step gained an extra warning. Here is what to expect on each screen.
Finding a past count on the stocktakes list
At Warehouses > Stocktakes, the list now gives you:
Search , with the placeholder "Search by name, number, or product". It matches the stocktake name, an exact document number, or the SKU, variant name, or product name of an item that was in the count, so you can find the count where you last touched a particular item.
Filters for Location , Status , Created by , and a Date range. The Created by list includes teammates whose access was later revoked, so their counting history stays filterable.
Group byLocation . Each group header shows the location name and a count badge (shown as "N+" when the number is capped). While the list is grouped, sorting by clicking column headers is turned off.
Sort options: Last activity (the default, newest first), Created , and # .
New columns: Created by , which shows the linked teammate, or the import source name for imported records, or a dash when neither is known; and a Created column showing date and time.
"On hand" in the count is now "Available (at open)"
The column previously labeled On hand is now labeled Available (at open). This is part of a wider label change across Organizely's inventory screens that lines our wording up with Shopify's vocabulary: the pool that used to be called "On hand" (or "Sellable") is now called Available, and the pool that used to be called "Derived" is now called Buildable.
Nothing about the number itself changed. It is still the baseline frozen when you opened the count, which is exactly what the "(at open)" part of the label is telling you. As before, Available (at open) and Expected stay hidden while a blind count is open.
"Shopify on hand" is a different term and is still correct where you see it. It means Available plus Buildable plus Committed, which is the total Shopify displays as On hand.
A warning before you commit if committed inventory did not load
When a count includes committed inventory, that data loads in the background, and it can fail or finish only partway. If it does, an amber banner appears above the count, headed either "Committed inventory failed to load" or "Committed inventory loaded partially", with a Retry button.
If any lines you have already counted are missing their committed figure, the Commit stocktake? confirmation adds an amber warning of its own. It tells you how many counted lines have no committed data, says their Expected total excludes committed units so the variance this commit files may be wrong, and asks you to retry the committed load before committing.
The reason this matters: those lines' Expected totals are calculated without their committed units, so Expected comes out lower than reality. Your count is compared against that too-low Expected, and the variance the commit files would be off by exactly the missing committed amount. Retry from the banner, then commit once the warning clears.
A separate, softer message still appears in the ordinary case where the committed data is simply still loading: you can commit now, and the Committed column keeps filling in the background.