A Stock Keeping Unit is also called "SKU" is a unique identifier for each product you sell on your online store. It helps track inventory, determines the price and discounts applicable to specific products, and keeps your sales information organized.
Each time sellers add or update a product in their stores, they must assign each item its own SKU.
Amazon sellers can create new SKUs for products using the Seller Central dashboard on Amazon.com. To create a new SKU, click on "Your Products." On this page, under the "Product Details" tab, you will see all your products listed in the "SKUs" column next to each product, type in a unique SKU for this product. You can also change the name of an existing SKU if you want.
Inventory Tracking
SKUs help sellers keep track of their inventory and price points for specific products.
Automatic Product Updates
When you change the name or stock status of an SKU, Amazon will also automatically update all associated product attributes (quantity available, discount information, etc.). This makes managing product data across your various sales channels easy without entering the same information multiple times.
Pricing and Product Management
By creating separate SKUs for different markets (US vs. International), you can better reflect the prices each market pays for your products. This helps you avoid any potential pricing surprises when shipping.
Amazon Marketing and Promotions
SKUs can also be used for promotional purposes - by adding a special "Sale" or "Clearance" SKU to your products, you can encourage customers to buy them at a discounted price. This could be especially handy if you're offering limited quantities of an item and want to reduce the number of duplicate product listings on Amazon.
Merchandising and Stock Keeping
Finally, using different SKUs helps buyers sort merchandise more quickly when browsing through your store's offerings (for example, Category A Products on the left side of the page and Category B Products on the right side.
Are There Any Legal Considerations Regarding Using SKUs on Amazon?
For example, if you're selling clothing in different sizes, using separate SKUs can help buyers find the right size without having to scroll through a long list of products.
Additionally, if your product has seasonal variations (like winter clothes), listing them under separate SKUs can help buyers quickly identify which version of the product they are looking for.
Finally, using different SKUs may also be legally based on the country or region where you operate your store.
Are There Any Other Considerations That Sellers Should Keep In Mind When It Comes To Using SKUs?
Once sellers have assigned SKUs to their products, they use them when pricing and discounting their items on Amazon. If a seller has multiple versions of the same product with different SKUs (or no SKU), they will need to choose which version(s) of the product they want to list for sale on Amazon.
For example, if you sell an eBook that comes in both Kindle and paperback form, you assign each version its unique SKU, and when someone searches for "eBook" on Amazon, your listings with matching SKUs (Kindle or Paperback).
Is a SKU the Same as an Amazon ASIN Number?
No. A SKU is not the same as an Amazon ASIN number. An Amazon ASIN number identifies a particular product on Amazon and tells sellers what price to list that product for on Amazon.com.
For example, if you have an eBook called "The Complete Works of Shakespeare" with the ASIN of B00JLFV7I6, your books would be listed at $9.99 each when sold through Amazon's retail website because that is what the ASIN corresponds to (in this case).
However, if you create a new SKU for this product and list it at $14.99, then you would be the only seller selling that version of the book on Amazon, and no one else would be able to sell it for less than $14.99.
What Is an ASIN Number?
An ASIN number is a unique identifier for products on Amazon. It tells sellers what price to list on Amazon.com and how to find that product's listing on the site.
