SKU Aliases: What They Are and How They Work
Your clients sell the same product under different codes: one for Amazon, one for a retailer, one from an old system. SKU Aliases let Packiyo understand all of them as the same product, so stock is allocated and shipped correctly without anyone fixing order lines by hand.
đź“Ś Heads up: SKU Aliases is rolling out to clients. Packiyo switches it on for you. Want it? Reach out to support.
How it works
Every alias belongs to one master product, the real product that holds the stock. When an order, purchase order, return, or scan comes in with an alias code, Packiyo puts the line on the master.
- All aliases share the master’s stock. No splitting inventory across codes.
- Existing “Not imported” lines get fixed. Creating an alias cleans up matching lines on open orders and purchase orders.
- Picking always uses the master. Pick lists, reports, and customs paperwork show the master SKU.
- You choose what customers see. For each alias, you decide whether packing slips, shipping labels, and EDI labels show the alias SKU or the master SKU. More on that below.
Add an alias
Everything starts from the master product’s page.
- Open the master product and find the Aliases box.
- Click Add alias.
- Enter the Alias SKU. You have two options:
- A SKU that’s already in Packiyo. Search for an existing product and select it.
- A SKU that isn’t in Packiyo yet. Type it in. This is perfect when you know a code is about to arrive on orders from a new sales channel. When those orders come in, they’ll automatically land on the master.
- Decide whether to tick Show this SKU on outgoing documents (see below).
- Click Add.
Show this SKU on outgoing documents
This checkbox is on by default. When it’s on, packing slips, shipping labels, and EDI labels show the alias SKU instead of the master. Untick it and they show the master SKU instead.
Either way, picking always uses the master, so your warehouse team never has to think about it.
Alias types
Tag each alias so you know where it came from: Channel, Vendor, Retailer, or Legacy. Type is optional.
Ways to work with aliases
| I want to... | Go here |
|---|---|
| Add, edit, activate, deactivate, or delete one alias | The alias box on the master product’s page |
| Find a product by an alias code | Find Products by Alias |
| Load or fix hundreds (or thousands) at once | Import and Export SKU Aliases |
The Alias Box
Open any master product and you’ll see every alias, active and inactive. From there you can:
- Add, edit, activate, deactivate, or delete an alias
- Turn stock pushes to the alias’s store listing ON or OFF
Each alias also has its own page showing which product its stock comes from, how much is available, and the orders, shipments, and returns that came in under it.
⚠️ Good to know
- You need permission to edit the master product to see the alias box.
- You can only delete an alias that has never matched an order line. Otherwise, deactivate it.
- A deactivated alias stops picking up new orders, and its store listing is sent zero stock.
- A code that matches neither a product nor an active alias is still refused.