Jump to

• What Are Stock Counts?
• How to Access Stock Counts
• How to Create a Stock Count
• How to Add & Manage Items
• How to Perform a Stock Count
• How to Review Discrepancies
• How to Complete or Reuse a Stock Count
• Roles and Permissions
• Stock Counts on Mobile
• FAQs

What Are Stock Counts?

Stock Counts allow you to physically verify your inventory quantities directly in Sortly.
With this feature, you can:

• Create a new stock count and assign it to specific team members

• Count and track quantities in real time across web and mobile

• Compare expected vs. actual quantities and resolve discrepancies

• Move stock counts through clear stages: Draft → Ready to Count → In Progress → In Review → Complete (or Voided)

• Export detailed stock count reports for audits or offline use

Stock Counts make inventory verification simple, traceable, and collaborative—all within Sortly.

How to Access Stock Counts

You can find Stock Counts in the Workflows tab on the web app or in the Sortly mobile app.

💡 Only Owners, Admins, and Team Members on Ultra, Premium, and Enterprise plans can access Stock Counts. Limited Access users are excluded.

How to Create a Stock Count

1. Go to Workflows > Stock Counts.

2. Click New Stock Count. 

   

3. Enter a Stock Count name and optional due date. 

4. Assign the count to a specific user or to “Everyone.” 

   

5. Click Create to save your draft. Once created, you can start adding items to your stock count.

How to Add & Manage Items

1. Search to add items to the Stock Count. You can also enable Scanning Mode on the web app to scan to add. 

   

2. You can include items from multiple folders in a single stock count (up to 250 line items). 

   

3. Click Save and your Stock Count will be in the Ready to Count status.

   

Add Multiple Items to a Stock Count at Once

You can add many items to a Stock Count simultaneously in two ways: either from a Folder or via Advanced Search.

Via Advanced Search

1. Navigate to Advanced Search and apply any needed filters to narrow down your items.

2. Click Apply Filters.

3. Use the bulk-select checkboxes to choose all the items you want to add. 

   

4. In the bulk-edit bar, click Add To → Stock Count. 

5. Choose the quantity you want to add for each item and click Next.

6. Select whether to create a New Stock Count or add the items to an Existing Stock Count. 

7. Confirm your choice, and the items are added.   

   

Via a Folder

1. Go to the desired Folder in your inventory.

2. Follow the same process as above. 

   

💡Edits and removals can be made while the count is in Draft, Ready to Count, or In Progress status. Items already counted or locked in review cannot be removed.
 

⚠️If an item’s quantity or unit of measure changes during a count, Sortly will flag the change and prompt you to review it before proceeding.

How to Perform a Stock Count

1. Open the Stock Count you created.

2. Select Ready to Count → Start Counting. 

   

   

3. Start counting and enter actual quantities. 

   

4. Sortly automatically compares expected vs. counted quantities. Save progress at any time—counts sync in real time across web and mobile. Counts can be done collaboratively if assigned to multiple users.

5. Once counted, the stock count will be in the Submit for Review status. 

   

6. If you need to resume the count, click Resume Count and continue.

7. Once fully counted, click Submit for Review. Doing this will lock your entries and mark this stock count as ready for review.  

   

How to Review Discrepancies

When the count status changes to In Review, Sortly calculates and displays all discrepancies.

• Net discrepancy shows overall variance (e.g., +5 and -3 = -2).

• Absolute discrepancy totals all variances (e.g., 5 + 3 = 8 units off).
  Only Owners, Admins, or Creators can resolve discrepancies or update final quantities.
  Once reviewed, you can mark the stock count as Complete or Voided.

How to Complete or Reuse Stock Counts

When a stock count is marked Complete, it becomes locked for edits.
From there, you can:

• Export your stock count as a PDF at any stage (Draft, In Progress, Complete)

• Clone a stock count to reuse for recurring counts

• View or share completed counts for audit purposes

Roles and Permissions

✅ = Can perform this action
❌ = Cannot perform this action

Stock Counts on Mobile

Follow these steps to create and complete a Stock Count from the Sortly mobile app.

How to Create a New Stock Count

1. In the mobile app, go to Workflows → Stock Counts. Tap New Stock Count.

2. Enter a name for your Stock Count. Tap Next.

How to Add & Manage Items

1. Tap Add Items.

2. Add items by Searching, Scanning, or using Add to Stock Count. After adding items, tap Done. You can remove or add items by going into Manage Items—as long as the count is in Draft, Ready to Count, or In Progress. Items already counted or locked in review cannot be removed.

3. From the Stock Count screen, tap Ready to Count. Assign the count to a team member (or “Everyone”) and optionally set a Due Date. Tap Ready to Count again to begin the count.

How to Begin Counting

1. Tap Count next to each item to start entering actual quantities.

2. Once all items are counted, tap Submit for Review—this locks the entries and moves the count into review status.

⚠️ Once you Submit for Review, your Stock Count will lock in your entries.

How to Resolve Discrepancies

1. If you notice any discrepancies, you can tap an item to either Recount or Update Quantity.

2. If you’re sure the posted count was correct but it doesn’t match the system, perform an Inventory Count Adjustment and optionally add Transaction Notes to explain why the count was adjusted.

3. If counted quantity matches the system quantity, the item displays Count Matched status.

How to Complete the Stock Count

Once all discrepancies are resolved, mark the Stock Count as Complete.

⚠️ Note: after the count is marked complete, further edits are not allowed.

FAQs

Setup & Access

Who can create a stock count?
Stock Counts are available on Ultra, Premium, and Enterprise plans. Any user except Limited Access Stock Any user can create a Stock Count, except users with Limited Access permissions (Enterprise only).

Can I assign a stock count to multiple users?
Yes. You can assign a count to “Everyone” or to a specific user.

Can I perform counts on mobile?
Yes—Stock Counts are fully functional across web and mobile.

Can Limited Access users participate in Stock Counts?
Limited Access users (Enterprise only) cannot view, create, or participate in Stock Counts.
 

Managing Items

Can I add items from multiple folders?
Yes, bulk add supports items across multiple folders.

Is there a limit to how many items I can count?
Yes, each stock count can include up to 250 line items.

Can I remove an item once added?
Yes—if it hasn’t been counted and the stock count is not yet completed.

Will I be notified when the status of a Stock Count changes?
Yes. You’ll receive an email notification in real time when the status changes, if you’re assigned to the Stock Count or are an Owner on the account.

Discrepancy Handling & Review

When do discrepancies appear?
During the In Review stage only, ensuring all data syncs properly.

Who can resolve discrepancies?
Owners, Admins, or Creators.

Do I have to update quantities to complete a count?
No, but doing so ensures accuracy and audit readiness.

Completion & Reuse

Can I clone or reuse a stock count?
Yes—cloning allows you to repeat counts for the same area or items.

Can I export my stock count?
Yes, export as a PDF at any stage.

What happens after I complete a stock count?
The count is locked from edits but remains viewable and exportable.

Need help? Contact our Support Team.