SKU là gì? Nguyên tắc định dạng SKU? Sự khác biệt giữa SKU & UPC

SKU stands for “stock keeping unit,” and, as the name suggests, it is a number (usually eight alphanumeric digits) that retailers assign to products to keep track of stock levels internally. If a product has different colors and sizes, each variation has a unique SKU number. 

SKUs are used by stores, catalogs, e-commerce vendors, service providers, warehouses, and product fulfillment centers to track inventory levels. Scannable SKUs and a POS system make it easy for managers to determine which products need to be restocked. When a customer buys an item at the point-of-sale (POS), the SKU is scanned and the POS system automatically removes the item from the inventory and records other data such as the sale price.

Where are SKUs used?  

You will typically find SKUs used in: 

• Warehouses 
• Retail stores 
• Catalogs 
• Ecommerce stores 
• Product fulfillment centers 

How are SKUs created? 

Theoretically, there are no rules requiring SKUs to follow a specific format, so each business can create its own rules for designing SKUs for its products. 

Although each business develops their own internal systems for creating unique SKUs, there is a common method involved. 

• Each SKU should consist of a unique combination of letters and numbers. 
• Typically, those letters and numbers identify product characteristics such as: manufacturer, style, color, or size. 

For example, ABC-12345-S-BL could be an SKU referring to a product from the brand “ABC,” model number “12345,” size “S” (Small), and color “BL” (Blue).

Best practices to follow when creating SKUs 

• Each SKU should be unique for accurate inventory tracking. Avoid duplicate SKUs, even if it’s a variation of the same product. 
• Do not use special characters or punctuation; only use numbers and letters from the alphabet.
• Limit each of your SKUs to no more than 16 characters. If your product variety allows for it, using as few as 4 to 8 characters is ideal for the sake of simplicity. The shorter your SKUs are, the more easily they can be understood by you and your staff. 
• Keep it concise and logical. The first few letters should represent the highest category of importance depending on your business (for example, brand, make, then model). 
• Maintain consistency in your SKU format across all products to streamline your inventory management. This consistency makes it easier for employees to understand and manage the SKUs. 
• Periodically review and update your SKU system to ensure it remains relevant and efficient, especially as your product assortments evolve.

2 types of SKU management 

Manual SKU management 

If you go the manual route, you need to calculate two metrics — SKU ratio and the sales ratio — and then compare them. 

a. Calculating SKU ratio  

• Making a list of all your SKUs in a spreadsheet. 
• For each SKU, note the price, how much it cost you, and the gross profit. (Subtract your cost from the price to determine your gross profit.) 
• Create gross profit ranges in your spreadsheet (less than $20, $20–$29.99, etc.) and note how many SKUs fall in each range. 
• Divide the number of SKUs in a range by the number of total SKUs (and multiply by 100) to get your SKU ratio for each range. 

b. Calculating sales ratio 

• Using the same gross profit ranges, note the number of units sold (in a given period of time). 
• Divide the number of units sold in each gross profit range by the total units sold (and multiply by 100) to get the sales ratio for each range. 

Examining your findings 

• In a spreadsheet, compare the SKU ratio and sales ratio of each gross profit range. (If you’re more of a visual person, you can also plot this information on a graph to see how your SKU ratio compares to your sales ratio.) 
• Your best-performing products fall in the gross profit range that has a sales ratio significantly higher than the SKU ratio. It means there is high demand for those products (and potential for generating more sales if you increase inventory or marketing). 
• Your gross profit range where the SKU ratio is higher than your sales ratio? Those are your worst performers. It means there is too much supply, and you should reduce inventory and marketing (or even stop selling the products). 

Automated SKU management 

That whole process may seem a little tedious, but don’t worry; you can automate SKU management. Automating your SKU analysis reduces costs and improves the accuracy of your data. To automate the process, you want to leverage POS systems with integrated inventory management and other tools like barcoding. 

Using software to manage your inventory allows you to electronically track items in real time and automatically update inventory. In addition, built-in analytics help you create more efficient purchasing processes and more effective sales and marketing strategies.

SKU vs. UPC vs. Barcode 

You may have heard SKU and UPC used interchangeably. They are similar but serve different purposes for in-store and online retailers. 

SKU	UPC
Can include both numbers and letters	Only includes numbers
Flexible length, commonly 8-10 characters	Fixed length of 12 characters
Custom format defined by each business	Standardized format issued by GS1
Scanned data is used for internal identification within each business	Scanned data is globally synchronized and shared across all businesses
Applies to both physical products and services	Only applies to physical products

A barcode (also bar code) is an optical machine-readable representation of the UPC 12-digit number that can be reproduced onto merchandise and retail products. The UPC on a product typically appears adjacent to its bar code, the machine-readable representation of the UPC.

Benefits of using SKUs to manage your business 

Using SKUs for inventory management 

SKUs are typically the easiest way to track an item’s availability across all locations, whether that be in person or online. Managing your SKUs with an intuitive point-of-sale (POS) system, like Square for Retail, gives businesses a line of sight into how products are moving across all locations. 

When you know how your products are selling (or not selling), you can make informed decisions on when to run a discount, when to move inventory between store locations, and when to reorder product from suppliers. Investing in a POS system that automatically syncs inventory and sales data using SKUs will help your business take quick action based on real-time insights before ever running out of stock or running an unnecessary discount. 

SKUs can even improve the customer experience 

Using SKUs to track your stock will not only improve your inventory buying, but it can also help employees better serve customers. Using an intuitive and well-organized SKU management system enables staff to look up product information quickly and accurately to answer customer questions on the spot. For example, if a customer is visiting a store in person and the size of sweater they’re interested in is not in stock at that particular location, you can have them order online or visit a nearby store where it is in stock. Providing customers with the information they need quickly can help build brand loyalists.  

Forecasting sales and optimizing your supply chain with SKUs 

Just like managing your SKUs well gives you a better shot at nailing inventory management, it can also improve your demand forecasting, or the ability to accurately predict what customers will want to buy and in what quantities throughout the year. Developing an accurate demand forecast will help avoid understocking and missing out on sales or overstocking and carrying unwanted inventory liability.