Getting started with Carpe Inventory IQ
Complete your onboarding in under 15 minutes. This guide walks you through every step from installation to going live. Most merchants are up and running in 1–2 weeks.
A few things to know before you start:
- Your Shopify store connection is also your login. There's no separate account to create.
- Every marketplace starts in Read-Only mode. Nothing gets pushed until you say so.
- You can take as long as you need. There's no setup deadline.
Step-by-step setup
Connect Shopify
Done — you did this when you installed the appInitial setup starts when you install from the Shopify App Store. Your Shopify store is already connected. Your products, variants, and current inventory levels are importing now. Check your dashboard — you should see your catalog populating within a few minutes.
Set your primary shipping location
1 minuteDuring import, Carpe Inventory IQ auto-assigns one of your locations as the primary shipping location — the warehouse that merchant-fulfilled orders decrement from. If you have multiple locations, verify the correct one is selected.
FBA and WFS orders are not affected — Amazon and Walmart fulfill those from their own warehouses.
Review your product catalog
10–30 minutes depending on catalog sizeGo to the SKU Registry and verify that your products imported correctly. Check that variant names, SKUs, and current inventory levels look right. This is your baseline.
Import historical sales data
5 minutes to start, runs in backgroundImport up to two years of past order data from Shopify. This powers velocity analysis and reorder suggestions from day one — instead of waiting months to accumulate enough data. Go to Settings → Historical Import to start.
Set up your Bills of Materials (if applicable)
30–60 minutesIf you manufacture, assemble, or kit products, set up your BOMs now. You can import them via CSV — export from your current system (Finale, spreadsheets, etc.) and import in bulk. Go to BOMs → Import.
Skip this step if you only sell finished goods that you purchase from suppliers.
Map marketplace SKUs
15–30 minutesIf your Amazon or Walmart SKUs differ from your Shopify SKUs (they probably do), set up the mapping. Go to Channels → select your marketplace → Mapping. Import your catalog, review auto-matches, and map the rest manually or via CSV.
Skip this step if you only sell on Shopify.
Connect Amazon
~5 minutesIf you sell on Amazon, go to Channels → Add Amazon. Complete the OAuth connection with your Amazon Seller Central credentials. Amazon connects in Read-Only mode — Carpe Inventory IQ starts reading your Amazon orders and FBA/FBM inventory but doesn't push anything back.
Skip this step if you don't sell on Amazon. Amazon requires the Core + Amazon or Multi-Channel plan.
Import Amazon historical data
5 minutes to start, runs in backgroundSame as Step 4 but for Amazon. Import past order data so velocity calculations include all channels from the start.
Skip this step if you didn't connect Amazon in Step 7.
Verify your data (the important part)
1–2 weeks recommendedThis is the most important step. With both channels connected in Read-Only, watch real orders flow in. Compare counts between Carpe Inventory IQ and your current system. Check that SKU mappings are correct, BOMs build properly, and inventory levels match reality. Verify your data migration is accurate before flipping any channel to Full Sync. Take your time — the Read-Only period exists for exactly this purpose.
Don't rush this step. The whole point of Read-Only mode is to give you confidence before going live.
Configure safety features
~15 minutesBefore going live, set up your protection layers:
- Inventory Reserve — set a per-channel buffer to prevent overselling during sync delays. Start with 3 for Shopify, 5 for Amazon if unsure.
- Dynamic Cloak™ — enable if you want to prevent competitors from scraping your real stock levels.
Disable your old IMS (for one channel)
VariesStart with your lowest-volume marketplace. Turn off inventory pushes from your current system (Finale, Cin7, etc.) for just that one channel. Your old system stays active for every other channel.
Do NOT disable your old IMS and enable Full Sync at the same time. Disable the old system first, verify it's stopped pushing, then enable Full Sync in Carpe Inventory IQ.
Go live
~2 minutesGo to Channel Settings for the marketplace. Click 'Enable Full Sync.' You'll confirm three things: your previous IMS is disconnected, your inventory counts are accurate, and you accept Carpe Inventory IQ as the source of truth for that channel. Then Carpe Inventory IQ starts pushing inventory.
Repeat Steps 11–12 for each additional marketplace at your own pace.
You’re live — now what?
Once Full Sync is enabled, Carpe Inventory IQ is managing inventory for that channel. Here’s what to keep an eye on:
- Monitor your first few days closely. Check that inventory updates are flowing correctly to the marketplace.
- Watch for any SKU mapping issues — if a product isn't syncing, check the alias configuration.
- Review your Inventory Reserve settings after a week of live data. Adjust based on actual order velocity.
- Set up Purchase Orders for your suppliers so reorder suggestions can generate POs automatically.
- If anything feels wrong, switch back to Read-Only instantly. One click, no damage done.