The Inventory Shortcut Every $10M Shopify Brand Should Be Using

Scaling a Shopify brand from $5M to $30M in annual revenue comes with plenty of complexity—especially when managing inventory, production, and sales across multiple channels. Katana gives fast-growing Shopify merchants the manufacturing visibility and control they need to streamline operations and maintain customer satisfaction at scale. In this article, we'll explore some of the most powerful Katana features Shopify brands should be using right now—and why they make such a big difference.

Why Katana Matters for Mid-Market Shopify Brands

Katana is a cloud-based manufacturing ERP (MRP) system built specifically for modern brands that sell both DTC and wholesale. While Shopify handles the front-end transaction, Katana handles what happens behind the scenes—from raw material purchasing to finished goods inventory and real-time order fulfillment.

For Shopify managers, CMOs, and eComm teams, Katana simplifies one of the trickiest parts of operations: having the right inventory in the right place at the right time, without drowning in spreadsheets or manually updating systems.

Top 4 Katana Features Shopify Brands Should Be Using

1. Real-Time Inventory Management That Syncs with Shopify

One of Katana’s most impactful features is its real-time inventory tracking, especially when integrated directly with Shopify via this native connection. Once installed, Katana continuously updates inventory levels across materials and products so you’re always working with accurate, current data.

Benefits to Shopify stores include:

• Automatic stock updates when sales happen
• Live availability of raw materials and finished goods
• Fewer stockouts or oversells
• Improved forecasting due to historical usage data

For fast-growing brands, this sync dramatically reduces manual work and decreases the risk of errors that could delay orders or hurt customer experience.

2. Priority-Based Production Planning

Not all orders are created equal—and Katana lets you prioritize them accordingly. The platform uses a drag-and-drop system for managing manufacturing orders (MOs), which is ideal for Shopify brands that manufacture their own products or customize them before shipping.

Why this matters:

• Urgent orders can jump the queue with a simple drag
• Production timelines stay visible and adjustable in real time
• Sales teams and production teams stay aligned

This is especially useful for brands offering personalized, made-to-order, or SKU-rich product lines. With Katana, you can ensure that high-value wholesale or VIP DTC orders don’t get buried under routine orders.

3. Multichannel Order Management from a Central Dashboard

Whether you're selling on Shopify, Shopify POS, Amazon, Etsy, or wholesale channels, Katana centralizes your order management. Instead of juggling multiple dashboards, Katana consolidates all order statuses and inventory movements into a single visual pipeline.

Key capabilities include:

• Live order syncing across channels
• Automatic reservation of inventory for incoming sales
• Clear visibility into stock commitments and lead times

Through Katana’s dashboard, Shopify brands can easily prioritize workflows, pinpoint bottlenecks, and scale channel sales without scaling fulfillment chaos.

4. Supply Chain Intelligence with Purchase Order Tracking

Too often, inventory delays aren’t due to poor internal processes—they’re caused by lack of insight into supplier activity. Katana makes it easy to create, send, and monitor purchase orders (POs), so you know exactly what's expected, when it's arriving, and what’s delayed.

For Shopify brands balancing multiple suppliers and raw inputs, this is a game changer:

• Track supplier performance in one place
• Schedule and manage restocks proactively
• Automate low-stock alerts for raw materials and finished items

The result? Reduced production downtime and smoother fulfillment cycles—everything your Shopify store needs to keep churn low and customer loyalty high.

How to Get Started with Katana for Shopify

If you're managing millions in revenue on Shopify, adding Katana to your stack can save time and stress almost immediately. Here's how to get started:

1. Install the Shopify + Katana integration via this link.
2. Import your product and inventory data—Katana provides helpful templates and onboarding steps.
3. Map your production workflows including product recipes (bill of materials), operations, and supplier contacts.
4. Train your team—most eCommerce ops teams find Katana intuitive within 1–2 days.

Pro tip: Start by syncing just a single product category or workflow. This allows your team to refine the processes before going all-in across your catalog.

Final Thoughts

Katana is more than just a back-office tool—it’s a visibility engine that empowers fast-moving Shopify teams to make smarter, faster decisions. Whether you're selling customizable apparel, specialty food items, or digitally-native furniture, Katana helps reduce friction between sales, inventory, and production so you can scale more profitably.

Need help integrating Katana into your Shopify operation seamlessly? Gapstow specializes in optimizing tech stacks for mid-market Shopify merchants. Contact us today to explore how Katana can unlock new levels of efficiency in your business.