Create a Real-Time Digital Wholesale Shop from Your Inventory
Turn clothing and footwear inventory into a live wholesale catalogue with shop-level stock, optional prices, product sharing and direct WhatsApp inquiry.
My Local Shops can turn a wholesaler's published, in-stock inventory into a mobile-friendly digital wholesale shop. The owner continues managing products, variants, photos, prices and shop-wise quantities in Inventory Manager; buyers see the permitted information on the website without the owner maintaining a second catalogue.
This is an inquiry-led wholesale catalogue, not an online checkout. A retailer can discover the shop, browse available designs, open colour and size options, share a product and ask about it on WhatsApp. Price visibility and product visibility remain under the wholesaler's control.
At a glance
| Question | My Local Shops behaviour |
|---|---|
| Must products be entered again on the website? | No. The digital shop is connected to Inventory Manager |
| Can the owner hide one product? | Yes. Turn off Show on MLS for that product |
| Can a visible product hide its price? | Yes. Keep it listed and turn off Show price |
| Which shop shows a product? | Only a shop that currently has positive stock for it |
| What if one colour or size is sold out? | The product remains visible if another type is available; the sold-out type is clearly marked |
| What if every type is sold out? | It leaves normal public browse results, while an old direct link can still help the buyer inquire |
| Can buyers place and pay for an order online? | No. They contact the wholesaler directly to discuss price, quantity, delivery and payment |
| Can a buyer ask about the exact item? | Yes. The WhatsApp inquiry includes the product name and link |
| Is the shop page shareable? | Yes. It has a direct link and QR code |
| What happens when a subscription expires? | The public shop profile can remain available, while its product catalogue stays hidden until renewal |
What a real-time digital wholesale shop means
A traditional WhatsApp catalogue or PDF becomes outdated as soon as stock changes. A separately maintained website creates the same problem: the owner must remember to add new designs, change prices and remove sold-out products in two places.
My Local Shops uses the operational inventory as the catalogue source.
Inventory Manager
↓
Published product + current shop stock + price preference
↓
Public shop page and product detail
↓
Buyer inquiry through WhatsApp or phone
For example, an owner adds a new shirt design with Red / M, Red / L, Blue / M and Blue / L variants. The stock is received at the Bhiwandi shop, photos are attached and the product is published. The website can show one clean product card, while its detail page explains the available types.
If the owner later transfers the complete Blue / L quantity to another shop, the public availability follows the current stock location. The product is not permanently tied to the shop where it was first created.
How Inventory Manager controls the website
The digital shop is not a separate admin panel. The owner uses the same product workflow already needed for stock management.
1. Create or receive the product
Products can be created in Inventory Manager or received through the connected Trade Manager workflow. Shared information such as name, supplier item code, category, HSN and GST stays at product level. Colour, size, image, selling price, cost and quantity can differ by SKU.
See the complete Inventory Manager guide and the colour-size SKU guide for the underlying stock structure.
2. Decide whether the product appears publicly
Show on MLS controls whether buyers can see the product.
- On: the product is eligible for the public catalogue when it has stock at a public active shop.
- Off: it is removed from public lists even if the business still has stock.
- Owner view: the owner can continue seeing and managing the hidden product inside Inventory Manager.
This is useful for samples, reserved stock, incomplete photographs, internal items or products the wholesaler does not want to advertise.
3. Decide whether buyers see the price
Show price is independent of product visibility.
| Show on MLS | Show price | Buyer result |
|---|---|---|
| On | On | Product and current public price are shown |
| On | Off | Product is shown with Price on request |
| Off | On or Off | Product does not appear in public browse results |
This matters in wholesale because pricing may depend on quantity, buyer relationship, transport, payment terms or negotiation. The owner can still display the design and invite inquiries without publishing a fixed rate.
4. Maintain stock normally
Sales, restocks and transfers update the same SKU quantities used by the public catalogue. The owner does not need to switch to the website and manually rewrite availability after each operational change.
What buyers see on a shop page
Every eligible seller shop has its own public page. Depending on the information the owner has supplied, the page can help a buyer understand:
- the shop name and business profile;
- address and map location;
- phone contact;
- product categories;
- customer reviews;
- currently available published products; and
- the individual product details the seller has chosen to expose.
The shop link can be sent through WhatsApp, placed in a social profile or converted into the built-in QR code. A wholesaler can put that QR code at the counter or share it with a retailer, who then opens the same current catalogue from a phone.
The public shop page is useful even when the buyer already knows the seller. Instead of sending twenty separate photos, the owner can send one link and let the buyer browse the relevant available designs.
How nearby discovery works
My Local Shops also supports nearby shop and product discovery. A buyer can browse according to location and product category rather than knowing a shop link in advance.
Normal nearby product results are limited to products that pass the public conditions:
- the shop is active and publicly available;
- the owner has not hidden the listing;
- the product has current public stock; and
- the shop is within the selected search area.
The result is paginated instead of downloading an unlimited catalogue in one request. Category filters further narrow the browse experience.
Nearby discovery does not guarantee a Google ranking or a sale. It makes eligible catalogue information available for discovery; product quality, demand, shop information and buyer trust still matter.
Stock visibility when variants sell out
Garment and footwear products need more careful handling than a single in-stock switch.
One SKU reaches zero
Suppose a shirt has these quantities at one shop:
| Type | Available quantity |
|---|---|
| Red / M | 0 |
| Red / L | 18 |
| Blue / M | 12 |
| Blue / L | 7 |
The product remains in the public catalogue because three types are still available. Red / M remains selectable on the detail screen so the buyer can understand that the type exists, but it carries a clear Out of stock indication.
Keeping the option visible is useful for an inquiry. A retailer may ask whether that exact size will return or whether a similar design is available. Hiding the option completely would make the product structure unclear.
One shop reaches zero but another has stock
If Shop 1 has zero pieces and Shop 2 has 30, the product is available at Shop 2—not Shop 1. The shop-specific product list uses positive stock at that location instead of treating the seller's total business quantity as stock at every branch.
Every SKU reaches zero
When the complete product sells out, it stops filling normal public browse lists. This is especially important in fast-moving fashion, where old designs may never be restocked. Otherwise, a digital shop would gradually become a catalogue of unavailable styles.
If a buyer opens an old shared link after the listing is hidden, the website can explain that the product is not currently listed and still offer a direct shop inquiry. If a published product detail is available but its variants have sold out, it shows concise out-of-stock information rather than pretending the item can be supplied.
Product photographs and page performance
Product images help a buyer recognise a design before contacting the wholesaler, but loading full-size photographs for every small card would waste mobile data.
The website therefore prefers:
- a thumbnail for product cards and compact lists;
- lazy loading for images that are not yet on screen;
- a full-resolution image when the buyer opens or zooms it; and
- versioned image references so an image changed in Inventory Manager can replace the cached old one across connected apps and the website.
The shop catalogue itself uses limited pages with a Load more path. This keeps the first page useful even as the seller's product history grows.
From product view to WhatsApp inquiry
The website keeps the buying conversation direct between retailer and wholesaler.
When a buyer taps Ask on WhatsApp, the prepared message identifies the product and includes its page link. If the price is hidden, the inquiry specifically asks the shop to share price and availability.
The buyer and seller can then discuss:
- required colours and sizes;
- quantity per type;
- negotiated wholesale rate;
- dispatch or pickup;
- transport charges;
- credit or payment terms; and
- similar products when the selected design is unavailable.
My Local Shops does not silently convert that conversation into an online order, collect the buyer's payment or promise delivery. Billing and stock deduction happen through the seller's authorised Order Manager or Staff Bill workflow when the actual sale is confirmed.
A practical clothing wholesaler example
Consider a wholesaler with a godown and two shops.
- A new printed shirt arrives at the godown in three colours and four sizes.
- Inventory Manager records the 12 SKUs, their photos, prices and quantities.
- The owner transfers selected sizes to Shop 1 and Shop 2.
- Show on MLS is enabled for the design.
- The owner shows the price for a standard line but hides the price for a negotiable premium line.
- Each shop page shows the designs physically available at that shop.
- A nearby retailer opens the premium line and asks for price on WhatsApp.
- Shop 1 sells its final Red / M piece through an invoice.
- Red / M becomes unavailable at Shop 1 while the remaining types continue appearing.
- When the last type sells, the design leaves the normal public catalogue without the owner editing the website separately.
The website reflects operations instead of creating another list for the owner to remember.
What remains private
A public catalogue needs product-facing information, not the owner's entire business record.
Buyers do not need access to:
- purchase cost or average landed cost;
- sales profit and margin;
- supplier payments;
- customer outstanding totals;
- owner or CA reports;
- internal stock movement history; or
- staff permissions.
Those records stay in the relevant authenticated business apps. Public pages show only the shop and product information intended for buyers.
What happens after a subscription expires?
An expired subscription should not erase the seller's established public identity. The shop profile can remain public and indexable, allowing buyers to retain basic business and contact information.
The product catalogue is hidden until the seller renews. This avoids presenting operational stock as live when the connected subscription is no longer active. Current plans and location limits are available on the pricing page.
Common mistakes to avoid
Publishing before adding useful photos
The product may technically be visible, but a buyer cannot confidently identify a design from its name alone. Add a clear representative image and type-specific photos where they differ.
Showing a price that is not meant to be public
Keep the product visible and turn off Show price. Hiding the complete product is unnecessary when the owner only wants negotiation.
Treating godown stock as stock at every shop
A buyer opening one shop page should see what that location can currently supply. Transfer stock to the correct location rather than relying on seller-wide totals.
Keeping discontinued fashion in normal results
Zero-stock products remain valuable to the owner as history, but should not overwhelm the active public catalogue. Use the inventory Out of stock or All views for internal access.
Promising ecommerce checkout
This workflow creates discovery and inquiry. Confirm quantity, terms and payment through the normal wholesale process, then create the authorised invoice.
Frequently asked questions
Do I need to build a separate website for every shop?
No. Eligible shops receive public pages within My Local Shops, and their published catalogue is connected to Inventory Manager.
Can I show a product without showing its price?
Yes. Enable Show on MLS and disable Show price. Buyers see Price on request and can contact the seller.
Will a product disappear when only one size sells out?
No, provided another SKU remains available at that shop. The sold-out type is marked while the product stays discoverable.
Will a fully sold-out product keep filling my shop catalogue?
No. Normal public browse prioritises products with positive current stock, preventing old fashion stock from becoming noise.
Can a buyer still ask about an old hidden product link?
Yes. An old direct link can explain that the item is not currently listed and offer a shop inquiry when contact information is available.
Does the WhatsApp inquiry create an invoice automatically?
No. It starts a direct conversation with the shop. The seller or authorised staff creates the invoice only after confirming the actual sale.
Can different shops show different products?
Yes. Public shop catalogues follow current positive stock at each location. A product can appear at one shop and not another.
If I change a product photo, will the website show the new one?
Yes. Inventory Manager updates the shared image reference, and its versioning allows the website and connected apps to request the changed file instead of permanently reusing the old cached image.
Is a digital shop available without a seller subscription?
The apps are available to download, but connected seller tools and live product publication require an applicable subscription. After expiry, the shop profile can remain public while products stay hidden until renewal.
Start your digital wholesale shop
- Download and view Inventory Manager
- Understand the complete connected workflow
- See current plans and location limits
- Set up your first shop or godown
- Browse nearby wholesale products
The next guide will explain Order Manager: wholesale billing, party payments, outstanding balances and invoice-level profit tracking.