Shelf Locations & Warehouse Layout

Organize your warehouse, backrooms, and store aisles into structured physical shelf locations to streamline order fulfillment, stocking, and point-of-sale item lookups.

Interface Overview

Master Shelf Locations Dashboard with real-time KPI metrics, zone filters, and shelf inventory drawer.

Business Overview

In fast-paced retail and warehouse environments, employees often waste valuable time roaming aisles searching for products. The Shelf Locations module implements a Structured Shelf Master Hierarchy that digitizes your physical storage space into identifiable coordinates.

Key Benefits

• Fast Cashier & Floor Lookups: Cashiers and sales floor staff can instantly see the exact physical shelf badge (e.g., 📍 A01-R2-B03) on the POS screen or search by shelf code.
• Streamlined Order Picking: Warehouse fulfillment teams can navigate directly to the specified Zone, Aisle, Rack, and Bin.
• Multi-Branch Isolation: Shelf layouts are strictly scoped per branch or warehouse, allowing each branch to design its own physical layout.
• Occupancy & Capacity Tracking: Real-time KPI summaries highlight which shelves are occupied, empty capacity, and the total physical units stored.

The Physical Hierarchy Matrix

Shelf locations follow a standardized 4-tier physical hierarchy:

Standard Code Conventions

When coordinates are entered, the system suggests a standardized, concise alphanumeric code:

• Format: [Aisle]-[Rack]-[Bin] (e.g., 01-1-04 or A01-R2-B03)
• Display Name: e.g., Aisle 01, Rack 1, Bin 04

[!TIP] Standardizing your aisle and bin numbering (e.g., using two-digit numbers like 01, 02, 03) ensures consistent sorting and makes shelf tags easily readable when printed as physical labels.

Actions & Workflows

1. Creating a Shelf Location

1. Navigate to Inventory > Shelf Locations (or Stock > Shelf Locations in QoBooks).
2. Click the Add Location button to open the modal.
3. Branch: Select the branch where this shelf physically exists.
4. Zone: Choose an existing zone from the dropdown (e.g., Main Warehouse, Showroom Floor) or select + New Zone... to type a custom name.
5. Physical Coordinates:
   • Enter the Aisle / Row (e.g., 01 or A).
   • Enter the Rack / Bay (e.g., 2 or B).
   • Enter the Bin / Shelf Level (e.g., 04 or Level 1).
6. Code & Name: The form automatically constructs the standardized Code and Display Name as you type. You can also manually customize them.
7. Description (Optional): Add notes on weight limits, item categories intended for this shelf, or access instructions.
8. Click Save Location.

2. Assigning Shelf Locations to Items

Shelf locations are assigned on a per-branch basis, reflecting where the item physically resides in each store or warehouse:

1. Go to Inventory > Items and open an item for editing (or click Add Item).
2. In the Branch Inventory section, expand the card for the desired branch.
3. Locate the Shelf Location dropdown field.
4. Select the designated shelf from the list (locations are automatically filtered to show only shelves belonging to that branch).
5. Click Save Changes.

[!NOTE] Products can also have default shelf locations configured, which will be inherited when assigning stock to new branches. Services and digital goods do not track shelf locations.

3. Monitoring & Inspecting Shelves

The Master Shelf Locations dashboard provides real-time visibility into warehouse utilization:

KPI Summary Cards

• Total Locations: Total number of active shelving slots created for the selected branch.
• Occupied Shelves: Shelves currently holding one or more catalog items.
• Empty Capacity: Unassigned shelves ready to receive new inventory.
• Units Stored: Cumulative sum of physical product units currently sitting in those locations.

The Quick Inventory Inspection Drawer

• In the Shelf Locations table, click the Box Icon (View Items) next to any location.
• A slide-over panel will open showing:
  • Location details and physical hierarchy.
  • List of all items currently stored on that shelf.
  • Real-time stock counts and selling rates for each item.
  • Total unit count stored on that shelf.

4. Cashier & POS Operations

Cashiers and sales assistants have instant access to shelf locations without switching screens:

• Visual Shelf Badges: In both the Grid View and List View of the POS terminal, items display an amber location badge (e.g., 📍 A01-R2-B03).
• Direct Shelf Search & Barcode Scanning:
  • Cashiers can type the shelf code directly into the POS search bar to instantly pull up all products located on that shelf.
  • Scanning a barcode printed on a shelf label filters the cashier's catalog to only items assigned to that shelf, simplifying inventory counts and line-busting.

5. Sales Invoices, Bills & Item Pickers

• When creating Invoices, Bills, Purchase Orders, or Stock Adjustments, line item selectors display the item's shelf location badge alongside its SKU and stock count.
• Picking and packing teams can generate pick lists and reference shelf codes to quickly locate items before shipping.

6. Safe Deletion & Occupancy Protection

To prevent accidental data loss and maintain inventory integrity:

• If items are currently assigned to a shelf location in active branch inventory, the system blocks deletion.
• A warning modal will appear detailing that the shelf is currently in use and prompting you to reassign or clear the shelf assignment on the affected items first.
• Deleted shelves are soft-deleted and can be restored if necessary.

Roles & Permissions

Shelf Location operations are secured under the STOCK module in Settings > Roles:

[!IMPORTANT] Permission Inheritance: For backward compatibility with existing user roles, users who already have items or inventory permissions automatically inherit access to view and manage shelf locations until specific granular permissions are adjusted in Settings > Roles.