Automatically generate SKUs with Square for Retail
About SKUs
A Stock Keeping Unit (SKU) is an internal identification number that consists of a unique series of letters and numbers, often referred to as a “SKU number” and/or “product code.” Assign unique SKU numbers to products in order to identify items within their point of sale and inventory management system. The SKU number is usually visible to customers, whether it be on the item label, price tag, or included in the product description on your online store.
Before you begin
In Square Dashboard, you can automatically populate SKUs for future items that you create and generate missing SKUs for existing items. You can also create new items with auto-generated SKUs.
To automatically generate SKUs, you need to have access to your Square Dashboard. To create new items with auto-generated SKUs, you need access to your Square Dashboard or the Square Retail POS app.
Step 1: Enable Auto-generate SKUs
Sign in to your Square Dashboard and click Items & orders > Items.
Click Settings > Inventory.
Toggle on Automatically generate SKUs.
SKUs will automatically populate when you create new items or add item options and variations to existing items.
Step 2: Generate missing SKUs
You can generate your missing SKUs from your Square Dashboard.
- Sign in to your Square Dashboard and click Items & orders > Items > Item library.
- Click the Actions drop-down menu and select Generate SKUs. Your access to the item library may be limited for several minutes while the update takes place.
- Click Generate SKUs to confirm you’d like to auto-generate SKUs for all items missing SKUs.
All item variations missing SKUs will receive their own unique SKUs. If all of your item variations already have SKUs, you’ll see a pop-up confirming there are no more SKUs to generate.
- Click Done if applicable.
You can also auto-generate SKUs when creating a barcode label.
- Sign in to your Square Dashboard and click Items & orders > Items > Item library.
- Click the Actions drop-down menu and select Print labels.
- On the Create labels screen, click Add item and select which item you want to print labels for or click Select multiple items to choose more than one item.
- Click Create Labels once you select the item(s).
- If any item variations are missing SKUs, you’ll see a pop-up allowing you to either Continue without SKUs or Generate SKUs. Click Generate SKUs to auto-generate SKUs for the item variations missing them.
- Choose Print labels or Download PDF.
Step 3: Create new items with auto-generated SKUs
You can create new items with auto-generated SKUs in Square Dashboard and from the Retail POS app on an iOS device, Square Register or Square Terminal.
- Sign in to your Square Dashboard and click Items & orders > Items > Item library.
- Click Create item.
- View the auto-generated SKU under Variations.
- Click Save.