Selling more than physical goods is normal now. Many stores sell gift cards, subscriptions, installation, warranties, digital downloads, or service add-ons that do not need stock tracking. The trouble starts when product data and pricing live in NetSuite, yet the buyer shops in Shopify. If prices differ between storefront and invoice, customers notice fast and start asking questions.
This webinar session stays focused on one topic: how to manage non-inventory products and pricing between NetSuite and Shopify, with clean item representation and consistent pricing across both systems.
What “Non-Inventory Products” Mean in Real Business Cases
Non-inventory products are items you sell or invoice without managing quantity on hand. They still behave like sellable products in orders and invoices. They just do not need stock deduction.
Common non-inventory items include:
- Gift cards – Sold online, redeemed later, no stock count needed.
- Services – Installation, customization, consultation, training, extended support.
- Digital products – Downloads, digital add-ons, access links, license keys.
- Subscriptions – Monthly plans, annual memberships, recurring service packages.
These items often fall into clear categories in business operations:
- Sales items: sold directly to customers (service plans, warranties, add-ons).
- Purchase items: bought from vendors (service contracts, third-party support).
- Resale items: purchased first, sold onward to the customer with markup.
Many brands mix these patterns in a single store. A store might sell an installation service as a simple add-on, and also resell a vendor-provided warranty plan. In both cases, pricing and invoicing accuracy matter more than stock.
Why Unified Pricing Across NetSuite and Shopify Matters
Pricing is one of the first things a buyer checks. It affects conversion, trust, and repeat orders. A mismatch creates immediate confusion:
- A customer sees one price on Shopify, then sees a different amount on the invoice
- Support requests go up (“Why is my invoice higher?”)
- Refund requests increase, or the customer abandons future purchases
Price mismatches usually happen for a few common reasons:
- A price is updated in NetSuite, Shopify is not updated
- A promotion runs in Shopify, NetSuite billing uses a different rule
- B2B price levels exist in NetSuite, Shopify shows retail pricing
- Variant pricing differs by option, but the mapping is incomplete
Unified pricing fixes this by keeping one pricing logic and reflecting it across both systems, so the storefront price matches what NetSuite will bill.
How Shopify Variants and NetSuite Items Connect for Non-Inventory Sales
Shopify and NetSuite store product structure in different ways. This matters a lot for non-inventory items that use options and add-ons.
Shopify: Parent product with variants
Shopify supports up to three product options per product. Those options combine into variants under one parent listing.
In the webinar’s product example, two options were used:
- Size (Small / Medium / Large / Extra Large)
- Glass type (Standard clear glass / Clear acrylic / Non-reflective / Ultra view)
Small, medium, and large had multiple glass-type variants. Extra large had a single variant. Shopify allows selective combinations, so a store can offer only the mixes that make sense.
This helps in real stores where:
- One size has fewer add-ons
- One material type is offered only for certain sizes
- One premium option applies only to a few variants
NetSuite: Items maintained as separate records
NetSuite can keep each item as a separate non-inventory item record, often tied to SKU and pricing rules. Extra attributes like “glass type” may not exist in the same way in NetSuite. Shopify can still present that detail through variant setup and mapping rules, as long as the SKU identity and pricing logic are carried correctly.
The main goal is simple: Shopify shows one clean product with variants, NetSuite keeps reliable item records for billing and reporting.
Pricing Logic at Variant Level
Variant pricing is common in stores with options. One parent product can carry many price points, since each option combination can change the final amount.
In the webinar flow, pricing changes based on:
- Size (each size range has its own base price)
- Glass type (each glass type can add cost)
A typical setup looks like this:
- Small: base price + glass-type difference
- Medium: base price + glass-type difference
- Large: base price + glass-type difference
- Extra large: single fixed price variant
Taxes sit on top of product price and depend on Shopify’s tax setup. The storefront shows tax as per store configuration, and transactions remain consistent when NetSuite invoices follow the same tax approach tied to item rules and customer location setup.
This approach keeps pricing precise at the variant level, which is where the buyer makes the final choice.
Product Data Alignment Between NetSuite and Shopify
Clean alignment prevents pricing disputes, duplicate items, and broken sync runs. It also makes long-term maintenance easier.
SKU mapping and naming rules
- Keep a one-to-one SKU relationship between NetSuite and Shopify for every synced item, including services and digital items.
- Use a stable SKU format and stick to it across both systems.
- Keep variant SKUs consistent and readable so support and finance teams can trace them during audits, refunds, and invoice checks.
Tax and fulfillment behavior
- Confirm item tax behavior matches how the product should be sold (taxable vs non-taxable, region rules).
- Set fulfillment behavior that matches the item type (service vs digital vs shipped item).
- Keep rules consistent so order, invoice, and reporting totals match.
Pricing ownership
- Keep pricing master data in NetSuite for consistent billing and reporting.
- Sync pricing to Shopify so the customer sees the same value that NetSuite will invoice.
- Keep discount logic aligned too, so “discounted checkout” does not become “full-price invoice.”
Duplicate control
Duplicate items create reporting noise and operational confusion. A practical control approach includes:
- SKU match checks before creation
- Storing Shopify product/variant IDs back into NetSuite via custom fields
- Using those stored IDs to update the same record later, instead of creating a new one
When duplicates are controlled, catalog management becomes simpler and the store stays clean for buyers.
NetSuite & Shopify Integration Support with APPSeCONNECT
APPSeCONNECT connects NetSuite and Shopify for non-inventory product and price sync so teams do not have to manage the same data in two places.
For this webinar scenario, the integration support typically covers:
- Non-inventory item sync from NetSuite to Shopify
So services, gift cards, subscriptions, and digital items appear in Shopify with correct SKU identity. - Item grouping and variant mapping for Shopify listings
So separate NetSuite items can be presented as one Shopify product with variants, matching how buyers browse. - Price sync across items and variants
So Shopify pricing reflects NetSuite pricing rules across sizes, add-ons, and tiered pricing. - Discount and promotion sync
So common discounts can flow across without manual replication. - Cleaner day-to-day operations
Pricing changes, catalog updates, and variant adjustments can be managed with less manual editing, which helps especially when stores have many variants or frequent price updates.
This keeps the storefront pricing aligned with billing, which reduces customer confusion and internal fire drills.
Topics Covered in the Webinar
- What qualifies as non-inventory products in business operations
- How NetSuite manages non-inventory items and pricing rules
- How Shopify options and variants work (three-option limit and variant combinations)
- How parent-variant mapping can represent NetSuite items on Shopify
- How option-based pricing works (size + attribute pricing patterns)
- How SKU alignment supports reliable sync and long-term maintenance
- How tax and fulfillment behavior should be aligned
- How duplicate prevention works using SKU checks and stored IDs
- How APPSeCONNECT supports product and price sync in this scenario
- Demo walkthrough of the non-inventory product setup and pricing flow
- Q&A segment
Frequently Asked Questions
Gift cards, services, subscriptions, warranties, installation add-ons, digital downloads, and reseller services. These items still need accurate SKUs and pricing since they appear on orders and invoices.
Yes. Shopify supports up to three options per product. Options can represent size, service tier, duration, add-on type, or similar attributes. Each option combination can become a sellable variant.
Yes. Variant pricing is common when options change cost. The pricing must map at the variant level so Shopify shows the correct amount for the chosen combination, and NetSuite invoices match it.
Use SKU matching and store Shopify IDs back in NetSuite using custom fields. Later sync runs can update existing products by referencing stored IDs, instead of creating new records again.
Most teams keep pricing in NetSuite so invoices and finance reporting stay consistent. Shopify then reflects that pricing so customers see the same amounts that NetSuite will bill.
