Mistakes to avoid when creating SKU codes
Codes that are too long, reused, inconsistent or full of look-alike characters create packing errors. Here is what to avoid and what to do instead.
A SKU scheme is supposed to make life easier. A badly designed one does the opposite: wrong items get packed, stock sheets stop matching and nobody trusts the codes. These are the common mistakes and how to avoid each.
Mistake one: codes that are too long
"KURTA-WOMEN-COTTON-BLOCKPRINT-OLIVE-GREEN-MEDIUM-2024" is accurate and useless. Nobody can read it at a glance, and it will not fit on a small label.
Fix: shorten each part to two to five letters and drop anything that does not help you tell items apart, such as the year or the word "women" if you only sell women's wear.
Mistake two: reusing a code
You stop selling a style and later give its code to a new product. Old orders, sheets and photos now point to the wrong item.
Fix: retire codes for good. If you discontinue something, mark it as retired in your sheet and move on to a new code.
Mistake three: look-alike characters
The letter O and the number 0, the letter I and the number 1, or the letter l, are easy to confuse, especially in handwriting or small print. A packer reads "OLV" as "0LV" and the sheet will not match.
Fix: avoid the number 0 and the letter O in the same scheme, or avoid the letter I and the digit 1. Capitals only and clear colour codes such as BLK and OLV help.
Mistake four: inconsistent order
One code reads COLOUR-SIZE, another SIZE-COLOUR. Sorting and searching in a sheet become a mess.
Fix: choose one order and follow it every time. See SKU naming convention examples.
Mistake five: meaning hidden in memory
If only you know that "X7" means a blue large, your helper cannot pack your orders when you are away.
Fix: keep a legend, a small table in your sheet, that decodes every part of the code.
Mistake six: spaces and special characters
Spaces, slashes and symbols can break sheets and imports, and are awkward to type on a phone.
Fix: capitals, numbers and dashes only.
Mistake seven: changing codes silently
If you rename a code and do not record it, old orders no longer match.
Fix: keep a change log with the old code, the new code and the date.
Mistake eight: inventing codes you do not need
A seller with four products in one colour does not need a code system, just clear names. Over-engineering costs time and invites mistakes. This is the same advice as the case for a smaller catalogue: keep things as simple as the business allows.
Mistake nine: expecting the store to create them
The Varchas product editor takes a name, price, stock and colourways with S, M, L and XL stock; it does not ask for a SKU. If you want codes, keep the scheme in your own sheet next to the product names. That keeps your records yours, whatever tool you use.
A final test
Print or write ten codes and ask someone who has never seen your catalogue to find the items. If they pick the wrong one, adjust the scheme. For starting from scratch, read how to set up SKU codes for a small store.