Serialized Inventory Tracking in Zoho Inventory

Serialized inventory tracking in Zoho Inventory allows businesses to assign and monitor unique serial numbers for individual items, helping improve traceability and inventory control. This guide walks you through enabling serialized tracking, creating serialized items, and associating serials with transactions.

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What Is Serialized Inventory Tracking in Zoho?

Serialized inventory tracking is a method in Zoho Inventory that lets you assign unique serial numbers to individual units of stock. This enables precise tracking of each item across purchasing, warehousing, and sales workflows.

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How Do You Enable Serialized Tracking in Zoho Inventory?

Serialized tracking is not enabled by default. Here’s how to activate it:

1. Navigate to the Settings icon in the top-right corner.
2. Go to Preferences.
3. Under Items > Advanced Inventory Tracking, check Enable Serial Number Tracking.
4. Choose between:
   • Accounting-based tracking: Assign serials during invoices or bills.
   • Physical-based tracking: Assign serials during packaging or receiving.

Note: Choose the method that best fits your operational workflow.

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How Do You Create a Serialized Item in Zoho Inventory?

1. Go to Items > New Item.
2. Name your item (e.g., “Serialized Item Example”).
3. Assign a SKU, unit, purchase cost, and sale price.
4. Check Track Inventory and enable Track Serial Number.
5. Enter the initial quantity and serial numbers via the three-dot menu under inventory tracking.

Each serial number must be input for the opening stock, and values should match your physical inventory.

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When Do You Assign Serial Numbers During Sales?

Serial numbers are not assigned during Sales Orders. Instead, they’re applied:

• During Invoice creation (if accounting-based tracking is enabled)
• During Package creation (if physical-based tracking is enabled)

To assign serials:

1. Convert a Sales Order to an Invoice.
2. Use the Select Serial Numbers section to assign one per item sold.
3. Save and mark the invoice as sent to complete the process.

You can also scan barcodes if using warehouse hardware integrations.

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How Are Serial Numbers Managed on Purchase Orders?

Just like sales, serial numbers aren’t assigned on the Purchase Order itself. Instead:

1. Create a Purchase Order for the serialized item.
2. Convert it to a Bill.
3. On the Bill, assign new serial numbers to received items.

Zoho tracks whether a serial originated from an opening balance or specific bill, maintaining full traceability.

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Where Can You View Serial Number History?

To check serial movement:

1. Open the Item page.
2. Navigate to the Serial Numbers section.
3. View each serial’s full lifecycle, including:
   • Purchase/bill entries
   • Sales/invoice records
   • Returns or credit notes (if applicable)

This central view gives you a complete audit trail per serialized item.

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FAQ