Overview: SKUs

This article tells you everything you need to know about SKUs.

What is a SKU?

A stock keeping unit, or SKU, is a short unique identifier assigned to each individual item you provide to your backers. Properly setting up your SKUs is a key part of a successful campaign with BackerKit.

How do I create SKUs?

Following the steps in the Item Generator, you’ll create a SKU for every item in your project and generate the corresponding survey questions so your backers can choose the options they want. If your item has multiple options, such as size and color, the Item Generator helps you create a unique SKU for each combination.

Setting up your items with the Item Generator simplifies the ordering process for your backers, generates accurate counts for manufacturing, and streamlines fulfillment.

Important: Each unique item in your project must have its own SKU.

Example: color and size options

If your project has a lot of individual items and options, you may end up with a lot of SKUs. Keep in mind that an item is the unique product and the options are the choices you’re offering for the item. For example, say you’re offering a t-shirt to your backers. The t-shirt is your item. If you offer your t-shirt in three colors (red, blue, and green), then color is the first option for your item, and the choices are red, blue, and green. If you offer your t-shirt in three different sizes, then size is the second option for your item and the choices are small, medium, and large. In the end, you’ll have nine SKUs for your t-shirt, one for each color and size combination.

Example: region options

When setting up your project, it’s important to distinguish between unique items and items with different options. Let’s say your item is an electric lamp. Your campaign has backers in North America, South America, the UK, Europe, India, and China, so you’re manufacturing the lamp with a plug for each region. You’ll set up your lamp as one unique item in the Item Generator with an option, such as region, to allow your backers to choose their location and receive their lamp with the appropriate plug.

Note: You’ll set up one item with multiple options. You don’t need to set up each item individually.

When you complete your item setup, you’ll have six unique (but associated) SKUs – one for each region that requires a different type of plug.

Example: items with options and items without options

Here’s another example. Let’s say you created a new board game and you’re offering a carrying case for the game. The game and carrying case are two unique items with two unique SKUs. Now let’s say you’re offering two colors of the carrying case, red and blue. You’ll need to set up your carrying case as a unique item, and then set up two color choices for your carrying case: a red carrying case and a blue carrying case. You still have two unique items, but you now have a total of three SKUs: one for the game, one for the red case, and one for the blue case.

Feeling overwhelmed? Don’t worry! The Item Generator guides you through creating SKUs and helps you generate and keep track of the SKUs for all the different options for your items.