Inventory Items
Inventory items are physical goods that move through your operation. They can be set to Buy, Make, Sell, or any combination and they support full inventory tracking.
Video walkthrough: Creating an inventory item
Watch this video for a full walkthrough of creating an inventory item in Digit. The written steps and field reference table below cover everything in detail.
If you're just getting started, first check the Quick Start guide before diving into this in-depth guide.
The Items page has two tabs. Inventory Items contains all the physical goods your operation buys, makes, or sells.
Service Items contain non-physical work such as contract labor, design services, or outsourced processing.
How to create an inventory item
Click New Item in the top-right corner and select Inventory item from the dropdown.
Give the item a name. Note that this field is required, and it’s how the item appears across the entire platform.
Fill in any optional basic info fields: Description (internal only), SKU, GTIN, and Photos.
In General settings, set the item Status. It defaults to Active — use Draft while setting up, or Archived when the item is retired.
Category and Tags are optional but useful for organizing and filtering.
Select your Item type — Buy (you purchase it), Make (you produce it), Sell (you sell it), or any combination. When in doubt, enable all three.
As you select types, new tabs appear at the top, like: Vendors, Purchasing, Production, Sales, and Shipments. They become accessible once the item is saved.
Choose your Quantity tracking method — Standard or Serialized. This determines how inventory is tracked across the platform.
If you are not sure which is right for your operation, see When to Use Standard vs Serialized Inventory Tracking.
Under Inventory settings, set the Default stock UoM: this is required and used platform-wide. Set it carefully, as it cannot be changed after saving.
Set a Minimum stock level if applicable. When inventory drops below this number, Digit will send a daily email alert, as long as stock alerts are enabled in your platform settings.
Under Accounting settings, enter the Standard cost, which is used for cost tracking and appears in reports and data exports.
Fill in the relevant settings sections based on your item type:
- Production Settings (Make type) - For serialized items, label print fields in these sections let you choose the default label or assign a custom label. See Creating and Managing Custom Labels for a full guide on creating custom labels
- Purchasing Settings (Buy type) - Note that the default purchase UoM is required to save the item if Buy is enabled. If it differs from your stock UoM, Digit handles the conversion automatically when receiving against a purchase order.
- Sales Settings (Sell type).
Add any Custom fields at the bottom if your team needs to capture additional data, such as expiration dates, batch dates, or other data points.
Click Save, or Save and print to generate a label immediately. The modal will transition to the item detail page, where everything is editable and all tabs are accessible.
💡 Digit Tip: You will also see a Variants toggle in General settings. If you think you need it, speak with your Customer Success manager before enabling it.
✅ Best practice: It is easier to turn an item type off later than to realize something is missing. When in doubt, enable all three item types.
Field reference: Inventory items
Use this table as a full reference for every field available when creating or editing an inventory item.
Field | Required? | Value of filling in | Notes |
Basic Information |
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Name | ✅ Yes | Identifies the item across the entire platform |
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Description | No | Internal-facing context for team members, not customer-facing |
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SKU | No | Appears on labels and throughout the system; useful for barcode and label workflows | To show on labels, configure in label settings |
GTIN | No | Used for GS1-128 labels (8–14 digits). Required for retailers or distributors using GS1 barcodes. | Always visible regardless of tracking type |
Photos | No | Displayed on item detail page and inventory views; helps with visual identification |
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General Settings |
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Status | ✅ Yes (defaults to Active) | Controls item visibility and availability across the platform | Options: Active, Draft, Archived |
Variants | No | Enables product variants (e.g. size, color). Contact your CS manager before enabling. | Do not enable without consulting your CS manager |
Category | No | Helps organize and filter items in the items table |
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Tags | No | Additional filtering and organization layer |
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Item Type |
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(Buy / Make / Sell) | ✅ Yes | Determines which tabs and settings appear. Drives the full item workflow. | Any combination is valid. When in doubt, enable all three. |
Quantity Tracking |
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(Standard / Serialized) | ✅ Yes | Determines how inventory is tracked. Standard = by quantity; Serialized = by label. | Standard hides label fields and some inventory settings. |
Inventory Settings |
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Inventory Settings Default stock UoM | ✅ Yes | Used platform-wide: POs, SOs, receiving, production, shipping, reports, price lists, quotes, and deals | Cannot be changed after saving |
Gross weight per UoM | No | Stored on the system; affects shipping calculations |
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Default bin location | No | Sets the default storage location across warehouses; saves time during receiving and transfers |
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Default packaging type | No Serialized only | Used in production and shipments. Options: Item, Box, Pallet. | Only visible when Serialized tracking is selected |
Units per default packaging type | No Serialized only | Defines how many units the default package contains | Only visible when Serialized tracking is selected
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Minimum stock level | No | Triggers daily email alert when inventory drops below this level (if alerts are enabled in platform settings). Critical for reorder workflows |
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Default manual inventory print label | No Serialized only | Sets which label template is used when manually adding inventory | Only visible when Serialized tracking is selected. See: Creating and Managing Custom Labels |
Accounting Settings (All item types) |
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Standard cost | ✅ Yes | Used for cost tracking and accounting across the platform | Shown in reports and data exports |
Purchasing Settings (Buy items only) |
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Default purchase UoM | ✅ Yes | How the vendor sells the item can differ from the stock UoM. Digit handles conversion at receiving. |
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Default purchase price | No | Pre-populates purchase orders; saves data entry time |
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Default receiving print label | No | Sets the label used when receiving items | Only visible when Serialized tracking is selected |
Production Settings (Make items only) |
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Default production print label | No | Sets the label used during production runs | Only visible when Serialized tracking is selected |
Sales Settings (Sell items only) |
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Default sales UoM | No (locked to stock UoM) | Standard unit for sales transactions | Locked to default stock UoM |
Default sales price | No | Pre-populates quotes and sales orders |
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Price break | No | When enabled, it overrides the default sales price. Useful for volume pricing |
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Custom Fields (All item types) |
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Custom fields | No | Allows teams to capture additional item data not covered by standard fields | Examples: Date & Time, Expiration Date, Date Made, Batch # |
⚠️ Serialized-only fields: The following fields only appear when Serialized quantity tracking is selected: Default packaging type, Units per default packaging type, Default manual inventory print label, Default receiving print label, and Default production print label.
Service Items
Service items represent non-physical work — things like contract labor, design services, or outsourced processing. They are always purchasable and have no inventory tracking.
Video walkthrough: Creating a service item
Watch this video for a full walkthrough of creating a service item in Digit.
How to create a service item
Click + New Item in the top-right corner and select Service item from the dropdown.
Give the service a Name; this is required and how it appears across purchase orders. Description, SKU, GTIN, and Photos are optional.
In General settings, Status defaults to Active. Category and Tags are optional but help with filtering.
Under Item type, Buy is permanently enabled for all service items and cannot be changed. Service items are always something you procure.
Under Purchasing settings, set a Default purchase price if applicable — this pre-populates whenever you raise a purchase order for this service.
Add any Custom fields at the bottom as needed.
Click Save.
Adding vendors to a service item
Once the item is created, go to the Vendors tab and click Add vendor.
Search for or select a vendor from your list, add their address, and check the checkbox to set them as the preferred vendor if needed.
Click Save when done.
📘 Digit Tip: Service items are also the starting point for External Manufacturing Orders. If that is part of your workflow, check External Manufacturing Orders: Getting Started.
Field reference: Service items
Use this table as a full reference for every field available when creating or editing a service item.
Field | Required? | Value of filling in | Notes |
Basic Information |
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Name | ✅ Yes | Identifies the service item across the platform — appears in purchase orders, routing steps |
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Description | No | Internal-facing context for team members |
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SKU | No | Appears in orders and can be shown on labels if enabled |
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GTIN | No | Used for GS1-128 labels (8–14 digits). Less common for service items, but available. | Always visible regardless of item or tracking type |
Photos | No | Optional visual reference for the service |
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General Settings |
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Status | ✅ Yes (defaults to Active) | Controls item visibility and availability across the platform | Options: Active, Draft, Archived |
Category | No | Helps organize and filter service items in the items table |
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Tags | No | Additional filtering and organization layer |
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Item Type |
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(Buy) | ✅ Locked on | Service items are always purchasable. This type is permanently enabled and cannot be changed | Buy is locked and cannot be deselected |
Quantity Tracking |
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(Standard / Serialized) | ✅ Yes | Determines how inventory is tracked. Standard = by quantity; Serialized = by label. | Standard hides label fields and some inventory settings. |
Purchasing Settings |
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Default purchase price | No | Pre-populates purchase orders for this service; saves data entry time |
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Custom Fields |
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Custom fields | No | Capture additional data specific to your operation | Examples: Date & Time, Expiration Date, Date Made |
Your item is now created and fully configured in Digit. With the right item type, tracking method, and settings in place, your team has the accurate, organized catalog it needs to manage purchasing, production, and sales with confidence.