# Smart Scan
The **Smart Scan** feature in Tipo app automatically detects and groups products that share matching **SKUs**. This helps you save time and reduce manual setup errors when managing large inventories.
### ℹ️ What Smart Scan does
When Smart Scan runs, it will:
* Scan your catalog for SKUs
* Group items with matching SKUs into Inventory Sync Groups
* Keep inventory consistent inside each group (so related items share the same available quantity)
* Save setup time compared to creating groups manually
> 💡 Best for stores with consistent SKU naming (for example: `TSHIRT-RED-M`, `TSHIRT-RED-L`).
### ℹ️ When should you use Smart Scan?
✅ Use Smart Scan if:
* Your products already have SKUs
* SKUs are **consistent** across variants/products that should share inventory
* You want to create many groups quickly
* You’re setting up Single-store mode for the first time
⚠️ **Avoid Smart Scan if:**
* Many products have **missing SKUs**
* SKUs are reused incorrectly (different products sharing the same SKU by mistake)
* You need a custom group that doesn’t match SKU structure\
→ In these cases, use **Manual Group Creation** instead.
***
### 🛠️ How to use
1. Open the sync app > click on **Inventory Groups** section on the left menu > click **Smart Scan** button
2. In the **Smart Scan Inventory Groups** page, configure the following options:
#### **Choose How to Handle Groups**
* **Create new groups:** Create fresh groups for products that match your scan criteria.
* **Overwrite existing groups:** Replace your current Product Groups with new ones found during the scan.
* **Create new groups if not exist and overwrite existing groups:** Create new groups for unmatched products and update any existing ones.
#### **Select Which Products to Scan**
* **All products:** Scan every product in your store.
* **Products that match the tags below:** Only scan products that contain the tags you specify.
* **Products except those that match the tags below:** Exclude products that have the specified tags (recommended if you only want to skip certain products).
💡 Example: Products that match the tags `Women`\
If you add the tag `women`, all products with this tag will be grouped during the scan.
#### Auto activate locations (Optional)
Enable **Auto activate locations** if you want the app to automatically activate the relevant locations when running Smart Scan.
3. Once all options are set, click **Scan Now** to begin grouping products automatically.
4. Optionally, click **Export CSV** to download your current product list before scanning.
***
### After the Scan
Smart Scan uses SKU as the “label” to decide what belongs together.
* If multiple items share the same SKU (or match the scan rules), they get placed in one Inventory Sync Group
* After that, the app treats that group as “linked inventory”
* When inventory changes for one item, the group stays in sync (depending on your group rules/settings)
**Example**
You sell the same item in multiple listings:
* Product A (variant) SKU: `TSHIRT-RED-M`
* Product B (variant) SKU: `TSHIRT-RED-M`
✅ Smart Scan will group these together → they share the same inventory.
**Result:**\
If `TSHIRT-RED-M` quantity becomes **12**, both listings reflect **12** (so you don’t oversell).
### 🧩 Related guides
[Sell Coffee Mug - (Inventory Sync Group for same SKU)](https://docs.tipo.io/sample-cases/sell-coffee-mug-inventory-sync-group-for-same-sku)
[Create a group manually ](https://docs.tipo.io/inventory-sync-groups/inventory-sync-groups/create-a-inventory-sync-group-manually)
***
**🙋 Still need support?**
If you still need help, please feel free to contact us at . We’ll be happy to assist you further.
