As an e-commerce seller, your SKU (Stock Keeping Unit) codes are the backbone of your entire inventory system. A well-designed SKU naming convention helps you identify products instantly, reduces packing errors, and makes your order fulfillment dramatically faster. Yet, many sellers still use random or platform-generated SKU codes that mean nothing to their packing team.
What is a SKU and Why Does It Matter?
A SKU is a unique alphanumeric code that you assign to each product variant in your catalog. Unlike a barcode (which is assigned by the platform), a SKU is created by you, the seller. It should encode meaningful information about the product so that anyone in your warehouse can identify the item just by reading the SKU code.
For example, instead of using Meesho's auto-generated SKU like MSH-7829401, you could create a descriptive SKU like BLU-KURTI-M-COT (Blue Kurti, Medium, Cotton). This tells your packer exactly what to pick without looking at the product image.
How to Design Your SKU Format
Follow this structure to create readable, scalable SKU codes:
[CATEGORY]-[PRODUCT]-[SIZE]-[COLOR]-[MATERIAL]
- Category: First 2-3 letters of the product category (e.g., KUR for Kurti, TSH for T-Shirt, SAR for Saree)
- Product: A short identifier (e.g., FLORAL, PLAIN, PRINTED)
- Size: S, M, L, XL, XXL, or FREE for one-size products
- Color: First 3 letters (BLU, RED, BLK, WHT, GRN)
- Material: Optional (COT for Cotton, POL for Polyester, SIL for Silk)
Real Examples
KUR-FLORAL-L-BLU-COT→ Kurti, Floral Print, Large, Blue, CottonTSH-PLAIN-M-BLK-POL→ T-Shirt, Plain, Medium, Black, PolyesterSAR-SILK-FREE-RED-SIL→ Saree, Silk, Free Size, Red, SilkJNS-SLIM-32-BLU-DEN→ Jeans, Slim Fit, Size 32, Blue, Denim
Common SKU Mistakes to Avoid
- Using spaces in SKUs: Always use hyphens (-) or underscores (_). Spaces cause problems in CSV exports and database systems.
- Making SKUs too long: Keep them under 20 characters. Your packing team needs to read them quickly.
- Using the same SKU across platforms: Your Meesho and Flipkart listings should use the same SKU for the same product. This lets you track total inventory across all platforms.
- Not updating SKUs when adding variants: When you add a new color to an existing product, create a new SKU — don't reuse the old one.
How EasyOrderLabel Uses Your SKUs
When you upload a shipping label PDF to EasyOrderLabel, our tool automatically reads the SKU codes from each label. It then:
- Groups all labels with the same SKU together
- Sorts sizes within each SKU (S → M → L → XL)
- Generates a complete SKU summary with quantities
- Lets you edit quantities and export as Excel, CSV, or PDF
The better your SKU naming convention, the more useful this summary becomes. When your packing team sees KUR-FLORAL-L-BLU in the summary, they know exactly which shelf to go to. With random codes like MSH-1847291, they are lost.
Pro Tip: Create a Master SKU Sheet
Maintain a Google Sheet or Excel file with all your SKU codes, product names, current stock levels, and shelf locations. Update it daily after dispatching orders. This master sheet combined with the SKU summary from EasyOrderLabel gives you a complete real-time inventory picture without expensive software.