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Quote faster: Sidekick, auto-save, barcodes and stock checks

4 min readUpdated 31 Oct 2026Advanced

Where are you working?

Use Sidekick to prepare a quote, auto-save to keep eligible edits, and POS scanning to find stocked products. Check location stock before promising availability.

Each tool serves a different part of quoting. Start with Create a quote or order if you have not created a sale yet.

Before you start

Sidekick

It must be available in your Shopify admin. You still review and save the quote yourself.

Auto-save

Changing the setting needs Manage order and quote settings. New quotes need an initial manual save.

Scanning

Shopify variants need a matching barcode or SKU. The product must be active and available on POS.

Draft with Sidekick

  1. Step 1: Describe the sale

    Open Sidekick in Shopify admin. Ask it to prepare Olivia Bennett's Linden Sofa quote, naming her chosen fabric and delivery requirements.

    Follow the OrderPilot link it returns. A prefilled create form opens for your review.

  2. Step 2: Review and create

    Check the customer, location, products, options and extras. Correct anything missing, then click Create Quote when the form is ready.

    Sidekick itself saves nothing. The saved quote comes from your confirmation on the create form.

    You can also ask Sidekick about an order or a purchase order, then follow its link to the record. Use the record to verify the answer.

Turn on auto-save

  1. Step 1: Enable quote auto-save

    Go to SettingsQuotes & ordersDefaultsQuotes. Under Saving quotes, tick Auto-save quotes after the first save.

    The setting is off by default. Click Save in the Unsaved changes bar at the top.

  2. Step 2: Watch a saved quote

    Open an unsigned, unpaid quote or draft that has not become a Shopify order. Change a field and stop typing for 3 seconds.

    The indicator under the title moves through Saving… to Saved with a time. Check that confirmation before leaving. The Activity timeline lists the edit as Auto-saved with a new version.

    The auto-save confirmation beside a quote
    The saved time confirms the latest eligible edit.

    Auto-save never changes status or sends email. It skips signed records, records with payments and records already placed as Shopify orders.

Scan a product

  1. Step 1: Open the picker

    Tap Add product / fee. For the camera, tap Scan at the end of the filter row.

    A Bluetooth or built-in scanner can scan while the picker is open. The picker displays Looking up barcode during the lookup.

    The POS product picker's Scan action
    Scan from the open product picker.

  2. Step 2: Choose the match

    One matching variant opens its item screen. When several products share the value, choose the intended product from the matching results.

    The lookup matches barcode first, then SKU, exactly. Configure the item and add it as you would any other product.

Check stock before selling

  1. Step 1: Read stock at the register

    Read the product row's stock here and elsewhere. Orange indicates no stock here; red indicates none anywhere.

    Open the item and read Stock Source: This location with its count, and Other location with how many units other locations hold. Untracked products do not show this stock section.

    An item's stock here and elsewhere
    Read local stock before promising the item.

  2. Step 2: Inspect the other locations

    Tap See all locations. Stock by Location shows the variant's location details.

    Follow Order New and floor stock before selecting another source or a made-to-order location. A stock count alone is not a sourcing choice.

    Hide out-of-stock products on POS hides products with no stock at the register's location. It starts off and is under Delivery & stock settings.

What happens next

A created Sidekick quote is a normal quote. Auto-saved edits update its Shopify draft, and a scanned item becomes a normal product line.

Example: a busy showroom visit

Example · Harlow & Finch Interiors

Check the prepared work

Sam Ortiz uses these tools across separate customer conversations.

  1. Sam asks Sidekick to prepare Olivia's sofa quote and checks every field before saving.
  2. Sam edits Priya's eligible quote and waits for Saved.
  3. On POS, Sam scans a Mira Dining Chair for Marcus Reed.
  4. Sam checks local and warehouse stock before discussing the remaining quantity.

If something goes wrong

Couldn't save · Retry

Read any reason and retry. Not saved or Auto-save stopped means the edit has not received a saved confirmation.

Auto-save does nothing

Check the first manual save, signature, payment and placed-order state.

No product found for barcode

Check the exact barcode or SKU and the product's POS availability, or search by name.

Already on this order

Change the existing line's quantity.

The item is hidden by POS settings

It has no stock at the register's location and out-of-stock hiding is enabled.

The last scan is still loading

Wait for it to finish before scanning again.

The barcode lookup failed

Retry once the message clears, or search instead.

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