Cross-Branch Inventory in Pulse

The cross-branch inventory view gives HQ a single place to see stock levels across all branches. It does not move stock between locations — it is a visibility and reconciliation tool built around shared product identifiers called catalogue SKUs.

What cross-branch inventory shows

From the Branches section in HQ (outside of any branch session), the Cross-Branch Inventory view lists all inventory items across your organisation's branches. Items are grouped into two tabs:

• Linked — items across different branches that have been mapped to the same catalogue SKU. For example, "Cement 50kg" at Branch A and "Portland Cement" at Branch B may be the same product with different local names. When both are linked to a single catalogue SKU, the view groups them and shows a combined total alongside each branch's individual count.
• Unlinked — branch items that have not been mapped to a catalogue SKU yet. These appear per branch in a flat list waiting to be categorised.

What a catalogue SKU is

A catalogue SKU is an HQ-level identifier that represents a product concept across the group, regardless of what each branch calls the item locally. SKUs are created at the HQ level and then linked to matching items in each branch's inventory. Once linked, Pulse knows that "Item A at Branch 1" and "Item B at Branch 2" are the same thing and can show a combined group total.

Linking a branch item to a catalogue SKU

From the Unlinked tab, HQ admins can select a branch item and assign it to an existing catalogue SKU or create a new one. Once linked, the item moves from the Unlinked view into the Linked grouped display. The branch does not need to do anything — the linking happens from HQ context.

Low-stock flags

Items at or below their configured reorder level are flagged inline in both the Linked and Unlinked views. This lets HQ spot which branches are running low on critical stock without switching into each branch individually.

What this view does not do

Cross-branch inventory is read-only from the HQ side. There is no transfer request, no approval workflow, and no stock movement triggered from this view. If Branch A needs to send stock to Branch B, that is handled manually outside Pulse and recorded as separate adjustments in each branch's own inventory ledger.

Who can see it

HQ admins can see all branches in this view. Non-admin HQ staff who have switcher access to specific branches see only those branches in the cross-branch view. Branch-session users are redirected to their own branch's regular inventory — the cross-branch view is a HQ-context feature only.