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Sync Issues

Admin Manager

Brother POS synchronizes data with external platforms like WooCommerce. When sync operations fail or get stuck, your online store and POS can fall out of alignment. This page covers common sync problems and how to resolve them.

Understanding Sync in Brother POS​

Brother POS runs sync operations as background jobs. These jobs handle:

  • WooCommerce: Product sync (both directions), order sync, inventory push, freebie campaign sync

Sync operations run on a schedule and can also be triggered manually from the admin panel. Because they run in the background, you do not see real-time progress -- results appear when the job completes.

WooCommerce Sync Issues​

Problem: Sync Appears Stuck​

The WooCommerce sync status shows "Running" or "In Progress" for an extended period, and products are not updating.

Solutions​

  1. Wait for the job to complete. Large catalogs (500+ products) can take 10-30 minutes to sync, especially on the first full sync. Check back after 15 minutes.

  2. Check the sync health monitor. Navigate to Admin > Integrations > WooCommerce > Health Monitor. This dashboard shows:

    • Last successful sync timestamp
    • Number of products synced
    • Any errors encountered during the last run
    • Auto-correction status

  3. Trigger a manual sync. If the previous sync appears stuck:

    • Go to Admin > Integrations > WooCommerce > Product Sync.
    • Click Sync Now to queue a new sync job.
    • The new job will replace the stuck one.

  4. Check WooCommerce credentials. If sync fails silently, your WooCommerce API credentials may have expired or been revoked.

    • Go to Admin > Integrations > WooCommerce > Settings.
    • Verify the Store URL, Consumer Key, and Consumer Secret are correct.
    • Test the connection by clicking Test Connection if available.

  5. Check your WooCommerce site. Log in to your WordPress/WooCommerce admin and verify:

    • The REST API is enabled (WooCommerce > Settings > Advanced > REST API).
    • The API key has read/write permissions.
    • The site is accessible (not in maintenance mode).
Rate limiting

WooCommerce servers (especially shared hosting) may rate-limit API requests. If your hosting plan has API rate limits, large sync operations can take significantly longer or fail partway through. Consider upgrading your hosting if sync is consistently slow.

Problem: Products Not Appearing in WooCommerce After Sync​

  1. Check if the product is marked for sync. Not all Brother POS products sync to WooCommerce. Verify the product has WooCommerce sync enabled in its settings.

  2. Check product status in WooCommerce. The product may have synced but been set to "Draft" status in WooCommerce. Log in to WooCommerce and check.

  3. Check for validation errors. Products missing required fields (like a description or price) may be rejected by WooCommerce. Review the sync health monitor for specific error messages.

  4. Check category mapping. If the product's category does not exist in WooCommerce, the sync may skip it or create a new category.

Problem: Inventory Counts Do Not Match​

Brother POS shows a different stock level than WooCommerce for the same product.

  1. Determine which system is authoritative. Brother POS is typically the source of truth for inventory. The inventory push sends Brother POS stock levels to WooCommerce, not the other way around.

  2. Trigger an inventory push. Go to Admin > Integrations > WooCommerce > Inventory Sync and click Push Inventory to send current Brother POS stock levels to WooCommerce.

  3. Check for recent WooCommerce orders. Online orders placed on WooCommerce reduce inventory on the WooCommerce side. If these orders have not been pulled into Brother POS yet, there will be a temporary discrepancy.

  4. Check the change detection log. Brother POS monitors for unexpected inventory changes in WooCommerce and auto-corrects them. The health monitor shows whether auto-correction is enabled and active.

Enable auto-correction

The WooCommerce health monitor includes an auto-correction feature that detects and fixes inventory discrepancies automatically. Ensure this is enabled in Admin > Integrations > WooCommerce > Health Monitor.

General Sync Troubleshooting​

Problem: Background Jobs Are Not Running​

If no sync operations are completing (for any integration), the background job processor may be down.

Solutions​

  1. Check background job status. This requires admin access or server access.

    • In the admin panel, check if background job indicators show activity.
    • If you have server access, verify the background job processor is running.

  2. Contact your admin or Brother POS support. If the background job processor is down, it needs to be restarted at the server level. This is not something store staff can fix.

Background job queues

Sync operations run at a lower priority than critical operations like receipt printing. If only sync jobs are stalled, the issue may be with the sync processing system specifically.

Problem: Duplicate Products After Sync​

Products appear twice in Brother POS or in the external platform after a sync.

Solutions​

  1. Check for SKU mismatches. Brother POS matches products between systems using the SKU. If a product in WooCommerce has a different SKU than in Brother POS, it may be treated as a separate product.

  2. Merge duplicates manually. In Brother POS, identify the duplicate products. Keep the one with correct data and delete or deactivate the other. Then trigger a fresh sync.

  3. Check for deleted-and-recreated products. If a product was deleted in one system and recreated, it gets a new internal ID. The sync may treat it as a new product.

Problem: Price Discrepancies Between Systems​

The same product shows different prices in Brother POS and the external platform.

  1. Determine which system is authoritative. Typically, Brother POS is the source of truth for pricing. Prices set in Brother POS push outward to WooCommerce.

  2. Check for tiered pricing. Brother POS supports quality tier pricing (AA/AAA/AAAA). This maps to quantity-based pricing in WooCommerce. Verify the tier mapping is correct.

  3. Check tax settings. Brother POS stores prices pre-tax. If WooCommerce is configured to display prices including tax, the visible prices will differ even though the underlying price is the same.

  4. Trigger a price sync. Force a product sync to push the latest Brother POS prices to the external platform.

Preventing Sync Issues​

  1. Make changes in one system. Establish Brother POS as the primary system for product data. Make all changes in Brother POS and let them sync outward. Avoid making conflicting changes in both systems.

  2. Monitor the health dashboard. Check Admin > Integrations > WooCommerce > Health Monitor regularly for warnings and errors.

  3. Keep SKUs consistent. Every product should have a unique SKU that matches across all systems.

  4. Review sync logs after major changes. After bulk imports, price updates, or category reorganizations, verify the sync completed successfully.

When to Contact Support​

Contact your admin or Brother POS support if:

  • Sync operations consistently fail after trying all solutions
  • You see error messages referencing API rate limits or authentication failures
  • Duplicate products keep reappearing after cleanup
  • Inventory discrepancies persist despite manual correction