SKU: Stock Keeping Unit

A Stock Keeping Unit, or SKU, is a unique alphanumeric code assigned by a retailer or manufacturer to identify and track a specific product. For example, every single shoebox in a shoe store (or style of shoe) would have a special code on it - that's the SKU. This code doesn't just represent the shoe itself, but all its variations. Each variation would still have the same core identity (the running shoe), but the SKU might have an additional letter or number appended to differentiate the size or color (e.g., SKU1234-M for a medium size and SKU1234-L for a large).