The Clover Inventory App: Understanding Pricing Type Limitations (Fixed, Variable, and Per Unit)

Many Clover merchants, especially those selling items by weight, measure, or custom amounts (e.g., produce, deli meats, candy, fabric, or bulk goods), encounter a common issue in the Inventory app: the "Per Unit" (or "by unit"/"price per unit") pricing option is missing, with only Fixed and Variable available.

This is not a software bug or setup error—it's a deliberate feature restriction based on your Clover subscription plan.

Clover Item Pricing Types Overview

Clover supports three main pricing types for items in the Inventory app:

• Fixed Price — Standard items with a set price (e.g., $5.99 for a bottle of soda). Available on all Clover plans, including basic/entry-level ones like Essentials or Starter equivalents.
• Variable Price — Price entered manually at checkout (useful for custom pricing, discounts, or items without a fixed amount). Also widely available across most plans.
• Per Unit Price (also called "price per unit" or "sell by weight/measure") — Designed for items sold by quantity like lb, oz, kg, ft, etc. You set a price per unit (e.g., $3.79/lb) and a unit of measure. At checkout, the system calculates the total based on entered weight or quantity—often integrating with connected scales for automatic weighing and pricing.

Per Unit enables seamless scale integration (e.g., with models like CAS SW-20) and accurate charging for variable-measure goods, improving efficiency in retail, grocery, deli, or specialty stores.

Why "Per Unit" May Not Appear in Your Inventory

From direct support interactions and Clover documentation:

• Per Unit pricing is gated behind higher-tier subscription plans (typically Register plan and above, or equivalent mid-tier/Advanced plans in retail verticals).
• Lower-tier plans (e.g., Essentials, Payments, Starter, or basic equivalents) limit item setup to Fixed and Variable only. The Per Unit option is hidden or unavailable to encourage upgrades for businesses needing advanced inventory features like weighed sales, variants, cost tracking, or scale support.

Examples from Clover resources:

• "Some item attributes, such as items with variants, per unit price, and cost tracking, are only supported on the Register plan and above."
• "Price per unit (available for plans above the Essentials plan)."
• Community requests (e.g., on Clover UserVoice) highlight users asking to add Per Unit to Essentials, confirming its absence on basic tiers.

If your plan doesn't support it, attempting to use third-party apps or workarounds won't unlock Per Unit functionality—it's enforced at the platform level.

Related: Variable Price Barcode Parser App (from CSI Works)

If you're using CSI Works' Variable Price Barcode Parser app to handle price-embedded barcodes (e.g., from label-printing scales), note this important compatibility detail:

• The app works only when items are set up as Variable Price in Clover Inventory.
• It parses barcodes to extract the item code and total price, auto-applying it at checkout—great for speeding up sales of weighed/pre-packaged variable items.
• However, it cannot be used (or substitute) for true Per Unit items, as those require the platform's built-in per-unit calculation and scale integration.
• If your items need Per Unit (e.g., for dynamic weighing at checkout), upgrade your Clover plan first. Then, for barcode workflows, configure as Variable if using this parser, or leverage native Per Unit features.

Implications for Your Business

• Basic/Starter plans suit simple fixed-price retail or service businesses but fall short for weighed or measured sales.
• Mid/Advanced plans (e.g., Register, Retail Growth/Standard) unlock Per Unit, enabling:
  • Scale-connected weighing
  • Accurate inventory tracking for bulk/variable-measure items
  • Better customer experience at checkout

Next Steps to Enable Per Unit Pricing

1. Log in to your Clover Merchant Dashboard or contact your Clover reseller/partner to review your current plan.
2. Ask about upgrading to a tier that includes advanced inventory features (e.g., Register or higher in retail verticals).
3. Once upgraded, revisit the Inventory app → Add/Edit Item → Pricing section; Per Unit should now appear.
4. For scale setup or barcode parsing needs, explore CSI Works tools like Variable Price Barcode Parser (free trial available) or native integrations.

This plan-based gating ensures Clover tailors features to business scale while keeping entry-level plans affordable. Upgrading often pays off quickly for merchants handling variable-measure inventory.