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How To Create Shipping Rules

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To create Shipping Rules in StoreFeeder, first click 'Settings' in the top right hand corner of the page.

You will then see the 'Integration Manager' page.

Click 'Shipping Configuration' in the menu on the left of this page and then select 'Shipping Rules'.

Here you will see any existing shipping rules you may have as well as the option to add new ones. To add a new shipping rule, click the green '+Add Rule' button as circled in the image below.

You will now see the 'New Shipping Rule' window. Here you will be able to enter the criteria that will be applied to every order as it is imported into StoreFeeder, ensuring that the order has the correct shipping method applied to it and the correct label is created.

The following criteria can be used for Shipping Rules:

  • Rule Name (optional)
    • Give the Shipping Rule a name to make it more easy to identify.
  • Priority (optional)
    • o A value between 1 and 99. This will be used to help determine which rule to use if more than one equally specific rule matches an Order.
  • Enabled (required)
    • Shipping Rules can be enabled or disabled. Disabled rules will not be considered against your new Orders.
  • Channel (optional)
    • Select a particular channel that the rule applies to or leave it as ‘All Channels’ so the rule will apply to Orders from all Channels
  • Channel Shipping Method (optional)
    • Select a particular Channel Shipping Method that the rule applies to or leave it as ‘All Shipping Methods’ so the rule will apply to Orders with any Channel Shipping Method
  • Order Total (optional)
    • Min and Max values. The total of an Order will need to be within the specified range for the Rule to apply.
  • Order Subtotal (optional)
    • Min and Max values. The subtotal of an Order will need to be within the specified range for the Rule to apply.
  • Shipping Cost (optional)
    • Min and Max values. The Shipping Cost of an Order will need to be within the specified range for the Rule to apply.
  • Order Weight (optional)
    • Min and Max values. The weight of an Order will need to be within the specified range for the Rule to apply.
  • Packaging Size (optional)
    • Select a particular Packaging Size that the rule applies to or leave it as ‘All Sizes’ so the rule will apply to Orders with any Packaging Size
  • Shipping Region
    • Select a particular Shipping Region that the rule applies to or leave it as ‘All Regions’ so the rule will apply to Orders from any location.
  • Hazardous Items (required)
    • Specify whether the rule applies to Orders containing Hazardous Items.
  • Fragile Items
    • Specify whether the rule applies to Orders containing Fragile Items.
  • Shipping Method (required)
    • Specify the Shipping Method that should be applied to an Order if this Shipping Method is used

Click the ‘Save’ button once you’re happy to create the new Rule.

You will now see the shipping rule has been added to StoreFeeder

Please note that in order to work correctly, shipping rules cannot have overlapping values. For example, if orders that weigh 2kg and above are sent using a tracked shipping method, the weight of the first rule will need to have a maximum of 1.99kg and the second rule will need a minimum weight of 2kg to ensure that the rules do not conflict.

 

Managing and Editing Your Rules

The following section explains how you disable rules, change rule criteria once you have created them and how some of the decisions the shipping rules make are calculated.

 

Shipping Rule Currency

When specifying the Order Total, Order Subtotal and Shipping Cost criteria in a Shipping Rule you will need to take care about what currency is being used.

The currency of a Shipping Rule is tied to the Channel criteria in the rule. If your rule applies to ‘All Channels’ then we will use your Account Default Currency. If your rule applies to a specific channel then we will use your Channel Default Currency.

In the event that we’re comparing a rule to an order with a different currency than the rule, we will perform a conversion from the Order currency to the Rule currency before comparing the Order Total, Subtotal and Shipping Cost values.

 

Editing Shipping Rules

To edit an existing Shipping Rule hover your cursor over the 'Shipping Rule ID' in the Shipping Grid and then click the ‘Edit’ link. This will open up the Shipping Rule in a window where you can edit the details.

Click the ‘Save’ button to accept your changes.

 

Editing in bulk

You are also able to edit Shipping Rules in bulk using our Export function.  If required, filter the shipping rules for the ones you wish to update in bulk.  Then tick the box of any you wish to export as highlighted below. (if you wish to export all your rules then just tick the box indicated by the arrow)

mceclip0.png

 

After you have selected any rules you will to export, click the Export Rules button.  This will produce a spreadsheet for you to update the values.  If you are simply wanting to update which shipping method is chosen by the rule you just need to enter the name as it appears in StoreFeeder into the "Shipping Method" column.  Save this file as a new copy with a different name.

 

After you are happy with your changes all you need to do is head to the Shipping Method Import page.  Press the Select File button, browse for the file you just updated and then hit Import.  (Unless you are trying to remove values from your shipping rules we recommend to leave Skip Blank Fields set to yes.

After the import you will get a summary of what has updated as below

mceclip1.png

We recommend you keep a backup of the exported file in case your changes have unexpected side effects.  To resolve you just import the original file back into StoreFeeder.

 

Cloning Shipping Rules

If you’d like to clone an existing Shipping Rule so that you can use it as the basis of a new rule, hover your cursor over the 'Shipping Rule ID' in the Shipping Rules grid and then click the ‘Clone’ link. This will open up the 'Edit Shipping Rule' window and pull through the values from the existing rule.

Make any necessary changes and then click ‘Save’ to save the new cloned rule.

 

Enabling/Disabling Shipping Rules

To Enable/Disable a Shipping Rule you can either click the ‘Edit’ link on that rule and then change the Enabled value and click ‘Save button’ or you can use the Bulk Enable/Disable from the Grid.

Select the rules you want to Enable/Disable by checking the box next to the rule and then click ‘Enable Rules’ or ‘Disable Rules’.

 

Deleting Rules

If you want to delete a rule you can either hover your cursor over the 'Shipping Rule ID' in the grid and click the ‘Delete’ link or use the Bulk Delete Rules from the grid.

Select the rules you want to Delete by checking the box next to the rule and then click the ‘Delete Rules’ button. Using either of these options will first ask you to confirm that you wish to delete the rules.

Please note that if you delete a Shipping Rule it will not be retrievable. If you want to prevent a Shipping Rule for having any effect then Disable the shipping rule.

 

Apply Shipping Rules to Unshipped Orders

If you want to re-run your Shipping Rules against your orders then you can click the ‘Apply Shipping Rules to Unshipped Orders’ button on the Shipping Rules page.

Please note, this will only reapply Shipping Rules to Orders that are not already despatched.

 

Once you have added your shipping rules, you can test them using the Shipping Rules Tester page. For more information please see the How to Test Shipping Rules knowledgebase.

 

The following details for Packaging Sizes, Channel Shipping Methods and Shipping Regions is supporting information for the above.

Packaging Sizes in Brief

What is a Packaging Size

Within StoreFeeder you're able to specify a number of different Packaging Sizes. These are basically different sized boxes or packaging that you'll put your items in when you despatch them. By setting 'Packaging Sizes' and 'Packaging Quantities' against products in StoreFeeder, the most appropriate size package can be determined for that Order. You can find out more about exactly how Packaging Sizes work in StoreFeeder in our Packaging Size Knowledgebase.

Why do I need Packaging Sizes?

We use Packaging Sizes as a criteria in Shipping Rules. This means that you can apply particular packaging sizes to certain rules to ensure the correct Shipping Method will be selected.

For example, let's say you've got a very large box that you use for oversize orders. Because of the size of this box, it will need to be shipped via a particular Shipping Service with a carrier that will take large items. By creating a Shipping Rule for this packaging size, you can be sure that the correct service will be assigned to the order.

Channel Shipping Methods in Brief

What is a Channel Shipping Method

The Channel Shipping Methods on an order is the service assigned to an order on your sales channel. When an order is imported into StoreFeeder, the channel tell us was the selected Shipping Method for that order is. The specifics of this will vary from channel to channel, but in concept it's actually pretty simple. Let's say for instance that one of your Customers placed an order on one of your Sales Channels. That customer selected that they wanted next-day shipping when they completed the order. When we import that order the channel will tell StoreFeeder that the Shipping Method for the order is 'NextDay'. In this example, 'NextDay' would be the Channel Shipping Method.

Why do I need Channel Shipping Methods?

Channel Shipping Methods are a vital part of our Shipping Rules system. You can set up rules to cater for different Channel Shipping Methods so that your orders will be despatched via the appropriate Shipping Method.

For example you may have an expedited Shipping Method which you'll need to use if this customer pays for quick shipping.

Shipping Regions in Brief

What is a Shipping Region?

A Shipping Region is a grouping of different geographical locations which are created for the purpose of use in Shipping Rules. At the top level Shipping Regions are defined by Countries. You can choose to include as many countries as you wish in a Shipping Region. Depending on the country we also offer the ability to define regions within a country as being included (or excluded) from that Shipping Region.

If you include America or Canada in your Shipping Region you have the ability to specify individual States and Provinces within your Shipping Region. If you include the UK in your Shipping Region you have the ability to specify individual counties, and within those counties you are able to specify individual postcode areas, giving you a very fine level of control. You can find out more about exactly how Shipping Regions work in StoreFeeder in our Shipping Region Knowledgebase.

Why do I need Shipping Regions?

Your Shipping Regions can be used as a criteria in your Shipping Rules to help select the best Shipping Method for sending that order.

Let's consider an example.

You're using Courier Company A to send your goods and your preferred Shipping Service is their "Next Day Delivery" option. However, the Shipping Company can only send items in this service to UK Mainland locations. This means you can't use that Shipping Method for International or remote UK locations (such as the Channel and Scottish Isles).

By defining a Shipping Region that only includes the UK, and within that only includes the counties and postcodes that the supplier will deliver to and applying that Shipping Region as a criteria in a Shipping Rule you can be sure that that Shipping Rule will only apply to Orders that are for those locations.

Let's consider another example quickly. Courier Company A has a Shipping Service called "Euro Standard", which you can use to send internationally to anywhere in Europe. To help us ensure that the right orders are sent out with this service we can define another Shipping Region. This time we could add in all European countries (excluding the UK, we'd use our domestic service for that) to our Shipping Region. If we used that as a criteria in a new Shipping Rule then we'd know that only orders going to one of the countries defined in that Shipping Region would apply to that rule.

 

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