Introduction
Establishing a pre-wired connection allows InterFulfillment customers to automate their order importation process. Whenever an order is placed, it is automatically transmitted, and once the order is shipped, tracking information is sent back to the same channel that transmitted the order.
But when an order is transmitted, and the carrier and service are invalid names here is what we need to do:
The most effective way to control the carrier and service level on an order imported from a pre-wired connection is to use 'Ship Method Mappings'.
For example, when an order is transmitted from Shopify it will come in with whatever shipping method was chosen at the time of checkout. Shopify websites allow their users to put in custom shipping text which could range from anything you can imagine from 'Free Shipping for Canada' or 'Fast Overnight Shipping'.
Having flexibility on a website to use custom shipping method text is great for the user experience, but it is important to understand that when the order is transmitted into the InterFulfillment system, it will show the exact same text... unless we set up a 'Ship Method Mapping' defining that string of text for our system.
Understanding 'Ship Method Mappings' for Pre-Wired Connections
For this example, we will use a Shopify website that has 6 different shipping method:
- Free Shipping
- Fast Overnight Shipping
- Free Shipping for Canada
- Fast Overnight Shipping Canada
- Free Shipping Internationally
- Fast Overnight Shipping Internationally
Each one of these types of orders has a different shipping requirement. What is important here is that each method has a unique shipping text in Shopify. This is important because if you have 'Free Shipping' in 3 different zones, but don't differentiate them, you can only define it using a 'Ship Method Mapping' once.
In this example, here are the requirements for each of these shipping methods offered on Shopify.
- Free Shipping - UPS: Standard
- Fast Overnight Shipping - DHL: Express
- Free Shipping for Canada - RateShop
- Fast Overnight Shipping Canada - Canada Post: Xpresspost
- Free Shipping Internationally - POST NL: PostNL International Packet Tracked
- Fast Overnight Shipping Internationally - UPS: Express
As you can see in this example, there are a lot of complexities in this connection's shipping requirements. The website requires shipping spanning 5 different carriers, and 5 different service tiers. The good news is that all this can be fully automated, and the InterFulfillment customer can get the exact shipping they want each and every time.
You can learn more about each and every carrier that InterFulfillment offers here: InterFulfillment Carrier and Service Codes
You can learn more about InterFulfillment's RateShop feature here: RateShop Feature
Once the InterFulfillment customer has chosen all the different shipping methods they require for their orders, all they are required to do is email them to support@interfulfillment.com
Here is a perfect example of a 'Ship Method Mappings' setup request. It is important to note exactly what connection they are related to.
Hello,
I would like to set up the following ship method mappings for Shopify.
Free Shipping
DHL eCommerce: US Inbound Priority
Fast Overnight Shipping
Purolator: Express
Free Shipping for Canada
Canada Post: RateShop
Fast Overnight Shipping Canada
Canada Post: Xpresspost
Free Shipping Internationally
FedEx: International Economy
Fast Overnight Shipping Internationally
UPS: Express
Thank you.
As soon as you submit a request of this nature and the mapping process is complete, the InterFulfillment support member will reply with a confirmation that everything has been set up.
Don't worry, these mappings are not set in stone, If you would like to update, revise or even add a new 'Ship Method Mapping' simply email the InterFulfillment support team and they will handle the rest.
We look forward to setting this up for you and ensuring we ship all your orders to your specifications every time. If you have any further questions or concerns about these new requirements, please reach out to support for assistance. Thank you.