Explains common uses for product automation, the two types available, how ShipStation identifies products, and how to create product records.
Product Automation is automation that applies to orders when the order contains a specific product.
Product Automation is the first type of automation ShipStation applies to orders after they import into or are created in the Awaiting Shipment status.
Common uses for Product Automation include:
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Setting the order weight
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Entering package dimensions (for single item orders only)
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Selecting a service and package type (for single item orders only)
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Entering customs information
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Defining the SKU used for FBA or Shipwire
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Tagging orders with special requirements
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You must have product records in ShipStation.
If you are a new ShipStation user and do not yet have product records in ShipStation, review the Create Product Records section below to learn how to create product records first.
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Product Automation only applies to orders when the product represents the entirety of the order. This means Product Defaults will not apply to multi-item orders.
Additionally, some defaults will not apply to multi-quantity orders.
Review the Product Automation: Defaults article for more details on the specific product defaults. Review How do I create Automation Rules for Muti-product orders? to learn how to leverage automation rules for orders that contain more than one product.
There are two types of Product Automation:
However your orders end up in ShipStation, ShipStation will check the items in the order and try to match them to existing product records in your ShipStation account.
If ShipStation matches an item to a product record, then ShipStation applies the product defaults for that product or Preset Group to the order.
If no match is found, no product automation applies (though service mapping or automation rules could still apply).
ShipStation uses either the product SKU or name to identify the product, depending on the settings for the store the order belongs to. By default, ShipStation identifies products by their SKU.
While not common, some stores do not use SKUs. If this is the case for your store, you can tell ShipStation to use the product name instead. To adjust how ShipStation identifies products, go to Settings > Selling Channels > Store Setup, and Edit the store. In the Products tab, choose to identify products by name instead of SKU.
Before you can use Product Automation, you must have product records. This section describes how product records are created in ShipStation.
There are three ways in which product records can be created in ShipStation:
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Method |
Description |
|---|---|
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Automatically |
ShipStation automatically creates product records when orders import into ShipStation and contain items. |
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Manually |
You can manually create individual product records in ShipStation in the Products tab. |
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CSV Import |
You can import product records in bulk from a CSV file by using the Import option in the Products tab. |
ShipStation automatically creates new product records as orders are created within a store. This setting is enabled by default in each of your store's settings Products tab.
When enabled, ShipStation creates new product records any time an order imports and contains a product that does not already exist in your ShipStation account. The product record that is created will include the product SKU and product name sent in the order.
If you do not want ShipStation to automatically create product records, go to Settings > Selling Channels > Store Setup, and Edit the store. Within the Products tab of the store settings, you can enable or disable the setting to create new products.
If you have a large number of products to create, you can create them in bulk by importing a CSV file with your product information.
To upload your products in bulk:
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Go to the Products tab.
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Click the Import button.
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Click Select File and choose the product CSV file you want to load into ShipStation.
Product CSV Format!
Product CSV imports require a pre-formatted CSV file that uses specific column headers. If you're not already familiar with this format, you can download a pre-formatted CSV file from the Import pop-up in ShipStation.
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Select whether to identify products by SKU or Name.
This import setting should match how your store identifies products.
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Choose whether you want ShipStation to update existing products with the information in the spreadsheet or only import new products.
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Click the Start Import button when you're ready.
You’ll see a success message once your product import is finished!