Leveraging DCX for Shopify fulfillment can streamline your e-commerce operations. However, understanding which settings to avoid changing incorrectly is critical to preventing disruptions and ensuring smooth order fulfillment.
Below are potential setup mistakes that could have an impact on DCX Fulfillment services.
Inventory Management Setup Mistakes
The first four mistakes are fairly common for those starting out with a DCX Fulfillment.
While Shopify is designed for a variety of businesses, including those selling digital products such as music or digital art, it offers features such as "don't track quantity" and allows for manual inventory adjustments. This flexibility can be beneficial for digital goods.
However, when dealing with physical products, certain Shopify settings should be avoided to ensure seamless integration with DCX to ensure accurate inventory management.
- MISTAKE 1: Multiple product pages with the same SKU
An SKU (Stock Keeping Unit) should uniquely identify a product variation (color, size, etc.). Avoid creating duplicate product pages with the same SKU. This can lead to inventory discrepancies and fulfillment errors.
- MISTAKE 2: Manual inventory adjustments
When you outsource fulfillment to a DCX, the warehouse staffs will check physical inventory in the warehouse and register it into the inventory management system. When there are changes (receiving order etc.), then the inventory will be adjusted accordingly.
If you change inventory levels directly in Shopify, there may be inconsistencies with the actual inventory. This can lead to overstocks, out-of-stocks, and order cancellations.
- MISTAKE 3: Disabling "Track Quantity"
This setting is essential for accurate inventory tracking. Disabling it will break the synchronization between your Shopify store and DCX.
- MISTAKE 4: Enable "Continue Selling When Out of Stock"
For normal operation, you should leave this setting turned off. Do not enable this unless you understand the implications. Otherwise, you risk selling out-of-stock products, which can lead to fulfillment problems and customer dissatisfaction.
Shipping Profiles Setup Mistakes
The next two mistakes, while less common in day-to-day operations, often stem from a lack of understanding of how a normal 3PL system like DCX communicates with Shopify stores. Typically, shipping rates and methods are determined and communicated directly between DCX and the Shopify store.
It's important to consult with the warehouse staff before making any changes that could disrupt this communication.
- MISTAKE 5: Mismatched shipping profile names
DCX uses shipping profile names to determine shipping methods for orders. Incorrect names can disrupt data flow and cause processing errors. Be sure to notify the fulfillment team before making any changes to shipping profile names.
- MISTAKE 6: Incorrect shipping rates
Changing shipping rates in Shopify without aligning with real shipping rates can lead to incorrect charges, customer dissatisfaction, and potential financial losses. Align your Shopify shipping rates with the real-world pricing chart.
Fulfillment Locations Setup Mistakes
Finally, these mistakes can disrupt stock allocation, which determines the order in which items from different locations are fulfilled.
While creating locations or modifying Order Routing in Shopify seems straightforward, it can interfere with the allocation rules established by DCX within the warehouse.
It's essential to understand that DCX has a specific sequence for fulfilling orders based on stock location. Avoid making any changes in Shopify that could disrupt this established order.
- MISTAKE 7: Incorrect default location
Set DCX as the default fulfillment location within Shopify to avoid misdirected orders and potential cancellations. Please note that once the fulfillment location is set for orders, there is no easy process to change the fulfillment location.
- MISTAKE 8: Interfering with Order Routing
Changing the order routing (managing how locations are assigned to new orders) in Shopify can potentially interfere with automatic order routing to DCX. It is better to leave this setting untouched or keep it to a minimum.
- MISTAKE 9: Unnecessary location additions
Avoid adding or changing locations in Shopify that are not directly related to DCX. This can lead to confusion and potential fulfillment errors.
Consequences of Incorrect Settings
Note that if you make the above mistakes, you may experience the following problems. Double check with your settings if any of these happens:
- Inventory Inaccuracies
Discrepancies between Shopify and warehouse inventory can lead to overselling, out-of-stocks, and order cancellations.
- Order Processing Disruptions
Incorrect settings can disrupt the smooth flow of orders, causing delays in processing and delivery.
- Data integrity issues
Inaccurate data can hinder efficient order fulfillment and informed business decisions.
Best Practices
Even the best people make mistakes. But when it comes to systems that work together, we can reduce problems by using tools to make sure everything connects smoothly and by using a dashboard to keep track of what's happening.
It's important to talk with the DCX team to minimize the risk of problems.
- Prioritize communication
Communicate regularly with DCX team about any changes to your Shopify settings or business operations that could impact order fulfillment.
- Leverage API integrations
Leverage the API real-time integrations offered by DCX to streamline data synchronization and minimize manual errors.
- Monitor order tracking regularly
Monitor order tracking information to ensure DCX is fulfilling orders accurately and efficiently.
Read More about Shopify Fulfillment and Warehousing
Check out these resources if you're looking for the right Shopify fulfillment service to manage your Shopify orders and want to learn more:
Ready to take your Shopify store to the next level? Contact us today to learn how we can help you achieve seamless fulfillment and ecommerce success.
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