ChannelEngine: shipments

About this article

This article describes how to manage shipments on ChannelEngine. To learn how to manage your shipments via the Merchant API, check out Merchant API: shipments.

Table of contents

Introduction

Create a shipment

Update a shipment

Shipments overview

Shipment details

When is a shipment exported?

• Example A
• Example B

Default shipment settings

Introduction

Once you have physically processed and shipped an order, or at least prepared it for shipment, you need to create a shipment on ChannelEngine to 'close' the order. As long as the order is still marked as In progress, ChannelEngine continues to reserve the stock for it, so it is crucial to submit the correct shipment information.

Create a shipment

With merchant plugins like Adobe Commerce, you can create a shipment that is then automatically exported to ChannelEngine. Alternatively, you can use the Merchant API to export your shipment from any system of your choice. If you do not use a merchant plugin, ERP, or an API connection with ChannelEngine, you can also use the ChannelEngine interface to create a shipment.

From the Orders overview, click the truck icon next to the order. Alternatively, you can open the order details, click Create shipment at the bottom of the page, and fill out the required information.

Depending on the marketplace, you can choose between shipping the full order or just part of it. Whether partial shipments are possible is determined by the order support for a marketplace, which is visible on the order response body if you use ChannelEngine's Merchant API. You then fill out the following fields:

• Shipment method - the carrier responsible for fulfilling the order. E.g.: DHL.
• Tracking code - the tracking code assigned to the shipment package. If included, the tracking code is visible to the buyer. Maximum 50 characters.
• Return method - the carrier responsible for delivering the return.
• Return tracking code - the return tracking code for the shipped package. 
• Merchant shipment number - the unique shipment reference you assign to the shipment. If you do not have a Merchant shipment number, which most systems automatically generate, enter the Order number – or any other unique number. Bear in mind that you cannot reuse a Merchant shipment number; it must be unique.
• Ships from (optional) - the stock location, if applicable, or the country where you are shipping the package from.

Update a shipment

In some cases, you can update a shipment after it has been created. This is possible when:

• The shipment has not yet been exported to the marketplace. You can check the channel status of the shipment to determine whether it has been exported. To do this, go to Orders, Shipments, and filter your shipments by the Not exported yet status.
• The shipment was exported, but the marketplace rejected it due to an error. In this case, you can correct the error and re-export the shipment.
• The shipment was exported, but the marketplace allows full or partial updates. If the carrier or tracking information has changed, you can update it – but only a few marketplaces allow this, e.g.: Amazon, Target Plus, Shopify, TikTok Shop.

To update an existing shipment via ChannelEngine’s web interface:

1. From the left-hand side menu, go to Orders, Shipments.
2. Find the shipment and click the eye icon to open it.
3. In the Shipment details section, click the pencil icon to edit.
4. Update the necessary fields and click Save.

To update an existing shipment via ChannelEngine’s Merchant API, call the endpoint PUT /v2/shipments/{merchantShipmentNo}. To learn more, check out the article Merchant API: shipments.

Shipments overview

To view an overview of all shipments, go to Orders, Shipments from the left-hand side menu.

This page shows a list of all shipments, with the latest at the top. The individual columns and their headers show what type of data they contain, and by clicking the eye icon by each shipment, you can view the shipment details.

The top of the page contains a search function, a selection of filters, a button to clear applied filters, and another button to export selected shipments in CSV format.

Search and filters 

Search bar

Use free text to search for specific shipments based on the:

• ChannelEngine order ID
• ChannelEngine shipment ID
• Channel order number
• Merchant order number
• Merchant shipment number

You can search for partial matches by entering one or more characters of an ID (order or shipment), order number (channel, merchant), or merchant shipment number. E.g.: searching for 1 returns any shipments where the ID or number contains the number 1. You can also search multiple IDs or numbers at once. For multiple ID/number searches, only exact matches are returned. Make sure you enter a space between the IDs or numbers when you search.

Use the following search filters to refine your free-text search:

• ID/no. - allows you to filter shipments by their order ID, shipment ID, or order number (merchant or channel).
• Customer data - if you have access to customer information, you can use the search with the Customer data filter to search for shipments based on specific customer information (billing first name, last name, company name, street name, email) or the shipment method.

Filters

• Channel - filter shipments from one or more marketplaces. If none is selected, all are shown. 
• Order line status - filter shipments by order status: Shipped, In backorder, and Canceled.
• Created date - filter on the period in which the orders were created. E.g.: 7/1/2021 - 7/31/2021.
• Status - filter by shipment status: Pending and Closed. 
  • Pending shipments are missing information; therefore, they are not exported to the marketplace. 
  • Closed shipments are complete, and, depending on the Channel status, they may or may not be exported to the marketplace.
• Clear filters - removes all filters applied.

CSV exports

Click Export selection to export the selected shipments in CSV format. The data included in the export includes:

• Shipment ID
• Order ID
• Channel
• Channel order number
• Order date
• Created date
• Shipment method
• Channel status
• Merchant shipment number
• Merchant order number
• Status
• Fulfillment
• Tracking code
• Return tracking code
• External batch number
• Ships from country
• Stock location ID
• Stock location name
• ID
• Order line ID
• Merchant product number
• Quantity
• Status
• Expected delivery date

Shipment details

To view shipment details, click the eye icon next to the shipment, or go to Orders, Orders, Shipment.

• ID - the shipment's unique identifier within ChannelEngine.
• Merchant shipment number - your own unique shipment identifier.
• Created date - the date and time when the shipment was created on ChannelEngine.
• Shipment date - the date and time when the shipment was created in the source system (i.e.: the marketplace). Note that Shipment date is only set and displayed if that data is available.
• Updated date - the date and time when the shipment was last updated on ChannelEngine.
• Status - the current status of the shipment. There are two possible values: Pending and Closed. Only Closed shipments are exported to the marketplace.
• Channel status - the status of what was exported to the marketplace. There are three possible values: Not exported yet, Exported at [date], and Error.
• Delivered at - the date and time when the package was delivered to the customer. This is available only if you use the marketplace's fulfilment network. E.g.: last-mile delivery service.
• Fulfillment - shows which party was responsible for the fulfillment of the order. This is either the merchant or the marketplace, with the latter labeled accordingly (e.g.: Amazon.de).
• Shipment method - the carrier handling the fulfillment. This is a mandatory field. If it is left empty, the status of the order remains on Pending until a valid value is submitted.
• Tracking code - (generally required) the tracking code of the shipment. This is generally a mandatory field, unless you manually create letterbox shipments. If it is left empty, the status of the shipment remains on Pending until a valid value is submitted. On most marketplaces, this tracking code, combined with the correct carrier, forms the tracking link, so this code must be valid.
• Return tracking code - the return tracking code of the shipment. For marketplaces that require return tracking, such as Zalando, OTTO Market, and About You, this is a mandatory field. If this field is left empty, the status of the shipment remains on Pending until a valid code is submitted. For all other marketplaces, this field is optional and should be left empty.
• Tracking link - this is not visible as a separate field on a shipment. Most marketplaces create their own links, but some (such as Channel API marketplaces) fetch them from ChannelEngine.

Delivery state

On merchant-fulfilled shipments, some marketplaces require you to update the shipment with the delivery state, as either delivered or undelivered. For instructions on how to do this, check out Merchant API: shipments. The following three fields are updated if you export the delivery state via the Merchant API.

• Delivered at - the date and time of the delivery, if provided by you.
• Delivery - the possible statuses are:
  • Delivered
  • Undelivered
• Delivery channel status - the possible statuses are:
  • Awaiting export
  • Awaiting channel response
  • Succeeded
  • Failed retry
  • Failed no retry

Proof of Delivery

If a given channel accepts Proof of Delivery (PoD) documents, then you can upload a PoD document, as a PDF file, on a given order for the channel, using the following steps:

1. Go to Orders, Orders, Order details, Shipment.
2. In the upper right corner of the Shipment details section, click Upload proof of delivery.
3. A finder window opens.
4. Select the PoD as a PDF file.
5. View the overview of all your PoD documents in Orders, Documents, and filter on Type: Proof of Delivery.

When is a shipment exported to the channel?

A shipment is exported to a marketplace only after all required information is provided. E.g.: shipment method, tracking code. Many marketplaces require carrier mapping as well. For more guidance on carrier mapping, check out ChannelEngine: carrier mappings. 

Below are a few examples to illustrate how various combinations of shipment details and carrier mappings affect whether the connected channel accepts the shipment.

Example A

The above shipment is marked as Pending, which causes all shipment exports for channels to ignore it for export.

The status is Pending because it has no Shipment method and no Tracking code, which can be seen by the orange warning labels. An empty shipment can only be created via the ChannelEngine Merchant API. To update the shipment with a shipment method, a PUT /v2/shipments/{merchantShipmentNo} call can be used.

If a 'Shipping method' is added via the API

If only a shipment method is added via the API, the shipment is not exported to the marketplace as it is still considered incomplete, and its status remains on Pending until it has both a Shipment method and a Tracking code.

If a 'Shipping method' is added via the ChannelEngine web interface

On the web interface, the same logic applies to the API – with one exception. You can select the shipment method Briefpost (i.e. letterbox), for which a tracking code is not required, and the shipment status changes to Closed. This is not possible via the API because Briefpost is not automatically recognized as a value, so you must submit a placeholder tracking code with the API request.

Shipment configuration scenarios

Marketplace: bol 
Method: briefpost 
Carrier mapping: none 
Result: accepted by bol.com 
Reason: briefpost is a valid shipment method, and no track-and-trace code is needed

Marketplace: bol
Method: PostNL
Track-and-trace code: none
Carrier mapping: none
Result: neither exported nor accepted by Bol.com
Reason: PostNL is not a valid carrier name (it must be carrier mapped to TNT), and this method requires a track-and-trace code

Marketplace: bol
Method: Eigen levering (Courier)
Track-and-trace code: none
Carrier mapping: none
Result: neither exported nor accepted by Bol.com
Reason: a valid carrier is submitted, but a track-and-trace code is still required if only a tracking code is added

If there is only a tracking code and no method, the shipment is not exported to the marketplace because it is deemed incomplete, and the status remains on Pending until it has both a method and a tracking code.

If both a shipping method and tracking code are provided

The shipment is considered complete (i.e.: the status changes to Closed), and this shipment is exported to the marketplace. Whether the marketplace processes it correctly still depends on the submitted method, the carrier mapping, and what the marketplace accepts.

Shipment configuration scenarios

Marketplace: Amazon.nl 
Method: DHL 
Track-and-trace code: none 
Carrier mapping: none 
Result: not exported 
Reason: even though Amazon does not require carrier mapping, the name of the submitted method should match 100% with what Amazon accepts – and there is a track-and-trace code

Marketplace: bol 
Method: PostNL 
Track-and-trace code: 123 
Carrier mapping: PostNL - TNT 
Result: not accepted by Bol.com 
Reason: a valid carrier is submitted, but the track-and-trace code is incorrect. Bol.com expects at least four characters, and validates the field - special characters also result in errors 

Example B

The above example is fully correct and accepted by marketplaces, as shown in the Channel status section. The order has a correct shipment method, carrier mapped to TNT, and a correct tracking code.

Default shipment settings

ChannelEngine offers the option to set a default shipment method on draft shipments. However, in most cases, this is not advised.

To manage your default shipment method settings, go to Settings, Settings, Shipments. By providing default tracked and untracked shipment methods, as well as an indication on how long to wait before automatically setting the default method, you can automatically update your shipment drafts. In theory, you can always update these shipment drafts with the tracking codes at a later moment. However, the default shipment feature's main function is to automatically set the shipment method on draft shipments as Briefpost "letterbox packages".