This guide provides the main steps that you need to set up your ShipHero account. You can use this as a starting point for planning or as a checklist to make sure you have covered the key tasks. All tasks will be discussed in detail and completed during Onboarding.
Set Up Checklist Overview
- Step 1: Devices you may need
- Step 2: Configure your basic administrative settings
- Step 3: Connect your sales channels
- Step 4: Setup your shipping options
- Step 5: Setup your shipping boxes
- Step 6: Setup your printers & scales
- Step 7: Download mobile app
- Step 8: Setup automation rules
- Step 9: Do a full Inventory Count
- Step 10: Enable ShipHero to Manage Your Inventory
Step 1: Devices You May Need
Depending on how you want to run your operations, you may need to purchase hardware devices, such as barcode scanners, printers, or iPads. While you can start using ShipHero without any devices, it is good idea to figure out what you will need at the very start.
For picking and general inventory adjustments around the warehouse:
- A mobile device such as an iPhone, iPod Touch, or iPad to use for order picking and inventory management.
- Barcode scanner. ShipHero includes all the features for creating, printing and scanning barcodes. Socket Mobile Bluetooth scanners are required for use with mobile devices.
For general warehouse management, packing, and printing:
- Workstation: A computer workstation that can communicate with printers and scales. Windows 10 or Max OSX Sierra are recommended.
- Printer: For printing shipping labels, invoices, packing slips or barcodes.
- Barcode scanner: Any standard barcode scanner can be used with a computer when using ShipHero in a web browser.
- Scales: You have the option of setting the weight for each SKU. ShipHero can then use this along with packaging weight at the time of packing to eliminate the need to weigh each order. If you plan on using a scale, refer to the tested devices list for compatibility.
Step 2: Configure Basic Administrative Settings
It's time to set up some of the settings that will configure ShipHero to work for your requirements.
- General Preferences allow you to control a number of useful features that impact how orders are handled.
- Emails and Notifications will provide helpful automated messages to you and your operations team when certain events occur.
- Invoice Settings give you the ability to customize the address, logo and what is included on the invoices you print.
- Add User Accounts so that each member of your team will be able to login with a unique account so that all permissions and settings are secure while helping you track each individual user's activity.
Tip: If you don't want your users to access all features of ShipHero, you can manage permissions by creating and configuring user groups.
Step 3: Connect Sales Channel
If you have one or more sales channels that you want to connect, now is the time to do it. When you connect a sales channel, ShipHero will pull products and orders. Before connecting your sales channels, make sure all products have unique SKUs. If you sell the same product in multiple stores, the SKU for that product should be identical across all channels.
ShipHero Syncs Inventory Across Your Sales Channels
ShipHero acts as the master of inventory across all of your sales channels, making sure that any SKUs sold across your channels are tracked as orders are fulfilled. Don't worry about any inventory being affected in your sales channels when you're getting started. ShipHero will not change any inventory levels in your sales channel until you enable that option.
Using the API to Manage and Create Orders and Products
ShipHero provides a restful API you use to create and manage orders and products with the available. Learn more about using the Shiphero API.
ShipHero allows Shopify stores with connected Shopify POS (Point of Sales) devices to be directly connected.
Tip: Once you enable ShipHero to manage your inventory, whenever SKU quantities are updated in ShipHero it will be reflected across all of your connected sales channels. ShipHero does not create product listings on your sales channels. Your sales channel is the best place to manage how your products are listed and viewed by customers.
Step 4: Setup Your Shipping Options
Once an order is picked and packed the packer will complete the order by printing the shipping label. ShipHero will use your available shipping carriers to set the method and optimal shipping options based on when the customer is expecting the order and the order package(s).
- Connect your shipping carriers (Shipping > Carriers)
- Map your shipping methods (Shipping > Methods)
You can map your available shipping methods (the shipping options available for your customers when placing an order) to automatically choose a default shipping carrier, saving time and money when shipping your orders.
Tip: Every US order shipping address is validated using the USPS Address validator to help avoid incomplete or invalid shipping addresses.
Step 5: Setup your shipping boxes
ShipHero allows you to create and manage the boxes you use for shipping, including setting dimensions and weight. These boxes will each have a barcode that can be printed and used for quick scanning when the order is being packed.
Step 6: Setup Your Printers & Scales
ShipHero allows you to configure your printers and scales to be shared and used for printing shipping labels and invoices. Learn how to install label printers.
Step 7: Download mobile apps
If you are going to use mobile apps for picking and packing, you will need to install the ShipHero app available for iPad and iPhone / iPod Touch devices.
Step 8: Setup Automation Rules
Automation rules are actions that you can set based on any set of matching conditions on an order. This is designed to speed up your operations, while at the same time creating workflows to help manage your order fulfillment process. Simple examples of automation rules include sending an email if an order has specific SKUs, or to set a shipping method based on matching zip codes.
Step 9: Ensure Your Inventory is Counted & Accurate in ShipHero
You will need to ensure that the inventory in ShipHero is accurate before enabling it to manage your inventory in your connected store. If you're confident your product inventory levels are accurate in your connected sales channel, then you can request the ShipHero support team to pull that data from the store. It's best to work directly with your Onboarding Specialist. However, if you're an existing customer adding a new store, email support@shiphero.com with the store name and mention that you would like to update ShipHero with the store inventory values.
Step 10: Enable ShipHero to Manage Your Inventory
ShipHero tracks and manages the movements and actions of your inventory. Once enabled, it will also update the inventory levels across your connected stores, acting as the master of inventory.
Why Does ShipHero Need Accurate Inventory?
When set to manage store inventory, ShipHero will update the availability of the products in the store. If ShipHero has incorrect numbers, these numbers will be reflected in the store.
Once you have confirmed your inventory in ShipHero is accurately counted and you are comfortable with the inventory numbers in ShipHero, then you can enable it to manage your inventory.
- Using the top menu, click My Account.
- Click Stores.
- Click the settings of the connected store you want to update.
- Check the option Have ShipHero Manage My Shopify Inventory.
