ShipHero’s Kits feature simplifies the management of product bundles, multi-packs, and curated sets. By grouping individual products under a single parent SKU, you can streamline inventory tracking and warehouse fulfillment.
What are Kits?
A kit is a collection of individual products (components) sold as a single item. When an order for a kit is placed, ShipHero directs the warehouse team to pick the specific components defined in the kit configuration.
- Example: A "Chocolate Gift Box" kit contains one milk chocolate bar, one dark chocolate bar, and one bag of truffles. These three items are the components that make up the single kit SKU.
ShipHero calculates kit availability based on the real-time inventory of its components. If one component is out of stock, the entire kit is made unavailable in the store platform. For more information, visit How Kit Availability is Calculated
Table of Contents
To see Kits in action, watch the video below.
Key Benefits of Using Kits
Utilizing kits in ShipHero provides significant operational advantages for businesses selling bundled products. By linking existing inventory to a parent kit SKU, you ensure accuracy across your sales channels.
| Benefit | Impact on Operations |
|---|---|
| Use Existing SKUs | Leverage your current individual product SKUs as components. There is no need to create redundant inventory records for the same physical item. |
| Flexible Sales | Components can be sold individually and as part of a kit simultaneously. ShipHero manages the shared inventory pool in real-time. |
| Automated Inventory | The system automatically calculates the maximum number of kits available based on the component with the lowest stock level. |
Kit Types: Standard vs. Build Kits
ShipHero offers two types of kits, each designed for different fulfillment needs:
"Standard" Kit
On the order details and packing pages, a Standard Kit will be displayed as a single line item. Select "view components" to see the components of the kit.
All components of a Standard Kit must be in stock and picked/packed together at the same time. You cannot partially ship a Standard Kit or have missing components.
Imagine an IKEA sofa. It's stored in pieces (components) in different warehouse locations. For a customer to receive a complete sofa, all cushions, legs, and other parts must be available and assembled together. You can't ship half a sofa.
Build Kit
A Build Kit breaks down its components directly on the order, into separate line items, allowing each SKU to be processed separately.
Use Cases for Build Kits
| Use Case | Description |
|---|---|
| Partial Shipments | If you need to send some components of a kit now and the rest later (e.g., shipping a gift box with some items immediately and the remaining items when they become available). |
| Split Shipments | When individual components of a kit are stored in multiple physical warehouses. For example: a desk and chair bundle; one warehouse stores and ships the desk while the other stores and ships the chair. |
Important Notes and Limitations
- It's best practice to avoid nested kits (kits within kits) to prevent potential inventory and order processing complexities. For example: combining a 6-pack kit of milk chocolate bars and a 12-pack kit of dark chocolate bars into your 'Chocolate Box' build Kit.
- Do not modify a kit's components or type if there are existing unfulfilled orders for that kit, as this can lead to incorrect inventory calculations and fulfillment issues. It is recommended to always fulfill existing orders first before making changes to a kit.
- Important Note for Multi-Warehouse Accounts: Kits are not warehouse unique. Kits created in one warehouse will automatically be configured in the other warehouses the SKU exists in.
- Note for 3PLs: Creating and editing kits must be performed within the client account.