In this article, we'll dive into ShipHero's powerful Kits feature, designed to simplify how you manage and sell product bundles or sets. Whether you're offering multi-packs, variety assortments, or curated gift boxes, Kits provide a streamlined way to handle inventory and fulfillment for these grouped items.
Kit Types: Standard vs Build Kits
Important Notes and Limitations
To see Kits in action, watch the video below.
What are Kits?
Kits (also known as bundles or sets) are a ShipHero feature that allows you to group multiple individual products together and sell them as a single item. When a customer orders a kit, ShipHero ensures that all the individual components of that kit are picked and shipped.
Think of it like this:
- Selling a "two-pack" of cookies: You list a "cookie two-pack" as one product on your website. In ShipHero, you define this "two-pack" as a kit composed of two individual cookie packs. When an order comes in for the "cookie two-pack," your warehouse team is instructed to pick two individual cookie packs.
- A "chocolate gift box": This kit might include one milk chocolate bar, one dark chocolate bar, and a bag of chocolate truffles. All these individual items are the "components" of your "chocolate gift box" kit.
Key Benefits of Using Kits:
- Use Existing SKUs: You can use your current individual product SKUs as components within a kit.
- Flexible Sales: Components can still be sold individually even if they're part of a kit.
- Automated Inventory: ShipHero automatically calculates the availability of a kit based on the real-time inventory of all its individual components. If you're short on even one component, the kit won't show as available. For more information, visit How Kit Availability is Calculated
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.
Use Case for Standard Kits: 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:
- 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.