How to Use Multi-Warehouse Allocation Rules

Multi-Warehouse Allocation (MWA) rules decide which of your warehouses fulfills each order, and which warehouse each item is backordered to when stock runs out. Beyond choosing the closest warehouse, MWA rules can send an order to the warehouse that can ship the most items, keep an order together in one warehouse, or reserve specific products for specific warehouses.

Before You Begin

• Brand accounts: MWA must be turned on for your account by ShipHero. Email ShipHero Support to request it.
• 3PL accounts: MWA is turned on and rules are set up at the client account level. 3PLs can turn on MWA for a client themselves from the Multi-Warehouse Allocation page (see How to Turn On MWA for a 3PL Client).
• MWA overrides other warehouse settings: Once MWA is on, it overrides every other way of setting an order's warehouse, including automation rules and manual changes. You can't override MWA for an individual order.

Table of Contents

• How Multi-Warehouse Allocation Rules Work
• How to Turn On MWA for a 3PL Client
• Multi-Warehouse Allocation Page Overview
• How to Create an MWA Rule
• ShipHero's Default MWA Rule
• How to Define MWA Warehouse Priority Lists

How Multi-Warehouse Allocation Rules Work

Like automation rules, each MWA rule has Conditions that decide which orders it applies to and Actions that decide what happens to the items on the order. ShipHero checks MWA rules from the top of the list to the bottom. Unlike automation rules, only one MWA rule runs per order: the first rule whose conditions the order meets.

When MWA rules run: MWA rules run every time an order is processed or reprocessed. That includes when the order is first created or imported, when an item is added, and when a setting on the order changes. To run MWA rules again on an order yourself, select Reprocess in the Actions section of the Order Details page.

MWA rules and order tags: Order tags that are on the order when it's created (from your store, a manual order, or a CSV Order Upload) are used the first time MWA rules run. When you add a tag to an existing order, reprocess the order so MWA rules use it. See How to Use Order Tags in ShipHero.

Things to Consider Before Creating MWA Rules

• Define every item on the order: An MWA rule must say what happens to every line item, especially on orders that may split between warehouses. For example, when you allocate a specific SKU to Warehouse B, also set which warehouse it's backordered to if it oversells, and what happens to the other items on the order.
• Kits need a workaround: MWA rules only look at items with a pending fulfillment quantity greater than 0, so built kit items don't trigger them. To apply an MWA rule to a kit, use an automation rule to add an order tag based on the kit SKU, then use that tag as the MWA rule's condition.
• Warehouse visibility on the Manage Orders page: After MWA rules run, the Manage Orders page shows the order's new warehouse. When the order is assigned to a warehouse that isn't in a user's Allowed Warehouses setting, that user can't see or filter for the order. Orders split between warehouses show every warehouse in the Warehouses column.

How to Turn On MWA for a 3PL Client

3PLs can turn on Multi-Warehouse Allocation for a client directly from the Multi-Warehouse Allocation page, without contacting ShipHero Support. When the selected client doesn't have MWA yet, the page shows Enable Multi Warehouse Allocation with the message that the client "is not enabled for Multi Warehouse Allocation yet."

1. From your 3PL account, go to the Multi-Warehouse Allocation page.
2. Select the client that needs MWA.
3. Select Enable MWA.

After MWA is on, create the client's rules on the same page. See How to Create an MWA Rule.

Multi-Warehouse Allocation Page Overview

The Multi-Warehouse Allocation page lists every MWA rule on the account. From this page you can:

• Create new rules with Create new rule.
• Turn a rule on or off with its Status toggle.
• Change the order rules are checked in by dragging a rule by its handle.
• Manage warehouse priority lists with Manage Warehouse Priority Lists.

How to Create an MWA Rule

You create an MWA rule on the Multi-Warehouse Allocation page by choosing its conditions and actions, then saving, ordering, and turning on the rule.

For the steps, see How to Create an MWA Rule. For what each condition and action does, see MWA Rule Conditions and Actions Reference.

ShipHero's Default MWA Rule

When MWA is turned on, ShipHero adds a DEFAULT RULE to your rules list. You can't turn it off or change it. The default rule is a fallback: it makes sure every order is allocated even when no other rule matches, and it keeps all of the order's items in a single warehouse so the order doesn't split.

Which Warehouse Does the Default MWA Rule Use?

The default MWA rule sorts all available warehouses on the account by priority and picks the highest-ranked one. In most accounts, that's the Primary warehouse.

The exception is a 3PL client that isn't connected to the Primary warehouse. For that client, ShipHero only considers the warehouses the client is connected to, and picks the one that was created first in the 3PL's account (the one with the lowest warehouse ID).

How to Create Your Own Default MWA Rule

1. Create a new MWA rule with no conditions.
2. Add the Allocate and Backorder actions, and select the warehouse orders should default to, or a custom warehouse priority list.
3. Save the rule and turn it on.
4. Drag the rule directly above ShipHero's DEFAULT RULE in the rules list.

How to Define MWA Warehouse Priority Lists

A warehouse priority list sets the order in which MWA rules check your warehouses. Priority works like location priority: 1 comes before 2, and so on.

1. On the Multi-Warehouse Allocation page, select Manage Warehouse Priority Lists.
2. Create a new list or edit an existing one.
3. Select each warehouse to include and enter its priority.

In this example, the PA warehouse has priority over the Seattle warehouse.