Automation Rules can change what is on an order before it is picked, including adding promotional items, swapping a SKU for a different one, reducing quantities, and canceling line items. These actions change what ships, so they carry more risk than rules that only set a flag or a note.
Before You Begin
Every SKU named in one of these actions must already exist in the account that owns the order. ShipHero does not create products for you, and it does not warn you when a SKU in a rule is missing from the catalog.
For every trigger and action ShipHero offers, see Automation Rule Triggers and Actions Reference. If you are new to Automation Rules, start with How to Use Automation Rules in ShipHero.
Important
Cancel actions change what ships and cannot be undone by deactivating the rule afterward. If an Automation Rule cancels every pending line item, the order moves to Fulfilled immediately and any rule below it in the list stops running on that order. Place cancel rules at the bottom of your rule list and test them on a single order first.
Table of Contents
- How to Create a Product Automation Rule
- Available Product Actions in ShipHero Automation Rules
- How Automation Rule SKU Changes Sync to Your Store
- Common Product Automation Rule Examples
How to Create a Product Automation Rule
Note for 3PLs: Select at least one client in the Clients selector before choosing a trigger or an action. Triggers and actions stay unavailable until a client is selected, because every Automation Rule is owned by a client account. Actions that point to one client's own records, such as a warehouse, list, or status, are disabled when you create a single rule for several clients at once. See How to Create Automation Rules for 3PL Clients.
- Go to Orders > Automation Rules.
- Select Create New Rule.
- Enter a Name for the rule.
- Select a Trigger and the value the order must match.
- Select your action from the Action dropdown. See Available Product Actions below for every option.
- Select Create.
Important
Automation Rules apply only to orders that import after the rule is created. Orders already in ShipHero are not updated retroactively.
Available Product Actions in ShipHero Automation Rules
| Action | Description | Action Values | Use Case |
|---|---|---|---|
| Add a SKU | Adds a new SKU to the order. | Enter a SKU. | Mostly used to add promotional or free items to an order. |
| Add X units of a SKU | Adds multiple units of a single SKU. | Enter a SKU and a quantity. | Use when you need more than one unit of a SKU that is not a line item in the online store. |
| Add X units of a SKU for every Y units ordered | Adds a set quantity of a SKU each time the SKU that triggered the rule is ordered. | Enter a SKU, the quantity to add, and the quantity ordered. | Best for an insert that scales with units. For example, add one sunglasses case for every pair of sunglasses ordered. |
| Change SKU | Changes the SKU on a line item on the order. | Enter the replacement SKU. | Use to swap an eaches SKU for a case SKU when it makes sense to pick a whole case in multi item or single item batch. Pair it with Remove X units of a SKU for every Y unit ordered so the loose units come off the order. |
| Remove X units of a SKU for every Y unit ordered | Removes a set quantity of the SKU named in the action for every unit of the triggering SKU ordered. | Enter a SKU, the quantity to remove, and the quantity ordered. | Typically paired with Change SKU to replace eaches with cases. |
| Delete one unit of a SKU | Deletes one unit of the SKU that triggered the rule. | Enter a SKU. | Use to reduce a SKU by a single unit on every matching order, for example when another item on the order already includes one. |
| Delete all instances of a SKU | Deletes every unit of the SKU that triggered the rule. | Enter a SKU. | Use to remove a SKU from the order completely, for example an item that should never reach the warehouse. |
| Cancel items | Cancels the line items that triggered the rule. | N/A | Use for items on an order that are fulfilled outside ShipHero. |
| Cancel the entire order but don't cancel on platform | Cancels the entire order in ShipHero without canceling it in your sales channel. | N/A | Use when a whole order is going to be fulfilled by someone else outside ShipHero. |
How Automation Rule SKU Changes Sync to Your Store
ShipHero updates your sales channel by line item ID, not by SKU. When a rule changes the SKU on a line, the original line in your store is still marked fulfilled when that line ships.
SKUs added by a rule are not attached to your sales channel at all. Canceling line items in ShipHero does not cancel them in your store either. When you need the store updated, make that change in the store.
Common Product Automation Rule Examples
| Use Case | Trigger | Action |
|---|---|---|
| Add a free gift to qualifying orders | Order Total is greater than your threshold | Add a SKU for the gift item |
| Add one insert per unit ordered | SKU is your product SKU | Add X units of a SKU for every Y units ordered |
| Swap eaches for a full case | Sum of line items quantities equals a full case quantity | Change SKU to the case SKU, and Remove X units of a SKU for every Y unit ordered |
| Drop an item fulfilled elsewhere | SKU is on a list of externally fulfilled SKUs | Cancel items |
| Release a whole order to another fulfiller | Order Tag identifies orders fulfilled outside ShipHero | Cancel the entire order but don't cancel on platform |
Pro-Tip
Change SKU and Remove X units of a SKU for every Y unit ordered are usually built as a pair. To pick a full case instead of loose units, change the SKU to the case SKU and remove the matching number of each units in the same rule.