How to Split Orders on Shopify
Splitting eCommerce orders and fulfillment can lead to faster delivery times and more efficient stock handling, making your business' logistics a breeze and boosting customer satisfaction. Here's how to do it on Shopify.
Published October 18, 2023
When managing an online store on Shopify, understanding the intricacies of order processing and inventory management can significantly impact your efficiency and customer satisfaction. One technique that can assist you with managing supply and demand is order splitting, which allows you to divide orders into multiple shipments.
This is particularly useful when you need to split orders into two shipments or more, ensuring faster and more efficient fulfillment. But what is it exactly, and why should you care about it as a Shopify merchant? Let’s explore how this feature can transform your order management.
» Did you know that EGNITION offers various apps designed to streamline your inventory management? Check out these Shopify apps
Understanding Order Splitting and Its Benefits
If you've been in the e-commerce realm for some time, you might have come across the following situations:
- A single order that contains products from different vendors
- An order that needs to be sent in multiple shipments
- An order containing multiple items, where some are out-of-stock
Shopify split orders provide a solution for these challenges. This process allows you to divide an order into multiple shipments, enabling you to ship items separately based on their availability or location.
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Benefits of Order Splitting on Shopify
Order splitting allows you to ship from different vendors directly, helping you optimize more nuanced aspects of your fulfillment process:
- Faster delivery times: By shipping from the nearest location to the customer, you ensure prompt deliveries, enhancing their overall experience. This increases the likelihood of the customer coming back for future purchases.
- Boosted transparency and customer agency: Customers have the ability to choose from different shipping options and track shipping times, managing their expectations and reducing cart abandonment rates.
- Efficient stock handling: By splitting orders, you can ship available products immediately, reducing the time customers wait for their orders and improving your inventory turnover.
- Enhanced cost-efficiency: Order splitting allows you to select the most cost-effective method for each shipment and balance the weight, dimensions, and destination.
» Improve customer satisfaction by learning to send back-in-stock notifications automatically
» Wondering how to handle custom requests? Check out our guide on how to manage custom orders on Shopify
Step-by-Step Guide to Shopify Split Orders
Understanding Order Splitting in Fulfillment
When a cart contains items that cannot be shipped together, the Shopify split fulfillment process will split the order into multiple shipments. For instance, if a customer adds a preorder item to their cart, the checkout will indicate that the preorder product will be shipped separately from the available items. The customer then has the option to select a shipping method for each individual shipment.
Split fulfillment allows you to divide a single order into multiple shipments after the customer has placed it. This is useful when:
- Some items are out of stock, and you want to ship available items immediately.
- You're fulfilling orders from different warehouse locations.
- A customer ordered both in-stock and preorder items.
- You need to send items at different times for any reason.
Step 1: Go to Orders in Your Shopify Dashboard
Log in to your Shopify admin and click on Orders in the left sidebar. This will show you a list of all your store's orders.
Step 2: Select the Order You Want to Split
Find and click on the order that contains items you want to ship separately. This opens the order details page, where you can see all the items, customer information, and fulfillment status.
Step 3: Click the Ellipsis (Three Dots) in the Unfulfilled Section
Scroll down to the Unfulfilled section of the order details page.
Click the three dots (...) button in the top right corner of the Unfulfilled section.
From the dropdown menu, select Split fulfillment.
Step 4: Select the Items You Want to Split
A new section will appear showing all the unfulfilled items in the order. Check the boxes next to the items you want to separate into a different shipment.
Then specify the quantity for each item you're splitting. For example, if the customer ordered 4 of the same item, you can split 1 or 2 into a separate shipment by entering the number in the quantity box.
Step 5: Click "Split Fulfillment" to Confirm
Once you've selected the items and quantities, click the Split fulfillment button at the bottom of the new section.
Shopify will immediately split the order into two separate fulfillment groups.
» Ready to optimize your process? Check out our blog on how to do a quick order on Shopify
Splitting Orders, Multiplying Efficiency
Splitting orders on Shopify isn't just about dividing fulfillment—it's about optimizing your operations for efficiency and meeting customer demand. Embracing this feature can significantly streamline your deliveries, especially when juggling products from multiple suppliers. As you refine your e-commerce strategy, remember this: sometimes, the simplest tweaks, like order splitting, can yield the most impactful results. Implement this method to improve your logistics and enhance the overall customer experience.
» Check out Egnition's Shopify apps and how they can help to improve your e-commerce business
