Automation Workflows

This guide explains what happens automatically in Shipit and when it happens. Understanding these workflows helps you know what to expect and when to take action.

What is an Automation?

An automation is something that happens without you clicking a button. For example:

  • A shipping label creates automatically when an order is paid
  • An order gets marked as fulfilled in Shopify automatically
  • Orders get tagged automatically after downloading labels

You can turn automations ON or OFF in your settings.

Label Creation Workflow

When does it happen?

Depends on your Shipment Generation setting:

  • When order is paid: Label creates as soon as customer pays (usually within 1-2 minutes)
  • When order is ready: Label creates when you click "Mark as Ready"
  • Manual: Never automatic - you click "Create Shipment" yourself

What happens step by step?

  1. Order arrives from Shopify (customer just bought something)
  2. System checks if automation is ON
  3. If ON, system waits for the trigger (payment, ready status, etc.)
  4. Address validation - Makes sure shipping address is complete
  5. Carrier selection - Uses your delivery rules to pick the right carrier
  6. Label creation - Sends request to carrier (FedEx, UPS, Posti, etc.)
  7. Label saved - Stores the label PDF for you to download later
  8. Tracking number added - Tracking number saved to the order

What if something goes wrong?

The system automatically retries if:

  • Carrier website is temporarily down → Tries again in 5 minutes
  • Rate limit reached → Waits and tries again
  • Minor errors → Retries up to 3 times

You get notified if:

  • Address is invalid (can't retry automatically)
  • Carrier permanently rejects the shipment
  • All retry attempts fail

Order Fulfillment Workflow

When does it happen?

Depends on your Fulfillment Automation setting:

  • When label is created: Immediately after label is generated
  • When label is downloaded: After you download the batch
  • Manual: Never automatic - you fulfill orders yourself in Shopify

What happens step by step?

  1. Label successfully created (from workflow above)
  2. System checks fulfillment automation setting
  3. If ON, creates a fulfillment in Shopify
  4. Tracking number sent to Shopify
  5. Customer notification - Shopify sends tracking email to customer (if enabled in Shopify)
  6. Order status updated - Order shows as "Fulfilled" in Shopify
  7. Inventory updated - Shopify reduces stock counts

Tips

The customer email comes from Shopify, not from Shipit. You control this in your Shopify notification settings.

Batch Download Workflow

When does it happen?

Two ways:

  1. Manual: You click "Download Batch" button
  2. Scheduled: Automatically at end of day (if you enable it)

What happens step by step?

  1. System collects all orders with labels ready
  2. Groups orders by carrier and date (all FedEx together, all Posti together, etc.)
  3. Creates batch for each carrier
  4. Combines labels - Merges individual label PDFs into one big PDF per carrier
  5. Creates manifest - Makes a CSV file listing all orders in the batch
  6. Ready to download - Shows in your "Batches" list
  7. Tags orders (if enabled) - Adds "Label Downloaded" tag in Shopify

What's in a batch?

Each batch contains:

  • Labels PDF: One file with all labels for that carrier
  • Manifest CSV: Spreadsheet with order numbers, tracking numbers, addresses
  • Sorted by carrier and date for easy organization

Order Tagging Workflow

When does it happen?

Depends on your settings:

Downloaded Labels Tag:

  • After you download a batch
  • Adds tag to all orders in that batch
  • Example tag: "Label Downloaded"

New Order Tag:

  • When new order arrives from Shopify
  • Immediately adds your custom tag
  • Example: "Shipit Order"

Why tag orders?

Tagging helps you:

  • Filter which orders have shipping labels
  • Track which orders have been downloaded
  • Find orders processed through Shipit
  • Create custom reports in Shopify

Pack and Scan Workflow

When does it happen?

When you scan an order barcode while packing.

What happens step by step?

  1. You scan order barcode with scanner or phone
  2. Packing slip opens (if automation enabled)
  3. Order marked as packed in system
  4. Fulfillment created (if "Fulfill after scan" is ON)
  5. Shipment booked with carrier (if "Auto-book on scan" is ON)
  6. Next order ready - System moves to next order in queue

Benefits of Pack and Scan

  • Faster packing: No clicking between orders
  • Fewer mistakes: Scan confirms correct order
  • Auto-fulfillment: Orders marked fulfilled as you pack
  • Track progress: See how many orders packed today

Email Notification Workflow

When does it happen?

Depends on what you have enabled:

Order Confirmation Email:

  • When order is first processed
  • Contains order details and shipping info
  • Sent from your email address

Batch Ready Notification:

  • When scheduled batch is created
  • Tells you labels are ready to download
  • Contains download link

Error Notifications:

  • When label creation fails after retries
  • When carrier rejects shipment
  • Lists which orders need attention

Retry and Error Handling

What gets retried automatically?

✅ Yes, automatic retry:

  • Carrier website temporarily down
  • Network timeout
  • Rate limit exceeded
  • Temporary carrier errors

❌ No retry, needs your action:

  • Invalid shipping address
  • Product missing weight
  • Carrier permanently rejects
  • Account/credential issues

How many times does it retry?

  • Attempt 1: Immediate
  • Attempt 2: After 5 minutes
  • Attempt 3: After 15 minutes
  • Attempt 4: After 1 hour
  • After that: Marked as "Failed" and you get notified

Workflow Timeline Examples

Fully Automated Store

9:00 AM - Customer places order 9:01 AM - Label created automatically 9:02 AM - Order fulfilled in Shopify 9:02 AM - Customer gets tracking email from Shopify 6:00 PM - Batch created automatically 6:01 PM - You get "Batch Ready" email 6:15 PM - You download and print labels 6:15 PM - Orders tagged "Label Downloaded"

Manual Control Store

9:00 AM - Customer places order 10:00 AM - You check inventory 10:05 AM - You click "Create Shipment" 10:06 AM - Label created 5:00 PM - You click "Download Batch" 5:01 PM - You print labels 5:30 PM - You mark orders fulfilled in Shopify manually

Pack and Scan Store

9:00 AM - Customer places order 9:01 AM - Label created automatically 2:00 PM - You scan order barcode 2:00 PM - Packing slip opens 2:01 PM - Order fulfilled automatically 2:01 PM - Shipment booked with carrier 5:00 PM - You download batch with all day's labels

Monitoring Your Automations

Where to check status

Dashboard:

  • Shows recent label creations
  • Lists any failed shipments
  • Displays pending batches

Orders Page:

  • See which orders have labels
  • Check fulfillment status
  • View error messages

Batches Page:

  • See all downloadable batches
  • Check batch creation dates
  • Download labels and manifests

Warning Signs

Watch for these issues:

⚠️ Many failed labels: Check your carrier credentials ⚠️ Labels not creating: Check automation settings ⚠️ No fulfillments: Check fulfillment automation is ON ⚠️ Tags not applying: Check tag settings are enabled

Best Practices

For New Stores

Start with automations OFF:

  1. Create a few test labels manually
  2. Make sure addresses and settings are correct
  3. Turn on "When paid" automation
  4. Monitor for a week
  5. Enable fulfillment automation if working well

For High-Volume Stores

Use full automation:

  • Shipment generation: When paid
  • Fulfillment: When label created
  • Scheduled batches: End of day
  • Pack and scan: Enable if packing in warehouse

For Low-Volume Stores

Mix of manual and automatic:

  • Shipment generation: When paid (saves time)
  • Fulfillment: Manual (you verify each order)
  • Batches: Manual download when ready
  • Pack and scan: Not needed

Troubleshooting Common Issues

"Labels aren't creating automatically"

Check:

  1. Is shipment automation turned ON?
  2. Are orders actually paid? (Not just placed)
  3. Do products have weights set?
  4. Check error messages on order page

"Orders aren't fulfilling in Shopify"

Check:

  1. Is fulfillment automation turned ON?
  2. Did labels create successfully?
  3. Check Shopify order status - might already be fulfilled
  4. Verify Shopify connection is active

"Tags aren't being added"

Check:

  1. Is tag automation enabled?
  2. Did you download a batch? (Tags apply on download)
  3. Check tag name is set
  4. Look in Shopify - tags might be there but hidden

Turning Automations On/Off

You can change automation settings anytime:

  1. Go to Settings > Automations
  2. Toggle settings ON or OFF
  3. Click Save
  4. Changes apply immediately to new orders

Warning

Changing settings doesn't affect orders that already have labels. Only new orders use the new settings.

Next Steps

Last Updated:
Contributors: Brian Faust