How Information Flows

This guide explains how information moves through Shipit, from when a customer places an order to when you ship it. Understanding this helps you troubleshoot issues and know what to expect at each step.

Overview: The Big Picture

Here's the simple version of what happens:

1. Customer buys something on your Shopify store
2. Shopify tells Shipit about the new order
3. Shipit creates a shipping label
4. Shipit tells Shopify the order is fulfilled
5. You download and print the label
6. You ship the package

Each step involves information moving between different systems. Let's break down each step.

Step 1: Customer Places Order

What happens:

• Customer completes checkout on your Shopify store
• Customer pays for their order
• Shopify creates an order record

Information collected:

• Customer name and address
• Products ordered
• Shipping method chosen (Standard, Express, etc.)
• Payment amount
• Order number

Where it goes:

• Stored in Shopify
• Sent to Shipit via webhook (automatic notification)

Step 2: Shipit Receives the Order

What happens:

• Shipit gets the webhook notification from Shopify
• Shipit reads the order information
• Shipit stores a copy of the order

Information used:

• Shipping address (where to send package)
• Products (what's being shipped)
• Shipping method (how fast it should arrive)
• Order total (for insurance)

What Shipit does with it:

• Checks if address is valid
• Checks which delivery rules apply
• Prepares for label creation

Step 3: Delivery Rules Applied

What happens:

• Shipit looks at your delivery rules
• Compares order details to rule conditions
• Picks the matching rule (or uses default)

Example:

IF order is going to USA
AND customer chose "Express Shipping"
THEN use FedEx 2-Day service

Information matched:

• Destination country
• Shipping method name
• Order weight/value
• Any other conditions you set

Result:

• Shipit knows which carrier to use
• Shipit knows which service level (Standard, Express, etc.)

See Rules for more about how rules work.

Step 4: Label Creation

What happens:

• Shipit sends shipment request to the carrier (FedEx, UPS, Posti, etc.)
• Carrier generates a shipping label
• Carrier sends back label PDF and tracking number

Information sent to carrier:

• From address (your warehouse - from Sender Settings)
• To address (customer shipping address)
• Package details (weight, dimensions)
• Service level (Standard, Express, etc.)
• Special services (signature, insurance, etc.)

Information received from carrier:

• Shipping label (PDF file)
• Tracking number
• Shipping cost
• Estimated delivery date

Where it's stored:

• Label PDF saved in Shipit
• Tracking number saved to order
• Cost recorded for your records

Step 5: Order Fulfillment

What happens:

• Shipit tells Shopify "This order is shipped"
• Shopify marks order as "Fulfilled"
• Shopify updates inventory counts

Information sent to Shopify:

• Tracking number
• Carrier name (FedEx, UPS, etc.)
• Tracking URL (link to track package)
• Which items were shipped

What Shopify does:

• Shows order as "Fulfilled" in admin
• Reduces stock count for products
• Sends tracking email to customer (if enabled)
• Updates order timeline

Step 6: Batch Creation

What happens:

• Shipit groups labels by carrier and date
• Combines individual label PDFs into one file
• Creates a manifest (list of orders)

Information organized:

• All FedEx labels in one PDF
• All Posti labels in another PDF
• CSV file with all tracking numbers and addresses

Why batching?

• Easier to download (one file instead of 50)
• Easier to print (print once, not 50 times)
• Organized by carrier for easier processing

Step 7: Download and Ship

What happens:

• You download the batch
• You print the labels
• You put labels on packages
• You ship the packages

Information used:

• Labels show addresses, barcodes, tracking numbers
• Manifest helps you organize shipments
• Tracking numbers for carrier pickup

After download:

• Orders get tagged (if enabled)
• Labels marked as downloaded
• Ready for next batch

Information Flow Diagram

Here's a simple visual of how information moves:

┌─────────────┐
│  Customer   │ Places order
│   Shopify   │
└──────┬──────┘
       │ Order info sent
       ↓
┌─────────────┐
│   Shipit    │ Receives order
│  Receives   │ Applies rules
└──────┬──────┘
       │ Shipment request
       ↓
┌─────────────┐
│   Carrier   │ Creates label
│ (FedEx/UPS) │ Returns tracking
└──────┬──────┘
       │ Label & tracking
       ↓
┌─────────────┐
│   Shipit    │ Saves label
│   Stores    │ Updates order
└──────┬──────┘
       │ Fulfillment info
       ↓
┌─────────────┐
│   Shopify   │ Marks fulfilled
│   Updated   │ Emails customer
└─────────────┘

What Information is Shared Where

Stored in Shopify

• Original order details
• Customer information
• Payment status
• Fulfillment status
• Tracking number (sent from Shipit)

Stored in Shipit

• Copy of order details
• Shipping label PDF
• Tracking number
• Carrier used
• Shipping cost
• Label download history

Sent to Carriers

• Sender address (from your settings)
• Recipient address (customer)
• Package weight/dimensions
• Service level requested

Carriers DON'T get

• Customer email
• Payment information
• Product prices
• Order history

Tracking Information Flow

After shipping, tracking info flows backward:

Carrier scans package
       ↓
Tracking status updated
       ↓
Shopify polls carrier for updates
       ↓
Customer sees tracking in email/order page

Common Questions

"How long does it take for order to appear in Shipit?"

Usually 1-2 minutes after customer pays. Sometimes instant.

If it takes longer:

• Check Shopify webhook is connected
• Look for failed webhooks in Shopify settings
• Manually sync orders if needed

"When does the customer get tracking info?"

Depends on your setup:

If fulfillment automation is ON:

• Customer gets email when label is created
• Email comes from Shopify (not Shipit)
• Usually 1-5 minutes after order is paid

If fulfillment automation is OFF:

• Customer gets email when you manually fulfill
• You control the timing

"What if customer changes their address?"

Before label is created:

• Update address in Shopify
• Changes sync to Shipit automatically
• Label will use new address

After label is created:

• Label already has old address
• Must cancel label and create new one
• Or contact carrier to intercept package

"Does Shipit store customer payment info?"

No. Shipit only receives:

• Order total (for insurance value)
• Shipping cost customer paid
• Never credit card numbers or payment details

Data Privacy & Security

What we protect

• All information encrypted in transit
• Secure storage of label PDFs
• Carrier API credentials encrypted
• No sharing of customer data

How long we keep data

• Active orders: Until shipped
• Label PDFs: 90 days after download
• Order records: As long as you use Shipit
• Deleted orders: Removed from Shipit when deleted from Shopify

When Things Go Wrong

Order stuck in "Pending"

Likely causes:

• Automation is turned off
• Order isn't actually paid yet
• Address validation failed
• Product missing weight

Check:

1. Look at order in Shipit - does it show errors?
2. Check automation settings are ON
3. Verify order is paid in Shopify
4. Look at product weights

Label created but not in Shopify

Likely causes:

• Fulfillment automation is OFF
• Shopify connection issue
• Order already fulfilled manually

Check:

1. Fulfillment automation setting
2. Order status in Shopify (might already be fulfilled)
3. Try manual fulfill if needed

Customer says they didn't get tracking

Likely causes:

• Shopify notification settings OFF
• Email went to spam
• Fulfillment not created yet

Check:

1. Is order fulfilled in Shopify?
2. Shopify > Settings > Notifications > Shipping confirmation is ON?
3. Customer email address correct?
4. Check spam folder

Best Practices for Data Flow

Keep information synchronized

• Don't edit orders in both Shopify and Shipit
• Make changes in Shopify, let it sync to Shipit
• If you need to cancel, delete in Shopify

Regular monitoring

• Check dashboard for failed labels daily
• Review error messages
• Fix address issues promptly

Test before going live

• Create test orders
• Watch information flow through each step
• Verify customer receives tracking
• Check that everything appears correct

Summary: The Full Journey

1. Customer buys → Shopify creates order
2. Shopify notifies Shipit → Webhook sends order data
3. Shipit processes → Applies rules, validates address
4. Label creates → Carrier generates label and tracking
5. Shopify updated → Order marked fulfilled, tracking added
6. Customer notified → Shopify sends tracking email
7. You download → Batch with all labels ready
8. You ship → Package goes to carrier
9. Tracking updates → Carrier scans, Shopify shows progress
10. Delivery → Customer receives package

Every step involves information moving and transforming to ensure smooth shipping from your store to your customer's door.

Next Steps

• Settings Overview - Configure how information flows
• Automation Workflows - Control when things happen
• Troubleshooting - Fix data flow problems