Skip to main content

How do I handle a retailer order that ships to many stores or to the retailer’s customers?

Endless keeps a retailer purchase order for many stores as one sales order with the per-store breakdown attached, and you pack and ship it by store or distribution center.

When an EDI purchase order includes a per-store breakdown, Endless saves it as the order’s store distribution, with each store’s quantities converted to units. The order’s EDI tab then shows the “Store Packout Plan,” a grid of items by store, grouped by distribution center. “As Ordered” shows the purchase order’s quantities. “As Packed” shows what you have packed into containers, and “Variance” shows the difference. You can filter by fulfillment order, distribution center, or store, and select “Download CSV.” A warning appears when an item on the purchase order matches no line on the order.

To process the order:

  1. Approve the order if it is Pending.
  2. Create fulfillment orders. A routing strategy’s “Destinations” setting can create “One fulfillment per distribution center” or “One fulfillment per store.” This setting may not be available on every account. Without it, all stores share one fulfillment order.
  3. Allocate each fulfillment order.
  4. On the Containers tab, select “Auto-Pack” and check “Split by store” to give each store its own containers. Enter weights and dimensions, select “Assign SSCCs,” then “Close Containers” and “Generate Labels.” “Pack for Store Quantity” in “Validate Containers” flags containers whose store quantities do not match the plan.
  5. Mark the fulfillment order Ready and In Progress, or send it to your warehouse, then record the shipment with the retailer’s carrier, bill of lading, and reference number.

When the fulfillment order becomes Fulfilled, Endless sends the ship notice with the containers and their SSCCs if the retailer connection sends ship notices. “Send Invoice (EDI 810)” sends the invoice.

Endless also fulfills drop-ship orders that retailers send for their customers, such as Wayfair, Rithum, Mirakl, and Walmart orders. Each arrives as its own sales order with the end customer’s address, and Endless sends the shipment back to the retailer.