ChannelShipper Smart Pack

What is Smart Pack?

Smart Pack is the name for a collection of algorithms that run in the background of ChannelShipper. They work together with your Shipping Rules and custom package formats to attempt to automatically apply the smallest and most appropriate package formats to each of your orders.

We designed Smart Pack specifically to work for orders with multiple products, or for orders with multiple quantities of a single product.

Where we have calculated that the contents of the order are too large to fit in the standard package format you would use for an order containing only one of that product, we will automatically attempt to select the next largest package format.

How does Smart Pack work?

Smart Pack makes calculations based on the following values:

  • The 'Size' value saved to your custom package formats
  • The 'Weight' value saved to your Products
  • The 'Size' value saved to your Products
  • The 'Smallest package format' value saved to your Products
  • The value you tell us for how many of that product can fit in the chosen package format

Size values can be from 0.1 to 100.

It is import that you give us the correct values when creating or editing your products and package formats so we can properly calculate the right package format for each of your orders.

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Adding a size and weight value to a package format

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Adding a size and weight value to a product 

Example 1: Applying a package format to an order with multiple quantities of the same product

A company sells T-shirts. Each T shirt weights 150 grams and have a Size value of 2. The smallest possible package format for this product is a 'Padded Envelope'.

They have three custom package formats:

'Padded Envelope' - which weights 10 grams, is associated with Royal Mail's 'Large Letter' format, and has a Size value of 5.

'Small Box' - which weights 40 grams, is associated with Royal Mail's 'Parcel' format, and has a Size value of 10.

'Large Box' - which weights 40 grams, is associated with Royal Mail's 'Parcel' format, and has a Size value of 15.

Order 1:

An order imports from one channel for two T-shirts. 

Order Size = Size of products (2x2) = 4

This is less than the Size value for 'Padded Envelope', so Smart Pack will apply 'Padded Envelope' to this order.

Order 2: 

An order imports from one channel for three T-shirts. 

Order Size = Size of products (3x2) = 6

This is greater than the Size value for 'Padded Envelope', so Smart Pack will choose the next largest package format based on the 'Size' value. The next largest is 'Small Box' which has a size value of 10. Smart Pack will apply 'Small Box' to this order.

Example 2: Applying a package format to an order with multiple products

Company A sells T-shirts and baseball caps. Each T shirt weights 150 grams and have a Size value of 2.

Each baseball cap weights 85 grams and has a size value of 1.

The smallest possible package format for both products is a 'Padded Envelope'.

They have three custom package formats:

'Padded Envelope' - which weights 10 grams, is associated with Royal Mail's 'Large Letter' format, and has a Size value of 5.

'Small Box' - which weights 40 grams, is associated with Royal Mail's 'Parcel' format, and has a Size value of 10.

'Large Box' - which weights 40 grams, is associated with Royal Mail's 'Parcel' format, and has a Size value of 15.

Order 1: 

An order imports from one channel for one T-shirt and one baseball cap.

Order Size = Size of products (1x2)+(1x1)= 3

This is less than the Size value for 'Padded Envelope', so Smart Pack will apply 'Padded Envelope' to this order.

Order 2: 

An order imports from one channel for two T-shirts and two baseball caps.

Order Size = Size of products (2x2)+(2x1)= 6

This is greater than the Size value for 'Padded Envelope', so Smart Pack will choose the next largest package format based on the 'Size' value. The next largest is 'Small Box' which has a size value of 10. Smart Pack will apply 'Small Box' to this order.

Order 3:

An order imports from one channel for four T-shirts and three baseball caps.

Order Size = Size of products (4x2)+(3x1)= 11

This is greater than the Size value for 'Padded Envelope', so Smart Pack will choose the next largest package format based on the 'Size' value. The next largest is 'Small Box' which has a size value of 10. This value is less than the Size value of the order, so Smart Pack will choose the next largest, which is 'Large Box' with a size value of 15.

Smart Pack will apply 'Large Box' to this order.

How to check Smart Pack has applied a package format and shipping rule to an order

If we have been unable to automatically apply a package format or shipping service to an order, you can check this by looking at your Orders grid. In the status column, if you see either a blue information symbol or a yellow warning triangle by the order status, you can hover your mouse over it to receive more information.

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In this example, postage could not be automatically applied to order 30373 because there are no shipping rules matching the order criteria, and one or more of the products is missing an assigned package format. 

You can click these messages to be redirected to the correct area of ChannelShipper where you can fill in any missing information.

How to attempt to re-apply a package format and shipping rule to an order

If you have made a change to products, package formats, or shipping rules, and you'd like us to attempt to reapply these to an order, select the order from the 'Orders' page.

Next, select 'Reprocess order' from the actions menu as shown, and click 'Go'. 

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