Overview
Create rules to automate actions when orders are synced based on set conditions. Rules only apply to orders that are synced via a supported eCommerce integration (e.g. Shopify, etc). On sync, we will apply rules you have configured based on conditions like size, destination, keywords, etc.
For example, against an Order you might:
- Assign a preferred carrier for certain destinations
- Select a specific service based on the Shipping Description provided
- Apply various business-specific requirements based on product, destination, value, or descriptions
Rules run in a priority order that you can set, so take care to avoid conflicting configurations based on their priority. You can also choose to stop processing additional rules once a matching rule has been applied.
How Rules Work
| Name | A descriptive name that makes the rule easy to identify. |
| Description | Free text field for adding additional information for complex rule readability. |
| Trigger | Currently rules are only available on the Order Received trigger which is when an integrated Order is synced. |
| Priority | The order in which the rules run. Lowest value runs first. |
| Behaviour | If the rule is enabled/disabled and if subsequent rules in the priority order stop running once this rule is matched. |
| Effective Period | When rules run, this date range will be checked and if it is not within the range, the rule will not run. |
| When (Conditions) | The criteria an order must meet before the rule will apply. Can be split into AND/OR groups. |
| Then (Actions) |
The changes applied when the conditions are met. When an order matches a rule's conditions, the configured actions are automatically applied to that Order. When you select the Order you will see the resulting changes. |
Creating a Rule
To create a rule:
- Navigate to Administration > Rules.
- Select New Rule.
- Enter required fields like rule name, create one or more conditions and actions.
- Save and enable the rule.
The rule will only run the next time orders are synced assuming other criteria are met.
Rule Conditions
Conditions determine when a rule should apply. You can create conditions using order information such as:
- Site
- Order total value
- Order number
- Delivery Address
- Email Address
- Shipping Description
- Product Lines
Conditions have operators like 'equals', 'contains', 'starts with' that are used in the evaluation process, and multiple conditions can be combined to create more specific rules.
Example
If:
Country = Australia
AND
Shipping Description CONTAINS 'International Express'
Then:
Set Carrier = FedEx
Rule Actions
Actions define what happens when an order matches a rule. Available actions may include:
- Set carrier
- Set carrier service
- Set attributes like Signature Required, Insurance etc
- Add package
- Send notification
Multiple actions can be added to a single rule.
Again, a reminder that rules run in order of priority, so the last rule that ran could overwrite a previous conflicting rule. Please be mindful when creating and ordering rules.
Set Carrier:
When using Rules Automation alongside other courier selection methods, it's important to understand which method takes precedence.
Rules Automation takes priority over preferred carriers configured through Cost Centres. However, courier selections made through the Barcode Scanning Workflow take the highest priority.
The order of priority is:
- Barcode Scanning Workflow – Courier selections made by scanning a Courier barcode take the highest priority.
- Rules Automation – If no courier barcode is scanned, applicable Rules Automations determine the courier via the 'Set Carrier' rule.
- Preferred Carriers via Cost Centres – If neither of the above determines the courier, the preferred carrier assigned to the selected Cost Centre is used.
For more information on how courier selection works within the Barcode Scanning Workflow, refer to our article: Barcode Scan Workflow.
Viewing Rule Activity
You can view the logs of which rules ran generally (execution logs) as well as which rules ran on a specific order (on the orders screen displayed with an icon).
Execution logs give you a general picture of which rules have been running. You can see this under the Logs section of the main rules screen.
You can also see which rules have applied to a specific order under the Orders screen as shown below:
Best Practices
- Use clear, descriptive rule names.
- Start with simple rules before creating complex logic.
- Test rules against dummy orders.
- Review priorities whenever new rules are added.
- Avoid creating multiple rules that perform conflicting actions.
- Document the purpose of important business-critical rules in the description.