CONFIGURE A VIRTUAL/MAIN BRIDGE IN SHIPPINGBO

This feature requires activation by Shippingbo support, which you can reach here.

Several prerequisites are required:

• Have an active Shippingbo OMS account.
• Have an account set up with your external logistics provider (for example Octopia).
• Have a structured product catalog (master logistics SKU, additional references and EAN codes filled in; strongly recommended and often required by external providers).

The Virtual Bridge acts as a technical intermediary between your Shippingbo OMS and your external logistics provider, which has its own Warehouse Management System (WMS) external to Shippingbo.

2.1 Order architecture and flows

An order goes through the following steps:

1. Retrieval of the order from the sales source (Marketplace / CMS) into the OMS.

2. Matching of the order lines with the products in the catalog.

3. Routing of the order to the Virtual Bridge warehouse.

4. Transmission of the order to the logistics provider for preparation and shipment.

5. Return of shipping information (carrier, tracking number) to Shippingbo, then closing and updating on the sales channel.

2.2 Stock flow and synchronization

The stock flow is independent of the order flow:

1. The logistics provider communicates its available physical stock.

2. The Shippingbo OMS retrieves this data and calculates the stock available for sale according to your orchestration rules (stock reserved for orders, and stock pre-reservations).

3. This calculated stock is then sent from the OMS to your various sales channels.

2.3 Error and return management

When an order is marked In error in the OMS, the cause is generally a catalog matching failure or a lack of logistics stock. Once the problem has been corrected on the product or the stock, a manual routing retry action restarts the transmission.

3.1 Requesting activation from the Shippingbo teams

Setting up a Virtual Bridge requires activation by our technical teams as well as advanced support; please contact your Shippingbo account manager for more information on the subject.

3.2 Setting up the product catalog

So that orders are transmitted correctly:

1. Go to your product catalog in the OMS.

2. Fill in the Main SKU with the exact reference expected by your logistics provider.

3. Add the SKU(s) of your stores/marketplaces in the field called Additional references.

4. Make sure to fill in the EAN code of each item (strongly recommended and often required by external providers such as Octopia).

3.3 Checking the routing

In the configuration of the sales sources and warehouses:

1. Check that the Virtual Bridge warehouse is correctly mapped.

2. Run a single-order test to validate transmission through to the logistics provider.

A company sells an item on several marketplaces under different commercial references (e.g.: REF-MKT-A and REF-MKT-B). This item is stored and prepared at its logistics provider under the reference QUTI-CHAIR-01.

1. Catalog configuration: In Shippingbo, the product is created with the Main SKU QUTI-CHAIR-01, EAN 3700000000001 and the additional references REF-MKT-A and REF-MKT-B.
2. Placing the order: A customer orders REF-MKT-A on the marketplace.
3. Matching and routing: Shippingbo recognizes the item thanks to the additional reference, links it to QUTI-CHAIR-01, and transmits the order to the logistics provider via the Virtual Bridge.
4. Shipment: The logistics provider ships the order, sends the tracking to the Virtual Bridge, which updates the OMS and closes the sale on the marketplace.

To go further 🛫

• ADD AND REMOVE ADDITIONAL REFERENCES
• HOW DOES STOCK RESERVATION WORK? (In advanced warehouse)

Contact us 📬

Questions about this feature?
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