Rules for Shipping Methods

Shipping Method ryles in Afosto allow you to define specific scenarios where shipping methods behave differently, ensuring flexibility and customization. These exceptions can be applied to two primary subjects: availability of the shipping method and shipping method costs. Using exceptions, you can customize shipping rules to specific needs, such as restricting methods based on order size, destination, or customer preferences.

These ryles apply to two main subjects:

• Availability of the Shipping Method: Control when a shipping method is shown or hidden at checkout. Restrict methods based on factors like order size, delivery destination, or product category. Customize availability by enabling or disabling shipping methods for specific customers or sales channels.
• Shipping Method Costs: Adjust shipping costs dynamically based on predefined conditions. Offer free shipping for orders above a certain amount or set tiered pricing based on the order value. Override default shipping costs by applying exceptions tailored to different scenarios.

Why Do You Need Exceptions?

Exceptions help customize shipping methods by defining when certain options should not be displayed, ensuring only relevant choices appear at checkout. For example:

• Restricting a shipping method for regions where delivery is not supported.
• Excluding shipping options for orders below a specific weight or value.
• Preventing the display of premium shipping methods for non-priority customers.
• Ensuring that customers see only relevant shipping options, improving their checkout experience.
• Controlling the availability and cost of shipping methods dynamically based on predefined conditions.
• Streamlining logistics by automating complex scenarios and reducing manual adjustments.

How to Add Exceptions to Your Shipping Methods

After logging into your Afosto account, click the "Admin App" button located in the top-right corner of the header on the Afosto screen.

Select the Shipping methods option from the Shipping menu on the left sidebar, then click on any existing shipping method in the list.

A window will appear to edit the shipping methods. Enable the toggle for the Shipping method enabled option to add an exception.

Shipping Method Availability

This toggle will determine if your shipping method should be standard active or inactive. You can then add exceptions to this specific rule.

It allows you to set exceptions, enabling dynamic control over when the method is available based on specific conditions.

For example:

This shipping method should standard be active except when the order total is less than €50 

Or:

This shipping method should standard be inactive except when the delivery address is outside Europe

Exceptions for the Availability of the Shipping Method

Click the “Exceptions” button under the Shipping method enabled option.

The Conditions > Shipping Method Active page will appear on the screen.

Enter a name for the exception in the Name field (e.g., New Condition 1) and click “+ Add Condition” to define the rules for the exception.

Conditions in Shipping Rules

Conditions are an essential part of shipping rules, enabling businesses to define specific criteria or exceptions for applying shipping methods. They act as filters to customize shipping options based on customer needs, product details, or business requirements, ensuring flexibility and accuracy.

For example, conditions can be based on the following categories:

• Channel: Define rules for specific sales channels such as online stores or marketplaces (e.g., "Buys on channel").
• Customer: Target customer attributes like contact labels or email addresses (e.g., "Contact contains label").
• Order: Use order details like price lists or totals to apply rules (e.g., "Contains price list").
• Discount: Apply rules based on specific discount codes (e.g., "Applies discount code").
• Product: Focus on particular products or product categories (e.g., "Buys products").

Why Do We Need Conditions?

Conditions are essential for customizing shipping options, improving efficiency, and optimizing costs by personalizing methods based on customer profiles and order details while simplifying operations.
In the Add Condition menu, select the Channel category, choose ‘Buys on channel’, and click the “Add” button to apply the condition, configuring the shipping method for the specified sales channels.

For example, In the Buys on Channel condition, You can create rules to determine whether a shipping method should be active or disabled for specific channels.

CONDITIONS:

• IF, IF NOT, AND, OR options allow for advanced rule customization. Use IF to apply the rule when the condition is met, IF NOT when it is not met, AND to require all combined conditions to be true, and OR to apply the rule if at least one condition is true.
• Select “One of” to include specific channels (e.g., Decathlon, Shopify-test1, or Shopify_channel_test) where the shipping method will apply.
• Select “None of” to exclude specific channels where the shipping method should not be available.

These rules are flexible and interchangeable, allowing you to combine them with other conditions such as customer labels, email addresses, or order attributes. 

For example, if an order is placed on the Shopify-test1 channel and the customer has a specific contact label (e.g., "VIP"), you can create a rule to disable the shipping method for this combination. This ensures that specific customers or channels follow tailored shipping rules.

Use the Active toggle in the Then section to enable or disable the exception giving you precise control over the availability of the shipping method.

Disabling it ensures the shipping method is excluded for the selected channels, such as "Shopify-test1" will not display the shipping method.

Once configured, click “Submit” to save and apply the rule to the selected channels.

Shipping Method Costs

Shipping method costs allow you to define the pricing structure for a specific shipping method, which can be set as a fixed price or as a percentage of the order value. This flexibility ensures that you can tailor delivery fees to your business needs while maintaining clarity and transparency for your customers.

The Shipping Method Costs section also provides the ability to create rules that adjust costs or enable free shipping based on predefined conditions, such as order value thresholds or customer segments.

Why Do I Need Costs?

Setting costs ensures transparency and consistency in your shipping fees. Define fixed or percentage-based costs, you can align pricing with your business strategy while providing clarity to customers during checkout. This helps in managing operational costs and building trust by offering clear and fair pricing.

Exceptions for Shipping Methods Costs

Select “Use fixed price” to set a standard cost for the shipping method (e.g., €7).

You can override the fixed shipping price or offer free shipping by setting conditions. For instance, to provide free shipping for orders above €100, click the Exceptions button next to the fixed price.

The Conditions: Fixed Cost Rules Shipping Method page will appear on the screen.

Enter a name for the exception in the Name field such as "Free shipping €100-" and click “+ Add Condition” to define the rules for the exception.

On clicking, an Add Condition window will appear on the screen, where you can select the Order category, choose Meet Order Requirement, and click the ‘Add’ button to apply the condition.

The Meet Order Requirement condition allows you to set specific shipping cost rules based on the order subtotal, providing flexibility for different order ranges. 

The Minimum field specifies the lower limit, and the Maximum field sets the upper limit for the condition to apply. If the maximum value is left blank, the rule applies to orders exceeding the minimum value without any upper limit.

For example, if the default standard shipping cost is €10:

• You can configure the method cost as €5 for orders between €50 and €100.

and

• Set the method cost to €0 (free shipping) for orders above €100.

Choose Subtotal from the dropdown option in the “Applies to” section if you want the rule to apply to the order amount before discounts are applied.

The Subtotal describes the order amount before applying any discounts, while the Total includes the discounts applied. Use Subtotal for rules based on the pre-discount amount and Total for conditions that consider the final amount after discounts.

Enter the shipping method cost to apply for this range (e.g., €5) in the Then section.

Note: The Then section allows you to define specific shipping costs for each condition, overriding the default cost when the condition is met. 

You can define conditions like minimum order totals, customer details, or others, and the system will check these conditions during the checkout process. If the conditions are met, the corresponding shipping cost or rule is applied automatically.

Click the “Submit” button to save the condition and ensure it is active to apply the rule during checkout.

After clicking, the result reflects the newly added exception. The count next to the Exceptions button now displays 1, indicating that one exception rule has been successfully created and applied to the shipping method.

Toggle the switches next to options such as "Same day delivery", "Sunday delivery" etc. to enable or disable them based on your shipping method's requirements, and then click the “Add” button in the top-right corner to save the changes and finalize the configuration of shipping method.

The newly created shipping method will appear in the Shipping Methods list, confirming its successful addition.

FAQs: Shipping Method Rules and Costs

Q: How frequently can the fixed costs or percentage-based costs be updated? Is there a real-time update mechanism for the checkout?

A: Fixed or percentage-based costs are updated in real-time, ensuring immediate changes are reflected at checkout.

Q: What is the system's behavior if a cost condition (like free shipping for orders over €100) is met at checkout but the order total changes afterwards (due to returns or modifications)?

A: You have two options:

1. Adjust prices based on the rules according to the updated situation.
2. Retain the original pricing and not apply the new rules.

Q: What happens if a customer's attribute (like a contact label) changes after a rule has been applied? Does the shipping method automatically adjust?

A: The shipping method will not automatically adjust. You will need to monitor and make manual changes if necessary.

Q: How does the system handle overlapping rules? What happens if multiple conditions for different shipping methods are met?

A:

• Rule Sorting: The system evaluates orders based on the sequence of the rules.
• Condition Met: When a rule's condition is met, the evaluation process stops.
• First Match Application: Only the first rule that matches the condition is applied.

Q: Can rules be prioritized if conflicts occur, and if so, how is this priority set?

A: Rules are prioritized based on their sorting order. The system applies the first matching rule in the sequence.