Overview
Shipping Automation lets you automatically choose the best shipping option for each order based on rules you define. When paired with OTO Rates, your rules can pick real-time carrier services and prices from your OTO-connected carriers so orders are routed quickly and cost‑effectively without manual work.
What you can do
- Map orders to the cheapest, fastest, or a specific OTO rate based on destination, weight, order value, SKU, and more
- Standardize packaging selections to improve rate accuracy
- Enforce service levels (e.g., ground only, 2‑day, international tracked)
- Add requirements like signature confirmation or insurance
- Fail over to a safe default when no preferred rate is available
Prerequisites
- Your OTO account is active and you can access Shipping Automation and Rates
- At least one carrier/service is connected and returning OTO Rates
- Your products have accurate weights and, if used, default package dimensions
- You have permission to create and reorder automation rules
- You are in either Scale Package for basic shipping automation or the Enterprise plan for advanced shipping automation.
How it works
- Rules run in priority order, from top to bottom.
- Each rule has conditions (what must be true) and actions (what to do).
- When a rule matches, the selected OTO Rate and other actions are applied to the order. If your system supports it, you can stop further rule processing after a match.
- If no rules match, the system will use your default behavior or any catch‑all rule you define.
Step-by-step setup
1) Enable OTO Rates
- Open Settings or Rates in your OTO dashboard.
- Confirm that OTO Rates are enabled and that carriers/services are connected.
- Use the rate tester (if available) to confirm you see live rates for a sample address.
2) Open Shipping Automation
- Go to Settings or Automation and select Shipping Automation.
- Review any existing rules and note their priority order.
3) Create a new rule
- Select Add rule.
- Give the rule a descriptive name, for example: Domestic under 1 kg – Cheapest Ground.
4) Define conditions
Examples of common conditions you can combine:
- Destination: country, state/province, postal code, or zone
- Order value: subtotal before discounts, after discounts, or item value
- Weight or dimensions: total order weight or item-level attributes
- Products: SKU, product type, tags, or collections
- Checkout selection: shipping method chosen by the buyer (if you map checkout methods)
- Channel or location: sales channel, store, or fulfillment origin
Add only the conditions needed so the rule targets the right orders without overlapping too broadly.
5) Select actions using OTO Rates
Choose how the rule will pick a rate and configure shipping options:
- Rate selection:
- Cheapest OTO Rate that meets your constraints
- Fastest OTO Rate
- Specific service or carrier (match by service name or code)
- Filter rates by delivery time, carrier, or service type (e.g., ground only)
- Packaging:
- Set a specific package type or dimensions to improve rate accuracy
- Service options:
- Require signature, add insurance, Saturday delivery, delivery instructions
- Fallback behavior:
- If no qualifying rate is found, select next best option, flag for manual review, or apply a default service
- Rule control:
- Choose whether to stop processing additional rules after this one applies
6) Set rule priority
- Place more specific rules above general ones.
- Keep a catch‑all rule at the bottom to prevent orders from being left without a rate.
7) Save and test
- Use a test order or rate preview to validate that the intended rate is selected.
- Check logs or the rule match summary (if available) to see which rule fired and why.
- Adjust conditions or priority as needed.
Practical examples
Example 1: Cheapest domestic ground for light orders
- Goal: For domestic orders under 1 kg, always choose the cheapest ground service.
- Conditions:
- Destination: Country equals your home market (for example, United States)
- Weight: Total weight less than or equal to 1 kg
- Actions:
- Rate selection: Cheapest OTO Rate with service type = Ground/Standard
- Packaging: Small Box 8 × 6 × 2 in (or your equivalent small parcel)
- Stop processing more rules: Yes
- Fallback:
- If no ground service is available, select cheapest available OTO Rate
Example 2: Map checkout “Express” to 2‑day service
- Goal: If the buyer chose “Express” at checkout, ensure a 2‑day (or faster) service is used.
- Conditions:
- Checkout method: Express
- Destination: Domestic
- Actions:
- Rate selection: Fastest OTO Rate with delivery commitment ≤ 2 business days
- Require signature: No
- Stop processing more rules: Yes
- Fallback:
- If no 2‑day service is returned, allow the next fastest OTO Rate up to 3 business days
Example 3: Free shipping threshold with cost control
- Goal: Orders over $75 ship free via the cheapest tracked service, but cap cost.
- Conditions:
- Order value (after discounts) ≥ $75
- Destination: Domestic
- Actions:
- Rate selection: Cheapest OTO Rate with tracking
- Apply internal cost cap: Prefer rates ≤ $10; if none, flag for review
- Packaging: Standard Box 12 × 9 × 4 in
- Stop processing more rules: Yes
- Fallback:
- If no tracked service ≤ $10, select next cheapest tracked service and add a tag Needs review: shipping cost
Example 4: International EU orders with duties paid service
- Goal: For EU destinations, select a tracked service that supports duties/taxes handling.
- Conditions:
- Destination: Country in EU zone
- Actions:
- Rate selection: OTO Rate where service supports DDP or pre-paid duties/taxes
- Require: Tracking
- Customs: Use HS codes and declared values from product data
- Stop processing more rules: Yes
- Fallback:
- If no DDP-capable service is returned, choose the cheapest tracked DAP service and tag Order: duties unpaid
Example 5: Oversize or heavy shipments
- Goal: Route large/heavy orders to appropriate services or manual review.
- Conditions:
- Weight > 20 kg OR Longest side > 100 cm
- Actions:
- Rate selection: Filter OTO Rates to services that accept oversize/heavy parcels
- If packaging constraints exceed parcel limits, tag for manual LTL or freight
- Stop processing more rules: Yes
- Fallback:
- If no eligible parcel service is found, set shipping status to Manual review required
Testing and verification
- Use sample addresses and carts that hit each rule scenario.
- Confirm the selected OTO Rate, service name, cost, and ETA match your expectations.
- Check which rule matched; if an earlier, more general rule fired, reorder your rules.
- Validate packaging: incorrect dimensions often cause missing or inflated rates.
- Place a live test order and ensure labels print with the selected carrier/service.
Troubleshooting tips
- No rates returned:
- Verify carriers are connected and OTO Rates are enabled
- Check address validity and postal codes
- Ensure product weights and package dimensions are present and realistic
- Wrong rule is firing:
- Move your specific rule above broader ones
- Add or tighten conditions (for example, include destination zone)
- The desired service is missing:
- Confirm that the service is enabled with the carrier and available for the route
- Relax filters that may be excluding it (for example, remove strict delivery-day constraints)
- Costs higher than expected:
- Review packaging; smaller or flat‑rate packaging may rate lower
- Check any handling markups or insurance settings added by the rule
- Duplicate actions:
- If multiple rules add options (for example, signature), stop processing after the first match or consolidate rules
Best practices
- Use clear names and descriptions for rules so your team understands intent
- Start with a small set of simple, high‑impact rules
- Keep a catch‑all rule at the bottom that selects the cheapest available OTO Rate
- Review rule performance monthly; adjust for seasonality or carrier changes
- Tag or report orders that hit fallbacks to continuously improve coverage
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