Introducing ReadyToShip automation rules
Updated: 19 hours ago
Set it once. Prepare orders with fewer clicks.
Most shipping workflow includes decisions your team makes repeatedly. Which service should you use? Does the order need specific packaging? Should it be deferred? Is the shipping address a PO Box?
ReadyToShip’s new automation rules can now take care of these repetitive steps for you.
You decide which orders a rule should match and what should happen next. The rule can then run automatically as orders import, or manually whenever your team chooses to run it.
Benefits of automation
For a small ecommerce business, automating routine shipping decisions is about more than reducing clicks. It can help your team build a reliable workflow that is easier to manage as orders increase.
The right automation rules can support operational efficiency while keeping your team in control of the decisions that matter.
Save time on repetitive work
Choosing services, applying packaging and sorting orders may take only a short time for each order. Across a busy day, however, those small tasks add up.
Automation rules apply your chosen actions to matching orders. Your team can spend less time repeating routine steps and more time preparing orders that need individual attention.
Make shipping decisions more consistent
When several people prepare orders, each person may approach the same decision differently. A saved rule gives the team a clear, repeatable process.
Orders that meet the same conditions can be handled in the same way. This makes it easier to maintain a consistent shipping workflow, even when different team members are working.
Reduce routine errors
Repetitive manual tasks can make it easier to miss an important detail. An order may need a particular carrier, a saved package or a reminder before it can be shipped.
Automation rules help apply these routine requirements when the matching conditions are met. Your team can then concentrate on exceptions and review orders that require a decision.
Build capacity for busy periods
As order volumes increase, repeating the same manual steps for every order quickly becomes impractical. This can place more pressure on a small team during promotions, seasonal peaks or other busy periods.
A streamlined workflow helps the team prepare more orders without adding the same amount of repetitive administration. It also makes established processes easier for new or occasional team members to follow.
This can be especially useful when the business owner is also responsible for customer service, stock and day-to-day operations. Routine shipping knowledge no longer needs to sit with one person. The rule records how a common order should be handled, giving the wider team a practical process to follow when order volumes rise.
Automation does not remove your team from the process. It turns the decisions you already make into a simple workflow that can be tested, reviewed and used when appropriate.
What can you automate?
Automation rules can help you turn common shipping decisions into repeatable workflows.
For example, you could create rules to:
Assign the cheapest carrier based on package and destination
Assign Express Post to orders within a particular postcode range
Apply a saved package when an order contains a specific SKU
Assign orders addressed to PO Boxes to Australia Post
Defer orders containing preorder products
Add reminders to orders that need extra attention
Instead of working through the same decisions order by order, you can build the workflow once and use it consistently across every matching order.
Choose when each rule runs
Not every workflow needs to happen automatically. ReadyToShip gives you the flexibility to create either automatic or manual rules, depending on how your team works.
Automatic rules run as orders import. They’re useful for routine decisions that can be applied consistently without someone reviewing every order first.
Manual rules run only when a team member chooses to use them. They’re a better fit for when someone should decide when the action is applied.
You can also keep an automatic rule inactive while you test and refine it. This lets you prepare the workflow without applying it to incoming orders before you’re ready.
Start with one repetitive task
You don’t need to automate your entire shipping workflow at once. Start by thinking about one decision your team makes regularly. It could be choosing a delivery service, applying packaging for a particular product or separating a preorder until it is ready to ship.
Turn that decision into a rule, then test it against recent orders using Dry run. Review the matches and refine the conditions if needed.
Once you’re satisfied with the result, activate the rule, or keep it manual if a team member should decide when it runs.
One carefully tested rule is all it takes to start preparing orders with fewer clicks.
Create your first automation rule
Already using ReadyToShip? Go to Settings → Automation to create and test your first rule.
New to ReadyToShip? Start your 30-day free trial and discover a more efficient way to prepare orders for shipping.
For step-by-step instructions, read the Automation rules setup guide. If you have any questions, contact the ReadyToShip team via live chat.
