Automation Rules save you time by performing numerous actions that you would otherwise do manually. They tell ShipStation to automatically apply certain actions to orders that meet the criteria set in the rule. When orders that meet the criteria import into or are created in ShipStation, these rules cause ShipStation to automatically perform the action set in the rule.
Automation rules consist of two main parts: Criteria and Actions.
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Criteria: These are the requirements an order must meet for the rule's action to apply. An automation rule can have multiple criteria, but an order has to meet all the requirements for the automation rule to apply.
Example criteria include Ship To State, Order Weight, and Order Tags.
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Actions: The task(s) that will be completed when the rule runs.
Example actions include setting the service and package type, adding a tag, setting the Ship From Location, or assigning a user to the order.
Think of Automation Rules like IF/THEN statements: IF an order has x, THEN do Y.
ShipStation applies Automation Rules to orders when they import or move into the Awaiting Shipment status or On Hold status for the first time. It's important to keep in mind that changes made to orders already in Awaiting Shipment will not trigger Automation Rules.
Automation Rules are highly customizable and can work with other automation methods, like Product Defaults and Service Mapping. You can set up as many rules as you need. If you have multiple Automation Rules, ShipStation processes the rules from first to last in the list.
To help give you a better sense of what kind of rules you can create, see our Example Automation Rules.
The Automation Workflow Guide is another resource for a better understanding of how you can leverage Automation Rules in your account.
Automation Order of Operations
Automation Rules are the last automation process ShipStation applies. They can override Product Defaults and Service Mapping. They can also override other automation rules that were applied earlier in the sequence.
ShipStation University Automation Course
If learning by doing is more your style, take the ShipStation University Automation course. The lesson videos will show you how to use the three different types of automation in ShipStation: Product Automation, Service Mapping, and Automation Rules.
Think of automation rules like IF/THEN statements. The criteria for a rule will be the IF portion of the statement.
Criteria: Single
This statement says, "IF the Marketplace the order imported from equals Shopify..."
There are many criteria options and some let you choose more than one value. If the criterion you select allows you to choose multiple values (like stores), they are treated like OR statements.
Criteria: Multiple Stores
This statement says, "IF the Marketplace the order imported from equals Amazon OR Shopify..."
Similarly, some criteria require you to type the value. If you need the criteria to look for multiple different values, separate them with a semicolon (;) and ShipStation will treat them as OR statements.
Criteria: Multiple Cities
This statement says, "IF the City the order is shipping to Equals Austin OR San Antonio..."
Lastly, you can add additional criteria to the rule, and each individual criteria line is an AND statement.
Criteria: Store AND City
This statement says, "IF the Marketplace the order imported from Equals Shopify AND the City the order is shipping to Equals Austin..."
Criteria Option: Orders match an existing filter
When using this criterion, the automation will apply to orders within the Saved filter. The orders must also meet the general requirements if the criteria were being used without the filter settings.
For example: If the filter is for state, recipient, and store, automation actions would apply to all orders in the filter. However, if the filter is set for SKU, Item Name, or Warehouse location, the automation will only be applied to single item orders returned in that filter.
No Special Characters in Numeric Fields
Use numbers only for currency or other numeric fields in automation rules. Special characters ($, £, ¢, €, etc) cannot be used with numerical values in automation rules.
Again, think of Automation Rules as IF/THEN statements. The actions are the THEN portion of the statement.
Action: Single
This action says, "...THEN Add an Internal Note 'Call customer before shipping'"
Just like with criteria, you can have multiple different actions in a single automation rule, and each individual action would be an AND statement.
Action: Multiple
This action says, "...THEN Set International Non-Delivery to Treat as Abandoned AND Set Customs Content Type to Gift."