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Channels
A channel is the sales channel an order comes from: a webshop platform, a marketplace, an ERP system or manual entry. Boxture uses the channel to recognise where an order was placed, so that settings, product numbers and inventory reporting can differ per channel.
The channels list
Open Admin › Carriers & Services › Channels (admins only). The list shows the Name and URL of each channel. The list is maintained by Boxture and is the same for all accounts; you cannot add, change or remove channels yourself.
The channels currently available include:
| Channel | Used for |
|---|---|
| Shopify | Orders from Shopify (both the Shopify app and the older Shopify shop integration) |
| WooCommerce | Orders from the WooCommerce integration |
| NetSuite | Orders from the NetSuite integration |
| Le New Black | Orders from the Le New Black integration |
| Amazon, BigCommerce, eBay, Jet.com, Odoo | Orders from these marketplaces and platforms, for example through the API or imports |
| Manual | Orders entered by hand |
How an order gets a channel
| Source | Channel |
|---|---|
| Integrations (Shopify, WooCommerce, NetSuite, Le New Black) | Set automatically to the integration's channel |
| Sales order screen | Choose a Channel on the order (optional) |
| Sales order import | The channel column accepts the channel's name or ID |
| API | The channel ID; the API also has an endpoint that lists all channels with their IDs |
An order does not need a channel. Orders without a channel simply don't match channel-specific rules.
Where the channel is used
Settings
Several settings can have a different value per channel. Add a level with the Channel condition in the setting:
| Setting | Example |
|---|---|
| Shipping › Default shipping method | Amazon orders get a different default shipping method than webshop orders |
| Shipping › Default delivery terms | Different delivery terms per channel |
| Shipping › Default business model | Orders from a wholesale platform are B2B by default |
| Inventory › Reporting percent | Only report 80% of the available inventory to a marketplace |
Product aliases
A product can have aliases: other product numbers or EAN/UPC codes under which it is known. An alias can be linked to a channel. When an order of that channel refers to a product number that is not a product's own number, Boxture looks for an alias with that number for the order's channel first, then for an alias without a channel. This lets the same item have a different SKU in each sales channel. Aliases are maintained on the product, see Product details. In the product import, the alias channel is given by name.
Inventory reporting
When inventory is requested through the API for a specific channel, Boxture applies the Reporting percent for that channel to the available quantity (the total is reduced by the same amount) and leaves out products with nothing to report. This way you can hold back part of the stock from a channel, for example to avoid overselling on a marketplace.
Pick list plans
Pick list plans can select orders by channel, for example to pick all marketplace orders in a separate wave. See Pick list plans.