At the Client (Brand) Level
1. Create the client
Create the new client in the Organization area, then switch into that client to do the rest of the brand-level setup.
2. Store connection
Connect the brand's storefront (Shopify or equivalent) before anything else — this is what drives the orders, products, and ship-method signals you'll configure against.
3. Products
Switch to the client and go through the product list. Clean up product data, set up any bundles, and make sure everything looks right before orders start flowing.
4. Carrier accounts
Go to the Carriers page at the client level and add whichever carrier accounts this brand will use, including any markups. Carriers are client-specific, not Valley-level.
5. Ship methods (the important, nuanced one)
Still on the Carriers page at the client level. Ship methods are how Shopify's ship method string maps to an actual rate-shopped shipping service in Shipsidekick.
How the link works: there's no magic between the Shopify ship method and Shipsidekick shipping services. It's exact string matching on the ship-method name. If Shopify sends
Standard, you need a Shipsidekick ship method literally namedStandard.Quick create: the system will prompt you with ship methods it sees on incoming orders — click the quick-create button to spin one up with the matching name.
Default: rate-shops across all configured carriers and services with no filters.
Filters you can layer on:
Max delivery days — e.g. "I don't care which carrier, just get it there in 2 days." Lets the system pick cheaper services (like Ground Advantage) when the zone is close enough.
Max price — caps the rate shop (useful for B2B where FedEx can drift into freight pricing). Less relevant for B2C.
Specific carriers and/or service codes — you can narrow the shop to just UPS, or to specific services.
Gotcha on service codes: once you add specific service codes, only those codes are rate-shopped. Adding a carrier (e.g. USPS) without also adding its service codes means USPS will never be chosen. If you go specific, be exhaustive.
Messy brands (many Shopify ship methods): don't create 30 Shipsidekick ship methods to match. Use an automation rule to collapse them — e.g. any Shopify method containing "Express" maps to one Shipsidekick
Expressmethod.
At the 3PL (Parent Organization) Level
6. Shared automations
3PL-level automations are reusable across clients so you don't rewrite them every time. Apply the relevant ones to the new client.
Example — the PO Box / Military rule: checks Street 1 and Street 2 (PO Boxes sometimes land in Street 2), and if it's military or a PO Box, sets the ship method to
USPS.Gotcha — ship-method-dependent automations: any automation that references a ship method (like the PO Box rule referencing
USPS) needs that ship method to actually exist on the client. If it doesn't, the rule silently does nothing and the order falls back to default. So: whenever you apply the PO Box automation, go into the client and create aUSPSship method (quick rate shop across USPS) so the rule has something to hit.
7. Shared packaging
3PL-level packaging page. New clients start with zero packaging applied by default.
Add only the packages the client actually uses — if a brand only uses three boxes, don't clutter their list with hundreds.
There's a quick "add all" button if the client genuinely needs everything.
Page is a bit funky — refresh if it looks stale.
8. Billing profile
Still at the 3PL level. Billing profiles are largely customized per client today, though there's a standard profile you can start from and tweak rather than building from scratch.
Quick Reference — The Hit List
Client level: store connection → products → carriers → ship methods 3PL level: shared automations → shared packaging → billing profile
Target: a new client fully configured in under an hour.