Introduction
The automation system in Ship Sidekick is designed for warehouse and logistics teams who want to standardize operations and eliminate repetitive manual work. Instead of handling the same exceptions over and over, you create automation rules that say: "When X condition is true, do Y action automatically."
Rules run continuously on your orders, tasks, and inventory. When all the conditions you specify are met, the corresponding action triggers instantly. This ensures consistency across your warehouse, reduces human error, and frees your team to focus on exceptions that truly need attention.
You don't need to write code—Shipsidekicks rule builder generates everything for you through a simple web interface.
How the Automation System Works
Conditions: The "When" Part
A condition is a statement about your order, task, or inventory that you want to check. When you create a rule, you specify:
What field to inspect — order tags, total amount, customer location, weight, product SKU, warehouse location type, inventory levels, or customer name
An operator — such as "equals," "contains," "greater than," "less than," "does not equal," or "matches pattern"
A value to compare against — for example, "California" or "$100" or "FBA-no-pick-fee"
Combining Conditions: AND vs. OR
Rules support two types of logic:
AND — All conditions must be true for the rule to trigger. Use AND when you need multiple requirements met at the same time.
OR — Any condition can be true for the rule to trigger. Use OR when you want the rule to fire if any of several conditions match.
You can combine AND and OR in the same rule to build complex logic. For example: "Order total > $100 AND customer location = California OR order has rush tag."
Actions: The "Do" Part
An action is what happens automatically when your conditions are met. Common actions include:
Apply tags to orders (e.g., "D2C" or "FBA-no-pick-fee")
Set packaging instructions or requirements
Assign allocation plans
Add delivery confirmation codes
Adjust insurance amounts
Add inserts, stickers, or special handling to orders
Set a default shipping method
How Rules Execute
When an order enters your system:
Ship Sidekick evaluates every active rule against that order
If all conditions in a rule match, the action executes
Multiple rules can match the same order — all matching rules run in sequence
Actions from different rules stack together on the same order
This means you can have one rule add insurance, another rule set packaging, and a third rule assign a warehouse location—all on the same order, all automatically.
Common Use Cases & Examples
Example 1: Automatically Tag Orders by Source
Scenario: You sell through multiple channels (Shopify, Amazon FBA, direct-to-consumer). You want to automatically tag orders so your team knows where each order came from.
Rule Setup:
Condition: Order source = "Amazon"
Action: Add tag "FBA-no-pick-fee"
Result: Every order imported from Amazon automatically gets tagged. Your team can instantly see which orders came from FBA and apply FBA-specific handling.
Note: Rules must be created individually for each client account—there's no global application option.
Example 2: Premium Handling for High-Value Orders
Scenario: Orders over $500 need extra protection and signature confirmation.
Rule Setup:
Condition: Order total > $500 AND customer country = United States
Action: Add insurance amount ($50) + require signature delivery confirmation
Result: Premium orders automatically get protective shipping without anyone having to flag them manually.
Example 3: Fast-Moving SKU Allocation
Scenario: Your best-selling products move quickly and should be picked from your fastest warehouse location.
Rule Setup:
Condition: Order contains SKU "BEST-SELLER-001" OR order contains SKU "SEASONAL-HOT-ITEM"
Action: Allocate from warehouse location type "fast-pick"
Result: High-velocity items are automatically routed to your fastest-pick zone, speeding up fulfillment.
Example 4: Product-Based Inserts and Stickers
Scenario: Certain products need special handling—like branded inserts or stickers.
Rule Setup:
Tag your products in Ship Sidekick (e.g., tag a product "premium-gift")
Create an automation rule:
Condition: Order contains product tagged "premium-gift"
Action: Add insert "thank-you-card" and sticker "premium-seal"
Result: Any order containing a tagged product automatically includes the right inserts and stickers without manual picking.
Example 5: Exclude Specific Orders from Automation
Scenario: You have a few high-touch accounts that need manual handling and shouldn't be caught by your automation rules.
Rule Setup:
Condition: Order does NOT have tag "do-not-automate"
Action: [Your standard automation action]
Result: Orders tagged "do-not-automate" skip this rule, while all others are processed automatically.
Example 6: Inspect Customer Name for Targeted Automation
Scenario: You want to apply special handling to orders from specific customers.
Rule Setup:
Condition: Shopify customer name contains "VIP"
Action: Add tag "priority-fulfillment" + set insurance amount ($25)
Result: Orders from customers with "VIP" in their name automatically get priority handling and extra insurance.
Best Practices for Automation Rules
1. Start Simple, Then Expand
Create your first rule with a single condition and a single action. Once you're confident it's working, add complexity. For example:
First rule: "Order source = Amazon → Add tag 'FBA'"
Later: "Order source = Amazon AND order total > $200 → Add tag 'FBA' + set insurance"
2. Use Descriptive Tags and Conditions
Choose tag names and rule names that clearly describe what they do. Instead of "tag-1" or "rule-x," use "FBA-no-pick-fee" or "High-Value-Order-Insurance." This makes it easier for your team to understand what's happening.
3. Test Before Full Deployment
Before activating a rule on all incoming orders:
Review the generated code in the rule builder
Apply the rule to a few test orders
Check the activity logs to confirm the rule executed correctly
Adjust conditions or actions based on what you see
4. Monitor Rule Performance with Activity Logs
Every time a rule executes, Ship Sidekick logs it. Regularly review these logs to:
Confirm rules are triggering as expected
Catch unintended matches
Spot patterns that might need a new rule or adjustment
5. Use AND for Strict Requirements, OR for Flexibility
Use AND when you need multiple conditions to all be true (e.g., "high value AND domestic")
Use OR when you want to catch multiple scenarios (e.g., "Amazon OR eBay")
6. Exclude Orders When Necessary
If certain orders shouldn't be automated, use negation operators:
"Order does NOT have tag 'manual-only'"
"Customer location does NOT equal 'Canada'"
This prevents exceptions from being caught by your standard rules.
7. Leverage Multiple Rules on the Same Order
Don't try to cram everything into one rule. Instead, create separate rules that work together:
Rule 1: "Order total > $500 → Add insurance"
Rule 2: "Order total > $500 → Require signature"
Both rules match the same high-value order and stack their actions. This is cleaner than one complex rule and easier to maintain.
8. Document Your Rules
Keep a simple list of your active rules and what they do. Share this with your team so everyone understands the automation logic. This helps when troubleshooting and when onboarding new staff.
9. Review and Adjust Periodically
As your business changes, your automation rules may need updates. Periodically review:
Are there new sources or channels to tag?
Have your shipping or packaging requirements changed?
Are there new products that need special handling?
Update rules to match your current operations.
FAQ
Q: What types of conditions can I create rules around?
A: Rules evaluate fields from orders, tasks, and warehouse inventory. Common condition fields include:
Order tags
Order total amount
Customer location (address, country)
Order weight
Product SKU
Warehouse location type
Inventory levels
Shopify customer name
Order source (channel)
Each condition uses an operator like "equals," "contains," "greater than," or "matches pattern."
Q: Can I combine multiple conditions?
A: Yes. Rules support AND connectors (all conditions must be true) and OR connectors (any condition can be true). You can build complex logic—for example: "Order total > $100 AND customer location = California OR order has rush tag."
Q: What happens if multiple rules match an order?
A: All matching rules execute in sequence. Actions from different rules can stack—for example, one rule might set packaging type while another adds insurance. The system processes rules in defined order, applying each matching rule's action to the result.
Q: Can I test a rule before it goes live?
A: Yes. The rule builder shows you the generated code and validates syntax. You can apply rules to test orders before full deployment. Once confident, activate the rule to apply it to all incoming orders matching the conditions.
Q: What if I need to exclude certain orders?
A: Create a negation condition using operators like "does not equal" or "does not contain." For example: "Exclude orders tagged as 'do-not-automate'" prevents those orders from matching the rule.
Q: How do I know if a rule is working?
A: Activity logs track every rule execution, showing which rule triggered, what conditions matched, and what action was applied. The audit trail helps troubleshoot if unexpected behavior occurs. You can review rule performance and adjust conditions or actions based on real execution data.
Q: Why does the UI show my original shipping method instead of my automation rule's default method?
A: This is a display issue in the user interface. The automation rules are working correctly and will use your configured default shipping method for actual shipment processing. The interface shows the original method selected on the sales channel, but the system applies your automation rule when processing the shipment.
Q: Do I need to create separate rules for each client account?
A: Yes. Automation rules need to be created for each client account individually. There's no global application option—each account's rules are independent.