Shipping profiles
A shipping profile is the foundation for calculating shipping rates, logistics delivery, and order warehouse routing. Understanding the profile setup helps you configure delivery options that align with your expectations.
Components of a logistic profile
You need to focus on the following elements when setting up a logistic profile:
- Shipping location
- Shipping location refers to the warehouses or stores where your products are shipped from. This setting affects the shipping fee calculation and product inventory. For more details, refer to configuring shipping location.
- Applicable products
- The products in a shipping profile will determine which profile is used to calculate shipping rates and warehouse routing. Note: A product can only match one shipping profile. For more details, refer to configuring applicable products (custom profile).
- Shipping zones
- Shipping zones define the areas to which your products can be delivered. If a customer's shipping address is outside the defined zones, the order may not be placed successfully. Be mindful of shipping costs when setting these zones. For more details, refer to configure shipping zones and rates.
- Shipping rates
- Shipping rates must be configured for each shipping zone within the profile. These rates directly impact the cost of delivering products to that zone. For more details, refer to configure shipping regions and rates.
Shipping profile types
There are two types of logistic profiles in Genstore: General shipping profile and Custom shipping profile. Both can be used for shipping fee calculations, delivery, and warehouse routing. Here are the differences:
| Items | General shipping profile | Custom shipping profile |
|---|---|---|
| Use case | General shipping profile that apply to most products | For products that require special shipping locations, zones, or rates. Example: For fragile or oversized items like glass or ceramics, a custom profile is recommended. |
| Number of profiles | Only one profile is allowed | Multiple profiles can be created (currently no limit) |
| Creation method | The system will automatically generate a default shipping profile, which merchants need to manually update | Merchants can create as needed |
| Applicable products | Applies to all physical products in the store, including new items | User-defined product range |
| Profile management | Profile deletion is restricted | No restrictions on deletion |
| Profile priority | Custom profiles have higher priority | Custom shipping settings have higher priority than general shipping settings. Since a product cannot be assigned to multiple custom shipping settings at the same time, there is no priority conflict among them. |