2022

As the spooky ghost sounds of Halloween subside, you may already be hearing the whistle tones that welcome in the holiday season…

While it may feel like it’s a little too soon to mention Mariah, we do want to make sure you’re ready for those Black Friday and holiday orders, so here’s what’s in store for this month’s newsletter:

We are pleased to announce that we’ve updated our integration with Amazon Multi-Channel Fulfillment (MCF) so that you can benefit from new MCF features. MCF provides fast order fulfillment for any ecommerce sales channel and you can now fulfill your US orders with unbranded packaging at no additional fee. Our updated integration with MCF also allows you to block Amazon Logistics as a carrier to meet marketplace guidelines. Learn more about MCF and its new features here.

In addition, you can now use the blank box and Amazon carrier restriction features in the Amazon FBA NA integration (only available in the US marketplace). These features will be automatically enabled if the incoming order comes from Walmart or eBay.

Additional integration settings are available for:

Additional order level options that can be set as checkout data or order metadata for:

SameDay has rebranded, so its integration is now called Swagful.

Additional order level options that can be set as checkout data or order metadata for:

Additional item level options that can be set as variation or item metadata for:

Additional integration settings are available for:

Carts and Marketplaces: Brightpearl

Order Desk experiences a 20% increase is support tickets in Q4, so we know a lot about the trials and tribulations of running an ecommerce store during busy season. Here are some things to ask yourself as you prepare:

Have I confirmed fulfillment deadlines?

Each fulfillment partner is going to function differently when it comes to last order date to receive orders so that they arrive to the intended recipient by Christmas. Make sure you check on this in advance so you can let your customers know!

Do I know my fulfillment capacity?

If you’re a printer or supplier, make sure to set expectations for your customers. You don’t want to have more orders than you can fill!

For merchants, you may want to consider using safety levels in your Order Desk inventory to ensure you don’t oversell products and end up taking orders you can’t fill.

What about sales and bundles?

Everyone loves a good deal (you should see me going wild in the clearance section of my favorite websites grabbing gifts), so you might be changing prices and creating gift sets. Maybe you’re running a promotion where free gifts need to be added to your orders as they import to Order Desk. In this case, you might need to add some rules or use code_replace in your Order Desk inventory to create your bundles!

Well, that’s it for us this month. Now that we’re talking Black Friday and holiday shopping, have you checked out our blog on Surviving Black Friday? It’s full of fantastic tips! Anything you don’t see there and want to ask about? You know where to find us (support@orderdesk.com).

See you next month, Patricia and The Order Desk Team

In This Month’s Newsletter:

Additional order level options that can be set as checkout data or order metadata for:

Additional item level options that can be set as variations or item metadata for:

Additional order level options that can be set as checkout data or order metadata for:

Carts and Marketplaces: TikTok Shop

This month is the one year anniversary of the Spotlight On segment and I’m celebrating by telling you about Order Import Delay!

If you need to make edits to your orders before they import to Order Desk or you allow your customers to purchase add-ons after the order is completed in your cart, Order Import Delay is a great tool you can use with Shopify.

Using Order Import Delay is as easy as 1,2,3!

Just like that, you have a period of time between the order being placed in Shopify and the order importing to Order Desk where you can make changes to order details or allow your customer to buy additional impulse items (which is more money for you 🤑).

As Ray Bradbury famously wrote in his autumnal classic The Halloween Tree:

And it was the afternoon of Halloween. And all the houses shut against a cool wind. And the stores were full of new orders. But suddenly, the day was gone. Q4 came out from under each tree and spread.

That’s not what he wrote and please don’t tell his estate about this because I really can’t handle a lawsuit right now. However, my point stands. As sure as day follows night, Q4 is upon us!

What issues in your store have you shaking in your boots heading into busy season? Email us at support@orderdesk.com to let us know! Me and the team have a skele-TON of good tricks (and treats) to get your store prepared for orders galore 😜

See you next month!

In This Month’s Release Notes:

Additional order level options that can be set as checkout data or order metadata for:

Fulfillment: Hive Technologies

Print On Demand: Printway

We’ve seen many of you sharing Order Desk with your peers and colleagues on social media, Reddit, and more, and we can’t tell you enough how much we appreciate this. To say thanks, we’ve opened up applications for our affiliate program for our existing customers and partners.

We’d like to reward successful referrals by paying you for your efforts. To learn more about our affiliate program, message our support team.

Who Should Apply?

While any of our existing customers and partners can apply for the affiliate program, it’s best suited for folks who have a good working knowledge of the app. This way, you can help your referrals gain a basic understanding of how Order Desk works and whether or not it will benefit their businesses before they decide to sign up for an account.

Why Should You Apply?

Beyond the financial incentive (who doesn’t love a little extra money, right?), our affiliate program offers you an opportunity to share Order Desk’s service with customers and partners. Giving your peers and colleagues a useful tool is an excellent way to add to your brand’s value and share something useful!

Who Should You Refer?

Anyone who you believe would benefit from using Order Desk! Some examples include: artists looking to expand into offering print on demand products, merchants using multiple fulfillment channels, and makers who are beginning their ecommerce journey.

Who Shouldn’t You Refer?

You’re welcome to refer your customers at your own discretion, but we do ask that you keep in mind how Order Desk works and whether or not we will be an appropriate order management solution for them. You end up getting the most value from our affiliate program from referrals who remain on Order Desk, so setting the right expectations is key! If you’re unsure of whether or not someone might be good to refer, feel free to ask us.

That’s right, Order Desk is hiring! We’re looking for a DevOps Engineer to keep our servers happily humming away.

As always, this is a 100% remote role open to global applicants, and the starting salary is $90k USD/year.

If you’d like to join us or know someone who’d be a great fit, you can apply here.

We’ve recently launched a new program for folks who need a little extra help with Order Desk. While our goal has always been to focus on educating and empowering you to learn how to manage your own stores, we understand that not everyone benefits from that approach.

So, the Order Desk Experts program was born!

Order Desk Experts are trusted and skilled Order Desk users who we have personally vetted to assist with tasks that some may find difficult or too cumbersome to take on. This may range from performing an initial store setup to creating a set of rules, as some examples. Each Order Desk Expert has different skillsets and specialties, and please be aware that this is a third-party service not included with your existing Order Desk pricing.

Of course, this is offered on an as-needed basis, and have no fear! Our support team still has your back if you prefer to learn the ins and outs of Order Desk instead.

To learn more or to connect with an Order Desk Expert, check out our Order Desk Experts Directory!

I do love these little monthly chats we get to have, but I love it even more when I get to see you in our Support inbox asking questions! So how about it? I challenge you to hit us with at least one question in September. It could be anything!

Ask our favorite color or favorite food! Inquire as to what our plans will be for the coming weekend! Not to sound too crazy, but you can even ask us what we think about your plans for Q4 and how to best support any changes you might be making to your workflow in Order Desk. I know, I know—that’s a wild one!

See you next month, Patricia and The Order Desk Team

I’m not going to lie, I’ve been feeling a bit under pressure lately. “Under what kind of pressure, Patricia,” you might ask, to which I would say, “stop pressuring me! I was planning to tell you anyway!”

Well, my dear Order Desk friend, it’s the pressure of hustle culture. While it’s not a new concept, the idea that you have to commit to the grind of pushing yourself and committing all of your time to your profession (and even your hobbies) has become central to a lot of our identities.

Sure, it seems pretty rich that I’m writing this in an email from my own job but it’s for a good reason! I want to remind you to save some time for you. You’re already doing an amazing job investing in yourself and your own wellbeing by using Order Desk!

The time you save using Order Desk can be used for so many things. Take a watercolor painting class, or go for a hike, or just lay around reading a good book. Go find your bliss.

Well, wait—read the rest of this newsletter first! 🤣

New Integration Settings are now available for:

EasyPost: Non Delivery Option can be used to decide what action should be taken if the package is undeliverable. Options are Return or Abandon. Details Here.

Order Desk has hundreds of integrations to many of the most popular ecommerce services and we regularly add more. Many times, the integrations that we build are suggestions from you or requests from the proposed company directly.

If you you’re considering using Order Desk and don’t see an integration to the services you use on our list, or if you currently use Order Desk and you’d like to expand your list of vendors, you can submit a request for us to build a new integration here.

But what happens after you make that request? Check out my recent blog, The Life of An Integration Request to find out. 😊

Not to toot our own horn, but have you seen our TikTok lately? We have been churning out some top notch content. In fact, we were recently called “pretty funny” by my colleagues 4 year old daughter. A ringing endorsement, if you ask me!

Our goal is to create relatable content that makes you smile. Ecommerce doesn’t have to be all business all the time! Having fun is one of our company values, after all.

So follow us here on TikTok to join in the fun!

If you want to send us some compliments about our videos or even ask for help with your Order Desk store (we probably can’t help you learn TikTok) you can email us at support@orderdesk.com.

See you next month, Patricia and The Order Desk Team

Sometimes it’s tough to come up with new content for this newsletter each month. I’m not ashamed to admit that I get a touch of writer’s block every now and again!

That got our marketing team thinking…do our customers also get stuck sometimes? Maybe you want to make something to get customers’ attention but don’t know how. Good news, everyone! We made a little something to help our print on demand customers spark their creativity.

Feast your eyes on My Next Product, our latest Order Desk Instagram filter and our very first on TikTok:

You can use this link to access it on TikTok or head right here to use it on Instagram. Of course it’s free to use, and if you or your customers post a video with it, be sure to tag @orderdeskrules so we can come check it out and give you a follow!

Keep reading to see our updates for this month and a Spotlight On… that will help you with sending your print on demand orders to multiple fulfillment vendors.

Walmart:

Additional order level options that can be set as checkout data or order metadata for:

Additional item level options that can be set as variations or item metadata for:

As David Byrne of Talking Heads once sang,

You may find yourself preparing your Order Desk inventory And you may find yourself in possession of a large amount of SKUs And you may find yourself in a thriving Print on Demand business, with beautiful products And you may ask yourself, “Well, how do I send these products to multiple printers?”

Okay, those aren’t the exact lyrics.

Regardless, if you need to send products to more than one printer, Product Code Match allows you to match the print_sku (the SKU for the blank item your image will be printed on) from one printer to the print_sku another print vendor uses for the same item.

The first step is to make sure you already have your items saved in your Order Desk inventory. Next, you’ll go to the integration settings page for the print vendor you want to use.

In the Product Code Match field, set the original print_sku to = the new printer’s print_sku.

As an example, if one printer uses the print_sku HAT-66794, and another uses 9483X for the same item, the match in your integration settings would look like this:

This way, you can store one print_sku in your Order Desk inventory for each item, while still being able to submit those items to printers are require their own print_sku.

When your orders are sent to your vendors for fulfillment, the print_skus will be replaced with the new codes in your Product Code Match for that partner.

Details Here.

Thanks for reading all the way to the bottom!

Since I couldn’t resist a little nod to Once In A Lifetime by Talking Heads, what song has been in your head lately? Any new albums really blow your mind?

As always, you can let me know by emailing support@orderdesk.com.

See you next month, Patricia and The Order Desk Team

We could all use a refresh every now and then and our website is no exception. Our design team revamped the website with you in mind. It’s not just about looks; a lot of time was put into making the site even easier to navigate. We’ll skip the makeover montage, but if you want to imagine one, just make sure to play a cool 90’s song in the background!

If you haven’t seen it yet, check it out here. 😊

And don’t run off just yet! Take a look at the latest features, updates, and a Spotlight On…Import Templates.

Additional item level options that can be set as variations or item metadata for:

Additional order level options that can be set as checkout data or order metadata for:

Print On Demand: Printed Simply

We’ve been seeing a lot of questions in support about bringing data into Order Desk, and the good news is that we have a solution for that! It’s…Import Templates!

Perhaps you’ve been looking for a way to bring data into Order Desk. You might be saying, “Why do you have a fully customizable import tool? Can’t you bring orders and inventory in from my carts and tracking in from my fulfillment partners directly through their respective integrations?”

While that’s certainly true, there are plenty of instances where an import template is useful. For example, you may be using a fulfillment partner that isn’t integrated with Order Desk and you need to send shipment details through Order Desk back to your cart. Or maybe you need to update existing orders!

There are a few different options and I’d love to tell you about them so let’s dive in!

Inventory

You can import your inventory along with any product details into Order Desk so they can be automatically synced into your orders. This is particularly useful if your business sells print on demand items!

This can also be used to add, change, or remove both inventory items and inventory details.

Orders and Order Modification

Not only can you create templates to import new orders into Order Desk, you can also create templates that will let you update orders that are already in Order Desk.

You can add a fulfillment ID, order notes, checkout data, metadata, payment status or change the folder using this template.

Shipments

This is ideal for files that contain tracking and fulfillment details for orders in Order Desk that have been fulfilled and need to be updated.

Getting Started

All you’ll need to get started with setting up your import template is a .csv, .xlsx, or .txt file with your data, which you might already be using. You’ll be able to take your new or existing file and use it as a sample file to build your custom template.

If you want to learn more, feel free to check out our walkthrough How to Import a Spreadsheet or the How to Import Files video guide.

And, if you’re still a little stuck on how to put together your sample file, email us at support@orderdesk.com and we’ll turn you into an importing pro. 😎

We are now officially halfway through 2022. Can you believe it? In just a few short months you’ll be gearing up for the busiest season of the year, but for now why not enjoy some relaxation and summer fun?

You may be feeling too busy to relax, so let us know what’s on your mind! The support team and I can come up with some ways to help you streamline your store so you can splash around like a bear in a small pool in no time at all.*

See you next month, Patricia and The Order Desk Team

PS: If you’ve had a great experience using Order Desk, please rate us on Capterra! They’re offering to pay you as a thanks for providing your honest opinion of our app. Click here to start your rating.

*I didn’t forget about you, southern hemisphere. You can splash around like a wallaby in a small pool.

Hi Again! It’s a new month but it’s the same old me in your inbox with the most recent Order Desk news.

Even though it’s been May for a week now, I’m contractually obligated to make at least one Justin Timberlake joke in this newsletter. Seriously, it’s in my employment contract. Here goes:

Make sure you stick around to the end of this email to catch this month’s Spotlight On… where you will learn more about the Order Desk Knowledge Base!

The Wish integration has been updated, which comes with some additions and changes:

You can find more details in the Wish Integration Guide.

Additional item level options that can be set as variations or item metadata for:

Additional order level options that can be set as checkout data or order metadata for:

Fulfillment: Helloprint

You may have noticed that when you email Support we often include a few links in our response. But we’re not the type of organization that sends you unthoughtful saved replies with links to guides; instead, we’ve thoroughly covered as many features and scenarios as we can in over 600 guides and videos, and our support team utilizes these to help you learn Order Desk or bring you up to speed as they help you set up the custom workflows that your business needs.

If you’re not sure how to get started with navigating the Knowledge Base or you need a refresher, keep reading. 🙂 Just think of me as your Helpful Knowledge Base Guide!

Most importantly, the Knowledge Base can be found right here. If you know exactly what guide you need, you can go ahead and type the name of it into the search bar:

Anatomy of The Knowledge Base

Let’s take a look around, shall we? In true nerd fashion, I’ve color coded each area on the page so I can go over them one by one:

Using Order Desk

This is going to bring you right to our most popular articles! It’s a great place to start if you aren’t sure what you’re looking for.

Video

Clicking here is going to direct you to our help videos. You’ll be able to watch our Order Desk Demo Series and complete video walkthrough on how to Automate Your Print on Demand Workflow.

Contact

Contact is going to trigger a pretty neat pop-up that will allow you to send us an email! This can be especially helpful if you see something in one of the guides and need clarification. No need to open a separate tab in your browser to email us!

As an additional option, the ? on the bottom right-hand side of the page will also open this form.

Search Bar

I know I mentioned this one earlier, but I can’t help but mention it again! Type in search terms here to look for a guide.

Articles

We’ve gone ahead and organized all of our guides into different categories here. So if you’re a little lost about finding a topic, you can click any of the boxes to be brought to a collection of guides that fall under the same umbrella…ella, ella.

Navigating the Guides

You can always skim the guides at your own pace, but if you want to jump to a certain section, we have handy links in the In This Guide section that you can use to go to selected topics instantly!

While I can certainly go on and on about Order Desk updates and the Knowledge Base (which I use myself pretty much every day), all good emails must eventually come to an end!

Before I go off to start writing jokes for the June newsletter, I want to share a fun opportunity for our customers that has come our way. Capterra, the independent software review site, is offering $5 USD to up to 30 Order Desk customers for an honest review of the app. If this strikes your fancy, you can access the survey right here.

If you’re feeling shy but still want to let us know how you feel about Order Desk, you can always reach out to support@orderdesk.com. 😊

See you next month,

Patricia and The Order Desk Team

Did you know that the first sentence of a newsletter is always the hardest to write? I can’t spend all day trying to figure out ways to say hello because I have so many cool things to tell you!

First, our amazing hiring team sifted through 4,000 applications to choose 3 incredible new additions to Order Desk (the most we’ve ever hired at once). Please welcome Gemma (NZ), Ella (SA), and Cheryl (IE)! Keep an eye out for their bright and shining faces in your support emails soon.

Speaking of your emails, make sure you check out our Spotlight On… section at the end of this newsletter for some great tips on how to reach out to us for help.

Additional order level options that can be set as checkout data or order metadata for:

Additional order level options that can be set as checkout data or order metadata for:

Fulfillment:Avectous, CargoWise

Since we have a whole passel of new Customer Support Specialists, I thought it would be a neat idea to give our customers some tips and tricks to getting the best support possible from us here at Order Desk.

I know what you’re thinking: “But Patricia, we already get the best support from you! How can you make it better? Wouldn’t that be flying a little too close to the sun?!”

That’s a risk we’re willing to take.

I’ve spoken to our Support team and gathered up their finest bits of advice for you, so let’s jump right in. 😎

Tell Us Who You Are

Give us the name of your store in Order Desk! No need to add an extra email to the chain because we need to ask.

Give Us A Hint

Think of the Order Desk Support Team like the Scooby Gang. We’re eager to solve the mystery, but we can’t do it without clues!

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Here are some great options for helping us get on the case:

Don’t Disturb the Scene of The Crime

We can’t fix what we can’t find, so if something is acting up in your store and you need our help…leave it as is! If an order didn’t process as expected, a folder is acting up, or you have a rule that isn’t running as it should, please don’t delete it before we can help you find the issue.

The one exception? If something in your store is causing serious problems for you and your customers (like an ongoing appointment, for example), snap a quick screenshot of it so we can still access the important details and then disable it.

What’s Your Workflow?

We’d love to know what you want to see happen when things are running smoothly. It’s important to tell us how your orders should be flowing into Order Desk, what you want to happen to them once they are in the app, and where they need to go next.

What You Can Expect From Us

More than anything, expect us to be human. With the exception of our robot mascot Otto, we are all real people who are excited to solve problems and see you succeed. The only automations we have are the solutions we create to keep your store running! You can always be sure that there is a person on the other end of your emails. 🙂

If you’ve made it this far, you’ve probably learned a few new tips about getting Support from Order Desk. Do you want a little help finding the things we asked for you to share in your tickets? Respond to this email or reach out at support@orderdesk.com and we’ll show you!

See you next month, Patricia and The Order Desk Team

PS: Were you fooled last week by our April Fool’s “announcements“?

Hi there! Did you miss me? You may have noticed that we didn’t send out a newsletter last month. It’s not for lack of effort; we have been very busy expanding our team!

Order Desk is thriving and we plan to keep offering you the high level of support you’ve come to expect from us, so keep an eye out for our next newsletter, where we hope to announce some newly acquired Order Deskians!

Additional order level options that can be set as checkout data or order metadata for:

Additional item level options that can be set as checkout data or order metadata for:

Additional order level options that can be set as checkout data or order metadata for:

Additional item level options that can be set as checkout data or item metadata for:

Rakuten Super Logistics Update: Rakuten does not accept 0.00 as an item total, any order items that have a price of 0.00 will be submitted to Rakuten as unitPrice 0.01. Details Here.

Additional order level options that can be set as checkout data or order metadata for:

A fantastic way to see the path your order has taken is by looking in the Order History, which can be found at the bottom of each of your orders, right underneath Order Notes:

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What Order History shows you can be summed up as When, How, and What:

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When: The time and date when the change to the order occurred. It will always be in the standard YYYY-MM-DD format, with 24 hour time in the time zone of your store.

How: The cause of the change to the order. This will often say “Auto,” for automatic changes created by store settings and rules; or the name of a User in your store, for manual changes.

What: The changes made to your order. This is where you will see when your orders import, split, merge, or are submitted for fulfillment. When shipping and tracking information are added to an order, that gets logged here, too.

That’s not all! If you hover over the i icon next to Auto, you’ll be able to see exactly what caused the update to your order:

caption for image

In the case that the order status changed because of a rule, you can even click the i icon to go right to the rule in the Rule Builder!

Order History is a great way to get a clearer idea of how your orders go from Point A to Point B.

It’s like your Great Aunt Pat’s Facebook! Constant updates, lots of information you didn’t know you needed, and even some fun links to click.

What have you been trying to catch up on lately?

Maybe you have a book you have been meaning to finish for the last 4 months. Perhaps you have finally decided to watch Encanto because you’ve realized no one is going to stop talking about it so you might as well hop on the trend. It could even be as simple as finding time to do the laundry that has piled up on your “laundry chair” (come on, we all have one of those, right?)

What’s the thing you really want to make time for? Email us at support@orderdesk.com and let us know! If you have a question about your store you need help with, that’s fine too. 😉

Patricia and The Order Desk Team