Moving exchange fulfillments into new orders

What it does

ReturnZap has developed functionality that allows for accurate exchange accounting via Shopify reports while still placing exchange items into new orders to aid with fulfillment workflows.

This functionality combines the reporting accuracy benefits of original order exchange with the fulfillment workflow benefits of draft order exchange.

Read more about Shopify returns reporting issues here.

How it works

Exchanges which use the duplicate into new order functionality will be created using the current original order exchange workflow. They will behave exactly the same as a standard exchange up until the point they are released by ReturnZap.

Read more about original order exchanges here.

Step 1: Exchange is created as normal

• Customers will see the standard exchange experience in the ReturnZap portal, and will select the item they want as a replacement for the returned item
• Exchanges will follow shop policies to determine eligibility and approval requirements
• ReturnZap will mark the Shopify order as return in progress, and will add the exchange line item to the order as a replacement
• Shopify will automatically create a new fulfillment for the replacement item, and will place it on hold with the reason Exchange items awaiting return delivery.

Step 2: Exchange is released via ReturnZap UI or Automation

• Exchanges are processed as normal through the ReturnZap admin interface
• Shop administrators use the Release exchanges functionality to convert pending exchanges into ready to fulfill orders

Step 3: ReturnZap duplicates exchange items into a new Exchange Shipping Order

This step is where the duplication logic takes effect. If duplication logic is not enabled, the held fulfillment on the original order will be released, meaning it is ready to fulfill on the original order. Duplication logic changes this workflow.

After an exchange is released, ReturnZap will take the following actions:

• Create a new order in the format [Original Order #] - EX1.
  • The order is created as a 0 cost order, so there is no impact to revenue
  • Inventory is not removed as part of the new fulfillment order, so there is no duplication of inventory adjustments
  • The exchange suffix defaults to -EX1 but can be customized via ReturnZap settings
  • Multiple exchanges may occur on a single order, in which case the order numbers will use -EX1, -EX2, etc.
• Add a note to the new fulfillment order as well as a tag, indicating that the order is for exchange fulfillment
• Apply a new fulfillment hold to the exchange fulfillment on the original order

The replacement items have now been duplicated into a new order and are ready to fulfill via your standard fulfillment workflow.

Step 4: New Exchange Shipping Order is fulfilled

When the newly created -EX1 exchange order is shipped and reported as fulfilled in Shopify, ReturnZap will automatically update the held fulfillment on the original order to match.

The exchange fulfillment will now display as fulfilled, and will pull in the associated fulfillment information taken from the -EX1 order, including shipping carrier name and tracking number.

The end result is that the -EX1 order will display as fulfilled and so will the exchange line item which was added to the original order.

Configuration

Once enabled, this new setting requires the Write Assigned Fulfillment Orders permission from Shopify. You will be prompted to grant this permission via the ReturnZap interface:

Important considerations

Inventory impact

With this new setting enabled, all inventory adjustments will occur using the exchange line item which was added to the original order.

When exchange items are duplicated into the new -EX1 order they are not removed from inventory, so inventory counts remain accurate in Shopify. There is no duplication of inventory adjustments even though the order has been duplicated for fulfillment purposes.

Return of exchange items

One of the benefits of completing exchanges on the original order is that it simplifies the process of returning items which were received in exchange.

However, customers now have two orders they could potentially use to complete the return of an exchange:

1) The original order number from Shopify, for example 1001

2) The order which was created for exchange fulfillment, for example 1001-EX1

ReturnZap allows the customer to intiate a return using either of these order formats in the ReturnZap returns portal. The customer will always be redirected to the original order, even if the -EX1 order format is entered in the returns portal.