Alongside catalog data importation for Turn14 Distribution, the Turn14 Distribution integration includes functionality dedicated to order creation and fulfillment. Specifically, the integration tracks product inventory levels both in your X-Cart store's warehouse and Turn14 Distribution facilities, automating the distribution of ordered product quantities across multiple shipping points based on stock availability in different supplier/distributor warehouse locations. Consequently, an order's contents may be divided into segments shipping from distinct locations:
Items available in the X-Cart store's warehouse: All in-stock items in the X-Cart store will be included in this segment, shipped from the store's warehouse location.
Items out of stock in the X-Cart store but available at Turn14 Distribution: These items will be shipped from Turn14's distribution facilities (located in Hatfield, PA, Arlington, TX, and Reno, NV). In the current version of the integration, Turn14 Distribution autonomously allocates product items across its distribution facilities based on where the product is available in stock and from which warehouse location the items can be delivered to the customer most efficiently. Typically, a distribution facility closer to the customer's location has a higher priority.
Items out of stock in the X-Cart store and at Turn14 Distribution but eligible for drop-shipping from brand manufacturers: These items will be shipped directly from the warehouse locations of the respective brand manufacturer. If the order contains product items that need to be drop-shipped from more than one brand manufacturer, this segment of the order will be additionally split by manufacturer dropshipping location.
Items from non-dropshipping brands currently out of stock in the X-Cart store and at Turn14: These items will be back-ordered from Turn14 Distribution.
When segmenting items within an order based on the supplier/distributor warehouse locations, the integration considers that the dealer's priority is to sell items from their store's warehouse. Consequently, the initial order segment consistently comprises product items available at the X-Cart store's warehouse. If the quantity in stock is insufficient, the store submits a quote to Turn14 Distribution requesting to allocate the deficient quantity to other suppliers/locations.
Let us see how it all works in X-Cart checkout.
For example, a customer adds a few items to their shopping cart:
ACC ADARAC Truck Rack x 1;
Compact EFI Regulators - Silver / Black x 1;
KAGU Seatback Protector x 1;
ONE Misc Powersports x 3.
Upon checking the inventory tracking details for these products in the backend of our X-Cart demo store, we discover the following stock availability information:
ACC ADARAC Truck Rack
Quantity in stock (default): 0 item(s)
Use Turn14 stock = Yes
Turn14 stock (all warehouses): 0 item(s)
Quantity in stock (total): 0 item(s)
Compact EFI Regulators - Silver / Black
Quantity in stock (default): 0 item(s)
Use Turn14 stock = Yes
Turn14 stock (all warehouses): 84 item(s)
Quantity in stock (total): 84 item(s)
KAGU Seatback Protector
Quantity in stock (default): 2 item(s)
Use Turn14 stock = Yes
Turn14 stock (all warehouses): 12 item(s)
Quantity in stock (total): 14 item(s)
ONE Misc Powersports
Quantity in stock (default): 2 item(s)
Use Turn14 stock = Yes
Turn14 stock (all warehouses): 1 item(s)
Quantity in stock (total): 3 item(s)
As the customer proceeds to checkout and provides a shipping address (either a new one or from their user profile address book), our X-Cart store sends a quote request to Turn14 Distribution. Turn14 Distribution provides a quote, dividing the order into multiple segments based on the shipment origin.
Let's focus on the segments in the "Delivery Method" section.
The first segment (the one labeled #1 in our screenshot) bears the name of our company, as specified in the Store Profile. In our demo store, the default company name placeholder remains unchanged, which is why you see "Your company name" as the segment title. However, in your store, your actual company name will appear. This segment contains items shipping from the X-Cart store's warehouse.
The second segment (the one labeled #2) includes items shipping from Turn14 Distribution (in this case, from the facilities in Hatfield, PA, and Reno, NV). Notice how each distribution facility has its own distinct section.
Lastly, the third segment (labeled #3) comprises items currently out of stock at both the X-Cart store and Turn14 Distribution. These items will be back-ordered and delivered from Turn14 Distribution's Hatfield, PA facility.
This order doesn't contain any items to be delivered via drop-shipping from the brand manufacturer. Consequently, there is no corresponding segment in this order. If such a segment were part of the order, it would be positioned between the segment with shipments from Turn14 Distribution's facilities (#2) and the backorder segment (#3).
The link showing the number of items in each order segment allows the customer to view the list of items that will be shipped from the respective location.
The distribution of product items across segments in our example is as follows:
*Your company name* (X-Cart store's warehouse):
KAGU Seatback Protector x 1
(Store stock: 2 items. Customer order: 1 item. One of the two available items is shipped in this segment.)
ONE Misc Powersports x 2
(Store stock: 2 items. Turn14 stock: 1 item. Customer order: 3 items. Two items from the store's warehouse are shipped in this segment, and one item from Turn14 is shipped in the "Reno, NV" segment, see below.)
Hatfield, PA
Compact EFI Regulators - Silver / Black x 1
(Out of stock at the store. Turn14 stock: 84 items. Customer order: 1 item. One item is shipped from Turn14 Distribution.)
Reno, NV
ONE Misc Powersports x 1
(One item from Turn14 Distribution to cover the shortage at the store's warehouse.)
Hatfield, PA (backorder)
ACC ADARAC Truck Rack x 1
(Out of stock at both the store and Turn14 Distribution, unavailable for drop-shipping from the brand manufacturer. Will be shipped to the customer from Turn14 Distribution once restocked.)
To proceed with placing the order, the customer needs to choose a shipping method in each segment. The dropdown menu for each segment displays available shipping methods from that location, sorted by cost and delivery time.
After the customer selects all the necessary shipping methods, they can choose to proceed to payment.
After that, the X-Cart store generates a preview of the order. In the screenshot below, the shipping information section displays the delivery methods chosen by the customer for shipments from all the involved locations.
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