How to Add Shipping to a B2B Transaction in Luminous
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- Step 1: Create an Estimate or Draft
- Step 2: Estimate Shipping Costs
- Step 3: Add Shipping to the Draft or Estimate
- Step 4: Approval and Payment Flow
- Key Notes
- A Quick Example
- Tips for a Smoother Process
- Why Shipping Is Hard to Automate for B2B
Adding shipping to a B2B transaction in Luminous is currently a manual process that involves using estimates or drafts. While this workflow may evolve in the future, here’s the recommended approach:
Step 1: Create an Estimate or Draft
- When an invoice or B2B portal order is submitted, ensure it is saved as a Draft or Estimate instead of marking it as approved.
- This allows for modifications before final approval.
Step 2: Estimate Shipping Costs
- Use ShipStation Integration:
- If your Luminous instance is integrated with ShipStation, use the widget to fetch a shipping quote.
- Note: Many users rely on ShipStation for custom packaging and shipping estimates.
- Manual Calculation:
- If ShipStation is not used, manually estimate the shipping cost based on the order details.
- Apply a markup to cover handling or additional costs.
Step 3: Add Shipping to the Draft or Estimate
- Once you have the shipping cost:
- Edit the draft or estimate in Luminous.
- Add the shipping cost as a line item or adjust the total amount.
- Save the updated draft or estimate.
Step 4: Approval and Payment Flow
- After shipping has been added:
- Mark the draft or estimate as Active or keep it in Estimate status for approval.
- Once approved, the transaction moves to the normal payment flow.
Key Notes
- Current Limitations: The platform does not yet support automatic application of shipping estimates with a markup. Most users manually handle this step.
- Warehouse Workflow: Typically, warehouse staff handle shipping calculations before approval.
- Future Enhancements: Luminous plans to expand shipping features to streamline this process.
By following this workflow, you can successfully add shipping to B2B transactions in Luminous while ensuring accuracy and flexibility.
A Quick Example
A wholesale customer places an order through the B2B portal, and it comes in as an estimate. Someone in the warehouse checks what it will take to ship. Say the order needs custom packing and ShipStation quotes $85. They add a markup for packing time and materials, then add $100 of shipping to the estimate. Finally, they save it, either as active or as an estimate for a manager to approve, and it moves through the normal payment flow.
Tips for a Smoother Process
- Set a standard markup, so everyone in the warehouse quotes shipping the same way.
- Agree on who approves estimates after shipping is added, so orders don't sit waiting.
- Have B2B portal orders come in as drafts or estimates, so shipping can be added before the order is approved.
- Let customers know shipping is added after the order is placed, so the final total isn't a surprise.
Why Shipping Is Hard to Automate for B2B
Wholesale orders vary a lot: pallet versus parcel, custom packaging, different carriers and negotiated rates. That's why most teams still quote B2B shipping by hand, often in ShipStation, before an order is approved. The draft or estimate step gives your team a place to do that without holding up the rest of the order.
Video transcript
Where this flow stands today
So how do you currently add shipping to a B2B transaction? This is actually a complicated flow in Luminous, and it's not ideal right now. Frankly, I don't think many software companies have this down very well. But this is how you do it today, or at least how I would personally do it.
Start with a draft or estimate
You can have something come through as a draft or an estimate. You can save an invoice as a draft or an estimate, and before it gets approved, you can go in and edit it.
Getting a shipping quote
We have a widget right here that links up with your ShipStation account, and you can get a quote. Honestly, most people quote it in ShipStation, because it usually ends up being custom packaging, and you do that in ShipStation anyway. So we're still figuring out the best way to do this.
The typical warehouse workflow
A lot of times, the estimate comes in and it's not approved yet. The typical workflow is that the person in the warehouse goes in, estimates how much shipping is going to cost, applies their markup and adds the shipping. Let's say it's $100. Then they either mark it as active, or save it as an estimate again so somebody can go approve it. It's typically something that happens outside of the normal workflow.
If adding shipping is something you normally do, that's how most of our customers handle it. We'll probably add a feature in the future that finishes what this one was meant to be. It was supposed to automatically apply a shipping estimate with a markup, but unfortunately it doesn't really work that way yet.
My recommendation
Again, the best way to do it, in my opinion: the invoice gets submitted, or the B2B portal order comes through as a draft or an estimate. The person in the warehouse comes in and adds shipping, then it gets approved and goes through the normal payment flow. That's what I would recommend.