Multi-Origin Shipping: set up methods and rates for multiple origins or vendors

Overview

With the "Multi-Origin" feature you may set up individual shipping methods and rates for your multiple Origins (warehouses, vendors, suppliers, 3PLs), display Merged Shipping Option with aggregated shipping rate for orders that contain products from multiple Origins or Split Checkout by Origins.

The "Split Checkout" behaviour is available for Magento and Adobe Commerce only

Multi-Origin Shipping: Popular Scenarios

Check some popular scenarios perfectly solved with Multi-Origin Shipping:

Select the best Origin for the product to ship from if it is available in multiple Origins: by priority, by stock quantity, by distance, by minimising the number of Origins
Calculate aggregated shipping rates for Carts that contain products from multiple Origins
Split checkout by Origins and display individual shipping methods per Origin

Multi-Origin Shipping: Configuration Steps

Step 1: Enable Multi-Origin Shipping mode

Step 2: Select the option for Origins mapping in the Website settings

Step 3: Sync Origins in Website settings or map them manually in Origin settings

Step 4: Assign Origins to Shipping Options

Step 5: Complete Origin Selection settings (if a product can be stocked in multiple Origins)

Step 6: Add Merged Shipping Options or enable Split Checkout

After you finish: check applied Origins in the Activity Feed while testing

Step 1: Enable Multi-Origin Shipping mode

Navigate to the "Origins" section and enable the Multi-Origin Shipping mode:

Note, that Multi-Origin Shipping mode is a global account setting applied to all Websites connected to Calcurates.

Step 2: Select the option for Origins mapping in the Website settings

In order to use the Multi-Origin Shipping feature Calcurates must know in which Origins each of your products is stocked. For this you will have to map Calcurates Origins with a certain parameter that is responsible for product source (stock) on Shopify, Magento or WooCommerce side.

Navigate to the "Websites" section and enter your Website settings > "Platform Sync" section.

Shopify specific

If you are using Shopify, then there are 2 options for Origins mapping available:

Option 1: the "Vendor" product parameter

Use this option if you use a single Shopify Location. Calcurates Origins are mapped with the "Vendor" parameter values.

Option 2: Shopify Locations

Use this option if you use multiple Shopify Locations and track your stock qty in Shopify. Calcurates Origins are mapped with the country and the postcode of Shopify locations.

Note, that Shopify selects best Location to ship the product from (if it is available in multiple Locations) and merges shipping methods and rates per Location on its end, therefore Origin Selection and Merged Shipping Option are not applicable for this Shopify option.

Magento and Adobe Commerce specific

If you are using Magento or Adobe Commerce, then there are 2 options for Origins mapping available:

Option 1: Sources (Magento MSI)

Use this option if you use Magento MSI for multiple sources and track your stock qty in Magento. Make sure you have address fields filled in for each Magento source (Magento admin > Stores > Sources).

Option 2: Product attribute

Use this option if you don't use Magento MSI and specify the product attribute, which is responsible for Origin. Any product attribute can be used. We suggest using a single-select dropdown if any product is stocked in a single Origin and multi-select choice if at least one product is stocked in multiple Origins. If you do automatic Sync make sure you edit Origins address.

WooCommerce specific

If you are using WooCommerce, then there is 1 option for Origins mapping available:

"Origin" parameter

In your WooCommerce admin you will find the "Origins" section created by the Calcurates plugin. This is where you can create Origins and then assign them for each product in the Product's settings > Shipping.

Step 3: Sync Origins in Website settings or map them manually in Origin settings

Automatic Sync

Calcurates can import Origins automatically based on your Origins mapping settings. Navigate to the "Websites" section and enter your Website settings > "Platform Sync" section, enable Origin sync and press "Sync".

Check Origin addresses after running Origins sync if you are using real-time carrier rates.

Manual Sync

From the "Origins" section you may sync Origins manually by adding Origins and editing its "Origin Sync" section. This setting varies depending on the "Origin Sync" Website settings:

If Origins are synced successfully they will be marked as "Synced" in the "Origins" section:

Step 4: Assign Origins to Shipping Options

Once multiple Origins are created and synced you may assign them to your Shipping Options. Multiple Origins can be assigned to a single Shipping Option in its settings:

Step 5: Complete Origin Selection settings (if a product can be stocked in multiple Origins)

Open Multi-Origin Settings. When a product is available in several Origins, Calcurates selects one using the algorithms you switch on. They run in the order shown; drag and drop to change it.

Shopify (by Vendor attribute) and WooCommerce

*Calcurates doesn't get the stock QTY data from Shopify and WooCommerce.

If you use multiple Shopify Location, then Shopify selects best Location to ship the product from (if it is available in multiple Locations) and merges shipping methods and rates per Location on its end, therefore Origin Selection Algorithm and Merged Shipping Option are not applicable for this Shopify option.

Custom Origin Priority. Choose one:
1. Apply alphabetical priority for Origins. Origins are prioritised A–Z by name, so "A" wins over "B".
2. Priority by Shipping Area. Use a specific Origin priority for certain Shipping Areas, for example "Warehouse A" for eastern states and "Warehouse B" for western ones. Available when alphabetical priority is off.

Magento (MSI)

Only use Origins with sufficient stock QTY. Origins with less stock than ordered are ignored. Options:
1. Allow partial fulfilment. If no single Origin has every ordered item, additional Origins are checked.
2. Apply alphabetical priority for Origins or Priority by Shipping Area (as above).
Use Origin with the highest stock QTY. The Origin with the most stock is used for the product.

All platforms

Consider distance from origin to customer. The closest Origin is selected if a Google Distance Matrix API key is added. Otherwise, the Origin in the customer's country is selected.
Minimum origins for the order. Selects the Origins that keep the number of Origins in the order as low as possible.
Fallback to Main Origin. If no Origin is left after the algorithms run, the Main Origin from your store settings is used.

Rates display

There are cases when, due to order and product parameters, different carrier services are available for different Origins inside the order. The system sums up the service rates to show an aggregated rate.

Aggregated carrier rates to display (applies only when Split Checkout is off):

Display rate totals only for same services (default). Example: UPS Next Day (origin 1) + UPS Next Day (origin 2).
Display rate totals for all possible service combinations. Example: UPS Next Day (origin 1) + UPS 2nd Day (origin 2).

Step 6: Add Merged Shipping Options or enable Split Checkout

Ignore this step if you are using Shopify locations to map your Origins. Shopify selects best Location to ship the product from (if it is available in multiple Locations) and merges shipping methods and rates per Location on its end, therefore Origin Selection and Merged Shipping Option are not applicable for this Shopify option.

Merge Options allows you to combine different Shipping Options and give them a common name, so that carts containing products from multiple Origins get a single aggregated rate. You can either pick the methods to merge manually, or let the system merge the cheapest rate from each Origin automatically.

Add and configure them in the "Shipping Options" section > "Merged Options" tab.

See Merged Shipping Options for the full configuration guide.

Split Checkout (Magento only)

The "Split Checkout" will display individual Shipping Options at the checkout per every Origin involved into the Order. Customers will choose from available shipping methods and their corresponding rates for each Origin. With split checkout each shipment will have its own id, thus customers can track each shipment individually.

The "Split Checkout" checkout view:

The "Split Checkout" order view:

The "Split Checkout" can be enabled in the Calcurates extension setting (Magento admin):

How Multi-Origin Shipping feature works | Calcurates