Magento 2.x FAQs
What Documents are Supported?
Purchase Orders, Acknowledgements, and Shipments. To learn more about the different document types and how they are used see this introduction.
How are cancellations and backorders handled?
Logicbroker utilizes the acknowledgement document type to transmit the acceptance, cancellation and backordering of a purchase order. If all items on an order are cancelled, the order status will also move to cancelled.
A configuration can be setup to only allow suppliers to " kill or fill" new orders. This means that the supplier must fulfill the entire order or cancel it; no partial fulfillment. This can be done on the entire order level or the item level. If it is necessary please provide the details in the on-boarding survey.
In addition, Logicbroker can prevent suppliers from accepting, cancelling or backordering items as well. These are all configurable options and will need to be indicated in the survey.
A configuration can be setup to only allow suppliers to " kill or fill" new orders. This means that the supplier must fulfill the entire order or cancel it; no partial fulfillment. This can be done on the entire order level or the item level. If it is necessary please provide the details in the on-boarding survey.
In addition, Logicbroker can prevent suppliers from accepting, cancelling or backordering items as well. These are all configurable options and will need to be indicated in the survey.
How can I process invoices from my suppliers?
For Magento, there is no support for the invoice (vendor bill) document type. Logicbroker does offer out of the box integrations to other systems including Quickbooks and Netsuite; in addition to all the standard integrations options such as API, flat file, EDI, CSV and pulling from the portal.
To learn more please contact support@logicbroker.com
To learn more please contact support@logicbroker.com
What dropship sourcing/routing options do you offer?
Logicbroker offers 2 options:
By SKU: in this scenario POs will be generated off of the customer order for SKUs that belong to each vendor. This will require that each SKU is connected to only one supplier.
By Cost: This will allow multiple vendors to support the same SKU. In this case Logicbroker, will select the lowest cost SKU by vendor while also taking in account compactness, which is the least amount of suppliers to fulfill the order with. This is designed to limit landing costs by using one vendor opposed to multiple even in situations where the cost will be a little larger. In the event of a tie, sourcing priority can be setup based on the vendor's scorecard. In addition, an item must be in stock before it is selected.
NOTE: If you are sourcing by cost, Logicbroker cannot update inventory for multiple vendors. In this case it will require multi-sourced products to have " Manage Stock" unchecked or separate products created for each supplier in Magento. Logicbroker also offers other customized sourcing based on specific business requirements. For more details contact support@logicbroker.com.
By SKU: in this scenario POs will be generated off of the customer order for SKUs that belong to each vendor. This will require that each SKU is connected to only one supplier.
By Cost: This will allow multiple vendors to support the same SKU. In this case Logicbroker, will select the lowest cost SKU by vendor while also taking in account compactness, which is the least amount of suppliers to fulfill the order with. This is designed to limit landing costs by using one vendor opposed to multiple even in situations where the cost will be a little larger. In the event of a tie, sourcing priority can be setup based on the vendor's scorecard. In addition, an item must be in stock before it is selected.
NOTE: If you are sourcing by cost, Logicbroker cannot update inventory for multiple vendors. In this case it will require multi-sourced products to have " Manage Stock" unchecked or separate products created for each supplier in Magento. Logicbroker also offers other customized sourcing based on specific business requirements. For more details contact support@logicbroker.com.
What integration options are offered to our supplier network?
Suppliers are offered EDI, JSON, XML CSV, API and portal. For more details see our document standards for supplier specifications here.
How is the testing process with the supplier?
All suppliers will have default test cases to follow to fully integrate with Logicbroker. This involves providing automated test cases specifically designed to successfully integrate with your platform.
How is communication handled with each supplier?
Communication is handled by your team. Logicbroker will supply templates and links to a survey to help on board your suppliers. See the on-boarding resources below.
- On-boarding overview
- Email templates
- Product/portal walkthroughs
- Test Cases and Specs
- On-boarding overview
- Email templates
- Product/portal walkthroughs
- Test Cases and Specs
Am I able to connect with other suppliers on the Logicbroker network?
Yes, Logicbroker offers the Connected Commerce Network; see details below about joining the network. For more information contact merchandising@logicbroker.com
Benefits for Retailers:
Join the Connected Commerce Network to ease adding to your breadth of assortment with access to trusted Connected Commerce brands and products. Growing product assortment and offering more inventory online using a drop ship program has been a core competency for many successful retailers. With the ability to offer numerous virtual products that won’t crowd 3PLs or warehouses, retailers can appeal to a broader range of clientele and ensure happy customers by having plenty of stock and real-time updates, so they get their order faster.
- Retailers leverage our Connected Commerce Network to increase product assortment
- Competitive advantage with our need for speed on execution
- Advanced trainings on digital ecommerce, product assortment, drop ship, product set up, returns management - Spotlight segment in Logicbroker’s monthly eNewsletter
- Customized reports and analytics (i.e. ready to ship, orders complete, past due orders, track shipments) - Option to modernize your partners’ integration platform, should they choose to do so
- Customized packing and shipping slips with your Logo or messaging Decrease stock outs with unlimited inventory sync
Benefits for Retailers:
Join the Connected Commerce Network to ease adding to your breadth of assortment with access to trusted Connected Commerce brands and products. Growing product assortment and offering more inventory online using a drop ship program has been a core competency for many successful retailers. With the ability to offer numerous virtual products that won’t crowd 3PLs or warehouses, retailers can appeal to a broader range of clientele and ensure happy customers by having plenty of stock and real-time updates, so they get their order faster.
- Retailers leverage our Connected Commerce Network to increase product assortment
- Competitive advantage with our need for speed on execution
- Advanced trainings on digital ecommerce, product assortment, drop ship, product set up, returns management - Spotlight segment in Logicbroker’s monthly eNewsletter
- Customized reports and analytics (i.e. ready to ship, orders complete, past due orders, track shipments) - Option to modernize your partners’ integration platform, should they choose to do so
- Customized packing and shipping slips with your Logo or messaging Decrease stock outs with unlimited inventory sync
What options are there to track supplier compliance?
In the portal you can see your supplier's performance by viewing your supplier's score card or building reports in the portal. Additionally, Logicbroker offers advanced analytics to report on all document data processed through the platform., to learn more contact support@logicbroker.com
How are orders sent to the supplier from Magento?
A cron job runs in Magento (SendOrders) that pushes new orders that are in the 'processing' status and do not have a Logicbroker ID to the Logicbroker system. This job can be configured to run on a schedule and by default is configured to run every 5 minutes; to learn more about scheduling your cron job see this article.
In the Logicbroker system the order is created as a sales order (Sender and Receiver IDs are the same). The sales order then runs through a routing workflow to source the order to the correct supplier; this can be by SKU (each supplier having a unique SKU) or item cost (multiple suppliers sharing the same SKU). From there a new order will get created for each supplier the item(s) needs to source from. All purchase orders created will contain the same SourceKey so they can be referenced back to the original sales order.
Here is an example of the sales order and the purchase order created off of it.
Once the PO is created to can be transmitted to the supplier in any integrated format - EDI, JSON, XML CSV, API and portal. For more details see our document standards for supplier specifications.
In the Logicbroker system the order is created as a sales order (Sender and Receiver IDs are the same). The sales order then runs through a routing workflow to source the order to the correct supplier; this can be by SKU (each supplier having a unique SKU) or item cost (multiple suppliers sharing the same SKU). From there a new order will get created for each supplier the item(s) needs to source from. All purchase orders created will contain the same SourceKey so they can be referenced back to the original sales order.
Here is an example of the sales order and the purchase order created off of it.
Once the PO is created to can be transmitted to the supplier in any integrated format - EDI, JSON, XML CSV, API and portal. For more details see our document standards for supplier specifications.
How are acknowledgements processed to Magento?
Acknowledgements can be processed to Magento as a comment on the order. The comment will be internal only and will transmit items information, such as SKU, and if they have been accepted, cancelled or backordered. If any change reasons are provided, which are typically included on cancellations and backorders those would be transmitted as well.
Here is a screenshot of the comment left on the order in the admin panel. The link to the acknowledgement detail page in Logicbroker is also provided.
Here is a screenshot of the comment left on the order in the admin panel. The link to the acknowledgement detail page in Logicbroker is also provided.
How is shipment data transmitted to Magento?
Shipments in Logicbroker will get pulled by Magento as they are received from the suppliers. This occurs based on the cron schedule, pulling shipments and creating them against the order in Magento. Standard shipment information will be present including items, quantity shipped, and all tracking information.
Note: Magento does not link which boxes an item is shipped. This information can be found in the Logicbroker portal under the shipment details.
In addition, based on your Magento configuration, your end customer will receive all necessary emails that trigger off of a created shipment as well.
Additional configuration is required to bill the user (create an invoice) at the time of the shipment. Under Stores > Configuration > Logicbroker > Options select Yes to " Invoice Order After Shipment"
Note: this will invoice all items on the order, even if they are not shipped. You will need to select " Invoice only shipped quantity" to invoice only shipped items.
Note: Magento does not link which boxes an item is shipped. This information can be found in the Logicbroker portal under the shipment details.
In addition, based on your Magento configuration, your end customer will receive all necessary emails that trigger off of a created shipment as well.
Additional configuration is required to bill the user (create an invoice) at the time of the shipment. Under Stores > Configuration > Logicbroker > Options select Yes to " Invoice Order After Shipment"
Note: this will invoice all items on the order, even if they are not shipped. You will need to select " Invoice only shipped quantity" to invoice only shipped items.
How is Invoice data transmitted to Magento?
The invoice document type in Logicbroker does not integrate with Magento. Logicbroker does have the ability to create an invoice (bill user) after a shipment is received, however this is not related to the invoice document in LB.
To invoice the order after the shipment go under Stores > Configuration > Logicbroker > Options select either " Invoice all items after first shipment" or " Invoice only shipped quantity"
To invoice the order after the shipment go under Stores > Configuration > Logicbroker > Options select either " Invoice all items after first shipment" or " Invoice only shipped quantity"
How are bundles handled through Logicbroker?
If the option for " Include Bundle Items" is set to " Yes" Logicbroker will include the bundled item on the order. It will appear as a new line included with the simple products; see below.
Line 1 = BUNDLESKU
Line 2 = SIMPLESKU1
Line 3 = SIMPLESKU2
Line 1 = BUNDLESKU
Line 2 = SIMPLESKU1
Line 3 = SIMPLESKU2
How is inventory transmitted to Magento?
Logicbroker creates a custom table in Magento called "logicbroker_inventory_history" to track when inventory has been updated per each supplier. A check is done against this to see when the last time the inventory was updated for each SKU in Magento comparing the last modified date in the Logicbroker system; if the item has been updated after the date stored it will update Magento.
The process for suppliers updating their inventory would depend on them sending it through Logicbroker. The " MerchantSKU" should match the SKU in Magento. As the suppliers update their quantities, the cron job in Magento will run to check for all newly updated SKUs to process.
The process for suppliers updating their inventory would depend on them sending it through Logicbroker. The " MerchantSKU" should match the SKU in Magento. As the suppliers update their quantities, the cron job in Magento will run to check for all newly updated SKUs to process.
How do we do setup products so Suppliers can update their inventory?
Logicbroker follows a matching process for the retailer to initially setup products that the supplier will update. From there the supplier will send in their own SupplierSKU to automatically map and update the corresponding MerchantSKU. See this article for more details.
If your Supplier's know your MerchantSKU, they can update their inventory without setting up the products from the retailer side. This would require setting up the auto-match feature. In this case when the supplier sends their SupplierSKU, that will be used as the MerchantSKU. This relies on the supplier knowing or using your MerchantSKU for updates. See this article for more details.
If your Supplier's know your MerchantSKU, they can update their inventory without setting up the products from the retailer side. This would require setting up the auto-match feature. In this case when the supplier sends their SupplierSKU, that will be used as the MerchantSKU. This relies on the supplier knowing or using your MerchantSKU for updates. See this article for more details.
Can I hide the retail price on the orders sending to my Suppliers?
Yes, you will need to specify this in the on-boarding survey and Logicbroker support will create your account accordingly.
How do we prevent orders or SKUs sending to certain vendors?
There are 3 options:
1. For SKUs not processing to Logicbroker they should be marked as a virtual item and will be ignored when the order is processed.
2. Logicbroker can source/route the source to an internal fulfillment company, there in which the orders can be ignored if not sending to a source.
3. They can be removed using Logicbroker's business rule engine. This will require setup from support or your Logicbroker account manager ( support@logicbroker.com).
1. For SKUs not processing to Logicbroker they should be marked as a virtual item and will be ignored when the order is processed.
2. Logicbroker can source/route the source to an internal fulfillment company, there in which the orders can be ignored if not sending to a source.
3. They can be removed using Logicbroker's business rule engine. This will require setup from support or your Logicbroker account manager ( support@logicbroker.com).
What if a custom field is needed?
Logicbroker processes all custom attributes that are setup on the products. If there is one that needs to be visible to the supplier, please notify support@logicbroker.com
How can I test in a staging environment?
You can test by connecting your dev/sandbox Magento site to the Logicbroker stage account ( stageportal.logicbroker.com). If you do not have one you can initially setup your production system to test, however once moved to production there will be no ability to test changes.