Routing Rules in Pipe17 determine where and how each order or line item is fulfilled. They are the decision-making framework that connects your sales channels, fulfillment locations, and inventory data into a single automated workflow.
By defining routing rules, you eliminate manual order handling, ensure optimal shipping performance, and maintain full control over fulfillment costs and speed. Pipe17’s Order Routing Engine (ORE) applies these rules automatically, enabling consistent, data-driven order assignment across all your connected systems.
What Are Routing Rules?
Routing Rules are sets of configurable conditions that tell Pipe17 how to select the right fulfillment location for each order. These conditions can refer to:
- Order attributes (e.g., order source, total value, or tags)
- Product or SKU details (e.g., product category, weight, or inventory availability)
- Customer data (e.g., destination country, state, or postal code)
- Location characteristics (e.g., warehouse region, shipping speed, or cost)
The app evaluates each incoming order against your defined rule set. Once a match is found, the system routes that order or specific line items to the appropriate fulfillment location(s).
How Routing Rules Work in Pipe17
The Order Routing Engine automatically applies routing rules in real time as orders are ingested from connected sales channels. The typical process is:
- Order Ingestion: Orders enter Pipe17 from your selling channels or custom API connections.
- Rule Evaluation: The ORE compares each order against the list of active routing rules, from top to bottom.
- Location Selection: When a rule’s conditions are met, the order is assigned to one or more fulfillment locations.
- Shipping Request Creation: Pipe17 generates the necessary Shipping Requests for each assigned location.
- Fulfillment and Sync: The connected 3PL or warehouse fulfills the order, and Pipe17 updates order status across all systems automatically.
Routing decisions can be made at either the order level (entire order sent to one location) or the line-item level (split orders across multiple locations).
Example Scenarios
Example 1: Channel-Based Routing
- Condition: If Order Source = “Amazon” → Route to Location A (Amazon 3PL)
- Result: All Amazon orders automatically go to your Amazon-designated fulfillment center.
Example 2: Inventory-Based Routing
- Condition: If Product SKU available in both East and West warehouses → Route to location closest to customer address
- Result: Orders ship faster and with lower freight costs.
Example 3: Priority or Tiered Routing
- Condition: Try Location A first; if inventory is unavailable, route to Location B
- Result: Automatic fallback handling ensures order continuity even when stock is low.
Why Routing Rules Matter
Routing Rules are the backbone of intelligent fulfillment orchestration. They enable you to:
- Automate decisions that once required manual intervention.
- Optimize shipping times and costs by selecting the most efficient fulfillment path.
- Balance inventory utilization across multiple warehouses or partners.
- Ensure channel compliance (e.g., routing Amazon orders only to FBA locations).
- Scale operations without adding headcount or complexity.
This automation delivers measurable results: faster order turnaround, reduced shipping costs, and fewer exceptions in day-to-day operations.
Relationship to Other Objects
| Object | Relationship to Routing Rules | Purpose |
|---|---|---|
| Order | Evaluated against Routing Rules | Determines fulfillment path |
| Location | Destination selected by the rule | Defines where the order is fulfilled |
| Inventory | Referenced during rule evaluation | Ensures stock availability before assignment |
| Shipping Request | Created after routing completes | Executes the physical shipment |
| Exception | Triggered if routing conditions fail | Enables proactive correction |
Routing Rules connect these components to create a seamless, end-to-end order flow across your selling and fulfillment ecosystem.
Alternate SKU evaluation
When the SKU on an order is out of stock, the app can route the order using an alternate SKU instead of holding the order or sending it to backorder. You define the alternates on the order itself, so each order can carry its own list of acceptable substitutes, for example, a different vendor's version of the same product, a smaller pack size, or the individual components of a bundle.
Alternate SKU evaluation is controlled by a feature setting on your organization. If the setting is off, the app ignores the alternates and routes the order using your standard inventory rules. Contact Pipe17 support to confirm the setting is enabled for your account.
How the app picks an alternate
Each ordered SKU can have a list of swap options. The app works through the list in order and picks the first option that has enough stock at a valid location. If no option works at the current location, the app marks the line unroutable there and tries the next location in your routing rules. If nothing works anywhere, the line falls back to your standard out-of-stock behavior: backorder, split, or whatever rule you have set.
When the app routes an alternate, the shipping request still keeps a record of the original SKU and the original ordered quantity, so your fulfillment partner can see what the customer actually ordered alongside what you are shipping.
Three supported patterns
| Pattern | When to use it | How it works |
|---|---|---|
| Simple alternate | The ordered SKU has a one-for-one stand-in, such as the same product from a different vendor. | The app picks the first stand-in SKU that has stock and ships it in place of the original. |
| Pack-size swap | You sell the same product in multiple pack sizes and want to ship a different size when the ordered one is out. | Each alternate lists the exact quantity to ship of that pack size. The app ships exactly that quantity, it does not multiply by the ordered quantity. |
| Component swap | The ordered SKU is a bundle that you do not stock as one item, but you do stock the components separately. | The alternate lists every component that has to ship together. All components must be in stock at the same location for the swap to work. |
Example: simple alternate
A customer orders 5 units of SKU A. Your order lists SKU B as the first acceptable alternate, with a shipping quantity of 1. If SKU A is out and SKU B is in stock, the app routes 1 unit of SKU B. The shipping request also records that the customer originally ordered 5 of SKU A.
Example: pack-size swap
A customer orders 1 of 12-PACK. Your order lists 6-PACK with a shipping quantity of 2 as the first alternate, and SINGLE with a shipping quantity of 12 as the second. If 6-PACK is in stock, the app routes 2 units of 6-PACK. The shipping request records that the customer originally ordered 1 of 12-PACK.
Example: component swap
A customer orders 5 of bundle SKU L. Your order lists a component group, SKU M with a shipping quantity of 1, plus SKU N with a shipping quantity of 2, as the first alternate. If SKU L is out but both M and N are in stock at the same location, the app routes 1 unit of M and 2 units of N. Both lines on the shipping request show the original SKU L and the original ordered quantity of 5.
What your fulfillment partner sees
Every alternate line on the shipping request includes two extra fields:
- The original SKU the customer ordered.
- The original ordered quantity.
Your fulfillment partner ships the alternate SKU at the routed quantity, and the original SKU and quantity travel along for reference - useful for packing slips, invoicing, and customer-facing tracking.
Shipping options on alternates
An alternate SKU entry can also carry shipping preferences such as Ships in own container (SIOC) or all-or-none shipping. Use these when a specific substitute has special handling requirements.
Troubleshooting
If routing behavior is unexpected or orders aren’t being assigned correctly:
- Verify that Routing Rules are enabled and ordered correctly.
- Confirm Location availability and inventory synchronization.
- Check for conflicting or overlapping conditions between multiple rules.
- Review Order Routing Engine logs for detailed evaluation results.
Need Help?
If you need additional assistance:
- Use Ask Pippen, our AI agent, located at the top of the app page.
- Submit a support request with as much relevant detail as possible. Learn how to submit a request.
- For urgent issues, email us directly at support@pipe17.com.
We're here to help you succeed with your operations.
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