Glossary of important terms
| Term | Meaning | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Carrier Method | A shipping option shown at checkout. Includes price, ETA, DIM factor, and surcharges. | "Express Delivery (2-4 days)" with base rate, min charge, extra fees. |
| Base Rate | The price per billable weight (BW). | $2 per kg. |
| Min Charge | Minimum shipping fee the customer must pay, even if the calculated rate is lower. |
If BW x base rate = $7 but min charge = $10 → customer pays $10. => This ensures you never lose profit on small or lightweight orders. |
| DIM Factor | Number used in calculating Dimensional Weight (DW). | DW = L × W × H ÷ DIM. |
| Dimensional Weight (DW) | Weight based on package size, used by carriers to charge shipping. | Big but light box = DW 6kg even if AW is 3kg. |
| Actual Weight (AW) | Real physical weight of the product. | A shirt weighs 0.2 kg. |
| Billable Weight (BW) | The weight used for charging → max(DW, AW). | AW 3kg, DW 6kg → BW = 6kg. |
| Surcharge | Extra fee added to shipping (fuel, oversize, handling, etc.). | Fuel surcharge: +$3. |
| Product Dimensions | Length, width, height, weight used to calculate DW. | Candle box: 20 x 15 x 15 cm. |
| Fallback Dimensions | Default dimensions used when a product has no size data. | All missing products default to 20 x 20 x 10 cm. |
| Desired Delivery Date | Date selected by customer during checkout. | Customer chooses "Deliver on Friday 12 Feb". |
| Excluded Dates | Dates that cannot be selected for delivery. | Public holidays or warehouse closure dates. |
| Batch | A group of orders combined to ship together. | All Sydney orders for Friday → Batch "SYD-FRI". |
| Batch Rule | Rules that decide how orders are grouped into a batch. | "Group orders with same delivery date + location." |
| Batch Priority | Determines which rule is applied first (lower number = higher priority). | Priority 1 rule beats priority 5 rule. |
| Batch Threshold | The limit that triggers a batch to become "ready". | Max 20 orders or 50kg total weight. |
| Collecting | Batch is gathering orders but not ready yet. | Batch has 12 orders but needs 20 to complete. |
| Ready to Dispatch | Batch meets all criteria and is ready for shipping. | Batch hits 20 orders → moves to Ready. |
| Force Release | Manually mark a Collecting batch as Ready even if it's not full. | End of day: release early with only 12 orders. |
| Notify WMS | Button that sends batch details to warehouse via email. | Warehouse receives full batch summary. |
| Dispatched | Warehouse has shipped the entire batch. | Courier picked up all orders. |
| Delivered | All orders in the batch have been delivered. | Batch lifecycle ends. |
| Cancelled (Batch) | Batch is invalid or no longer needed. | Wrong rule or customer canceled orders. |
| fulfill_hold (Order Status) | Order is temporarily locked while batching is in progress. | Prevents fulfillment before batching finishes. |
| unfulfilled (Order Status) | Order is ready for warehouse processing. | After batch is complete → items ready to pack. |
| closed (Order Status) | Order is fully delivered. | Customer received the package. |
| cancelled (Order Status) | Order no longer valid. | Refund, error, or customer cancellation. |