The 5 Steps You Need When Making A Product
What are the 5 steps?
The 5 steps outlined in this post are ESSENTIAL in communicating the information that we need to process, print and fulfill your orders correctly. They each contribute a unique part to the fulfillment process and ALL FIVE OF THESE STEPS MUST BE DONE for each product you plan on selling. If they are NOT done, then you cannot start selling. Failure to follow these 5 easy steps may lead to production errors that can result in fulfillment delays and unhappy customers. With that being said, lets get into it!
1. LOCATION is set to T-shirt Storm Fulfillment
This is by far the most important step. By changing the location of the product to T-shirt Storm Fulfillment, this tells Shopify that the product will be coming from us. If we are fulfilling a product, the only location that should be checked ON should be T-Shirt Storm Fulfillment. All other locations should be checked OFF. If you have products that you are fulfilling from your location (something you have inventory of like accessories, posters, etc) then the location should be set to ONLY your location
How To:
Click Edit -> Edit Locations -> Check ON "T-shirt Storm Fulfillment" only -> Click Done
2. QUANTITIES for each variant set to 10,000
By setting each variant & size to 10,000 units available, this creates "ghost" inventory in your store and allows your product to be available for sale. Using a number this high also ensures that you will not "sell out" of products immediately and allows us to track and be notified of new orders as they come in.
How To:
Click Edit -> Edit Quantities -> Enter "10000" into the top section -> Click Apply To All -> Click Done
3. BARCODE and SKU code set for each variant
The Barcode and SKU code play a critical role in the production of your items. The Barcode is what our production team uses to identify the specific artwork and print files for each of your specific products. We use the Barcode that you assign to each product to name your artwork as well as create print settings so your items get printed with the same art and the same settings every single time. The SKU code communicates to our production team which blanks to use for your items and what color it should be.
How To For Barcode:
Click Edit -> Edit Barcode -> Enter the same barcode for every size -> Click Done
How To SKU code:
Click Edit -> Edit SKU's -> Enter the same SKU code for every size -> Click Done
**Not sure how to make or when to use a new Barcode/SKU? It's okay! Take a deep breath and click HERE
ONCE YOU'VE DONE STEPS 1-3 CLICK SAVE IN THE TOP RIGHT CORNER
4. VARIANT IMAGES ASSIGNED (This step applies to items that have a front AND back print, or if you have multiple color options available within the same product.)
Simply put, the image you have assigned as the VARIANT IMAGE is the image that prints on the actual paperwork that we use to fulfill your orders each day. From start to finish, our internal production system relies HEAVILY on the variant images that you've assigned as visual aids and visual reference. We use what your images look to make your products look like your images. Because of this, it is ABSOLUTELY VITAL that you have the correct images assigned to your variants in order to avoid errors in production.
Products with front AND back prints:
For products that have a front AND back print, the variant image assigned to each variant should have the front and back mockup shown in ONE image and that image should be assigned to each variant/size. By showing an image that has both sides of the item, our production teams knows that that product needs to be printed on BOTH sides of the garment. If this step is not done, and your variant image for a two-sided garment shows only one side, your item will most likely be printed with just one side and shipped to your customer with only one side. Embarrassing.
EXAMPLES HOW TO SET UP A 2 SIDED VARIANT IMAGE:
How To (Bulk Edit Method):
Scroll to your variants/sizes section of your product -> To the left of each size there's a box -> Check the boxes of all sizes -> More Actions -> Add Images -> Upload/Choose the image that has the front and back design in one photo -> Click Done
Products with multiple color options in a single product:
For products that have multiple color options for a single product, you need to assign the BLACK shirt variant image to the Black shirt products, the WHITE shirt variant image to the White shirt products, and so on.
HERE'S WHAT IT LOOKS LIKE WHEN THIS IS DONE CORRECTLY:
How To (Bulk Edit Method):
Scroll to your variants/sizes section -> To the left of each size there's a box -> Check the boxes of All sizes of Black products -> More Actions -> Add Images -> Upload/Choose the image of Black product -> Click Done -> Repeat this for all colors.
5. Product Weights
As we're sure you can imagine, properly assigning your product weights is super important in making sure that postage is calculated correctly. This step communicates to Shopify how much each of your products weighs - by size. This is a critical element if your shipping rates are "calculated rates." This means Shopify calculates the cost of shipping using the customers shipping address (at checkout) and the weight of products to charge them accordingly for shipping. This means you don't have to guess or try to charge your customers correctly, Shopify will do it for you!
How To:
Hover your mouse over the row of your first variant -> It should turn grey -> Click on the row and a new page will open -> Scroll down to the bottom of the page to the "Shipping" section -> Enter the correct weight -> Click Save -> Scroll to the top of the page and repeat these steps for other sizes.
*Don't know the weights of items? We got you! Click Here: https://tshirtstorm.com/blogs/the-storm-shelter/product-weights?_pos=1&_sid=7261d99f4&_ss=r
WOHOO! YOU'RE ALL DONE. IF YOU'VE COMPLETED AND DOUBLE CHECKED THESE 5 STEPS FOR ALL OF YOUR PRODUCTS, THEN YOU'RE READY TO START SELLING!
*If you have any questions about the product setup or recommendations on how we can improve it, then please send an email to jeff@tshirstorm.com