How to use the fulfillment auto switch for Bol.com

Content

1. What is the fulfillment auto switch?

2. Setting up the fulfillment auto switch

3. Point of attention when using the fulfillment auto switch

What is the fulfillment auto switch?

This feature is applicable to everyone who wants to sell products using both their own fulfillment (FBR) and fulfillment by Bol.com (FBB). The fulfillment auto switch makes sure that the correct fulfillment type is set, based on the availability of the FBB stock at Bol.com and your own stock. By using this feature, you no longer have to manually keep track of and adjust fulfillment types if the FBB stock reaches 0. 

The step-by-step process is as follows:

1. In the background, we request the FBB stock from Bol.com. 
2. Every time the API runs, we determine which fulfillment type is applicable:
   1. If the FBB stock is greater than 0, we set the fulfillment type to FBB.
   2. If the FBB stock is 0 and you have own stock available, we set the fulfillment type to FBR. 
   3. If the FBB stock is 0 and you don't have own stock available, we set the fulfillment type to FBB.
3. Via 'API > Results > Fulfillment updates' you can check which fulfillment type updates we sent to Bol.com. 

If we don't yet know the FBB stock, for example, due to a technical issue, we determine the fulfillment type based on your own stock:

• If there is own stock availability, we set it to FBR.
• If there is no own stock available, we set it to FBB. This way prevents products from going offline where possible. 

Setting up the fulfillment auto-switch

The fulfillment auto switch can be set up in the build step, using the fulfillment field. Aside from the options FBB and FBR, there is also the possibility to use the option 'AUTO_SWITCH'. You can either activate the feature for all products in the API or apply it to a selection of products:

1. Apply to all products in the API by selecting the static value 'AUTO_SWITCH' for the fulfillment option in the build step. 
2. Apply to a selection of products by using a dynamic field in which you enter the value 'AUTO_SWITCH' for the products you want to activate the feature for. A full explanation of how to set this up can be found in this article. 

Pay attention to the following points!

1. We only update fulfillment types when the API runs.
   This is done daily following the schedule in the project settings. If you need more regular updates (up to once per hour), you could consider using the Core Pro plan, see this article for more information.
2. Order of rules.
   If you use a dynamic field to set up the auto switch, please be aware of the order of the rules. If you for example have rules that rely on the dynamic field containing the value FBB or FBR, then those rules might not work properly if you overwrite that value to AUTO_SWITCH in an earlier rule. See the demo linked above for an example.
3. To set up the product to FBR, we need to send a delivery code to Bol.com.
   Please make sure all products for which you have activated the auto switch contain a valid delivery code.
4. Bol.com only allows product with the condition 'new' to be sold via FBB.
   If you apply AUTO_SWITCH to products with values other than 'new' the switch to FBB will not be applied those those offers.
5. To announce a replenishment delivery to Bol.com the relevant products need to be on FBB.
   If you start using the auto switch feature, you have to temporarily change the fulfillment type to FBB. This can be done manually in your Bol.com account or via a rule in Channable, whichever option fits your workflow best.