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Configure Shipping Windows

This section and the ones that follow cover the Settings screen (Apps → B2B Plus → Settings) that should be reviewed before a store goes live on B2B Plus: ship windows and inventory dates, inventory threshold colors, API credentials and scopes, order splitting, approval rules, the offline order form logo, and Shopify data sync.

Review Ship windows and inventory dates first. These values define the defaults used whenever a new ship window is created, so admins and reps don't need to calculate dates by hand for every inventory row or order line.

In this guide:

Overview​

What is a ship window?​

A ship window is the date range during which all or part of an order is expected to ship. Because B2B Plus tracks stock across Immediate, Future, Prebook, and Warehouse availability, a single order can contain lines that are ready to ship today alongside lines that won't be ready for weeks. Ship windows give each of those lines a realistic, trackable shipping timeframe instead of forcing every line onto one shared ship date.

The Ship windows and inventory dates settings define the defaults used whenever a new ship window is created.

  1. Set Shipping windows (below) and validate on a staging theme or test order.
  2. Choose Configure Inventory Dates and train planners on the change.
  3. Review Inventory Consolidation with your implementation partner if you use multi-bucket stock.

Watch the settings tour​

This walkthrough covers B2B Plus Settings end to end, including ship windows and inventory dates. Turn on audio if your device supports it.

Download MP4 · Download original MOV

Shipping windows​

Default length of ship window​

The default number of days a ship window spans, currently set to 30. If a product's ship start is May 1 and the default length is 30 days, the ship end automatically defaults to May 31.

Minimum length of ship window​

The shortest a ship window is allowed to be, currently set to 7 days. This protects against windows that are too tight to realistically fulfill—for example, with a 7-day minimum and a ship start of May 1, the earliest ship end a user can choose is May 8.

Both fields are editable in Settings and apply store-wide as the defaults offered whenever a new ship window is created; individual products or purchase orders can still be adjusted within these bounds.

Configure Inventory Dates​

This control decides how each inventory row records its availability window.

Start and end dates​

Each inventory row tracks both when stock becomes available and when that availability period ends—the option currently selected. This is the model needed to support Future and Prebook buckets, where stock is expected within a specific range rather than on one fixed day.

One date only​

Each inventory row tracks a single date (for example, an expected-in date), with no separate end of window. This simpler model suits stock that is expected to arrive and remain available indefinitely once received.

Inventory Consolidation​

Ship window length and inventory-date mode work together to decide when separate incoming stock records can be treated as one consolidated window rather than many fragmented ones. When multiple inbound quantities for the same SKU fall inside the same Default Length of Ship Window and satisfy the Minimum Length of Ship Window, B2B Plus groups them under a single ship window for ordering and reporting purposes, instead of showing a separate line for every individual receipt.

Consolidation reduces clutter in Line Sheets, order forms, and the Inventory panel by presenting one window per SKU per period rather than one row per shipment. Confirm the Default and Minimum ship window lengths reflect your typical receiving cadence before relying on consolidated views.