Add Bundle SKU Translation (Child SKUs) to your Shopify Store – ShipBlink

Overview

ShipBlink's Bundle SKU Translation feature allows you to map products that are sold under different names or SKUs on your storefront to their underlying inventory SKUs. This is particularly useful when:

Multiple products share the same physical inventory
You sell individual items that are actually fulfilled from bundle packs
Different product listings represent the same physical item
You need to translate retail SKUs to warehouse/inventory SKUs

How It Works

When an order comes in, ShipBlink reads the bundle_child_skus metafield from your Shopify product variants or products. This metafield tells ShipBlink which actual inventory items (and quantities) should be used for fulfillment, even if the customer ordered a different SKU. Do note that ShipBlink only reads Child SKU information, and cannot modify it's inventory - the inventory management, if enabled happens against the original ordered SKU.

Example Use Case:

Customer orders: "Premium Gift Box" (SKU: GIFTBOX-001)
Actual fulfillment: 2x "Plush Toy" (SKU: TOY-001) + 1x "Greeting Card" (SKU: CARD-001)
ShipBlink automatically translates the order to ship the correct inventory items

Setting Up Bundle SKU Translation

Step 1: Set the Shopify Resource for ShipBlink to read Metafields from (Product-level or Variant-level)

Log in to your ShipBlink account
Navigate to Settings → Integrations → Shopify Integration Settings
1. Option A: If you want to set Bundle Child SKUs on Product-level, use the link "Edit Product Metafields"(in screenshot)
2. Option B: If you want to set Bundle Child SKUs on Product Variant-level, use the link "Edit Variant Metafields"(in screenshot)
After following 2.1 or 2.2 based on your preference, a Bulk Editor would open like this:
Enter your bundle composition using this format:
```
CHILD-SKU-1||QUANTITY-1,CHILD-SKU-2||QUANTITY-2
```
Examples based on use-cases
1. Bundle Packs (One sold SKU converts into multiple Child SKUs with varied quantities.
```
TOY-001||2,CARD-001||1,BOX-001||1
```
  This means the bundle consists of:
  - 2 units of TOY-001
  - 1 unit of CARD-001
  - 1 unit of BOX-001
2. SKU Translation (a SKU sold isn't the same as the SKU in inventory)
```
TOY-008||1
```
  This means the bundle consists of:
  - 1 unit of TOY-001
Any unfulfilled orders that were updated or created after the SKU translation was defined would start following this SKU translation pattern.

Step 2: (Optional) Managing Bundle Child SKUs at scale

This is step is relevant to you if you have tens or hundreds of SKUs that need to unbundled.

Option A: Manage Bundle Child SKU within the Shopify Admin Product catalog

Shopify allows you to access metafields via the Shopify Admin, as if these were native Shopify Admin fields. Below is a walkthrough about how to setup Shopify to access Metafields directly from your Admin Product/Variant catalog
Option B: Bulk Upload via CSV
For updating multiple products at once, we recommend using a third-party app from the Shopify App Store. Here's an example CSV format:
```
sku,bundle_child_skus
GIFTBOX-001,"TOY-001||2,CARD-001||1"
GIFTBOX-002,"TOY-002||1,CARD-001||2,BOX-001||1"
STARTER-KIT,"ITEM-A||3,ITEM-B||1"
```
Option C: Use a script to update Shopify Products or Variants with Bundle Child SKU metafields.

For merchants with many products requiring bundle translation, you can use Shopify's API to bulk upload metafields. The metafield configuration should be:
```
{
    'namespace': 'global',
    'key': 'bundle_child_skus',
    'type': 'single_line_text_field',
    'value': 'SKU1||QTY1,SKU2||QTY2'
}
```
Note: API scripts require Shopify app development knowledge. Contact ShipBlink support if you need assistance with bulk uploads.

Bundle SKU Format

The bundle_child_skus metafield uses a specific format to define bundle composition:

SKU1||QUANTITY1,SKU2||QUANTITY2,SKU3||QUANTITY3

Format Rules:

Use || (double pipe) to separate SKU from quantity
Use , (comma) to separate different child items
SKUs must match exactly with your inventory SKUs in ShipBlink
Quantities must be whole numbers (integers)
No spaces unless the SKU itself contains spaces

Valid Examples:

Simple bundle:
WIDGET-A||1

Multiple items:
WIDGET-A||2,WIDGET-B||1

Complex bundle:
ITEM-001||3,ITEM-002||2,ITEM-003||1,ITEM-004||5

Common Use Cases

1. Inventory Consolidation

Scenario: You sell items individually and in packs, but only stock the packs.

Product: Single Widget (WIDGET-SINGLE)  
Bundle Translation: WIDGET-INDIV||1
(where WIDGET-INDIV is your actual loose inventory)

2. Gift Sets and Bundles

Scenario: Pre-configured gift sets that pull from individual inventory.

Product: Holiday Gift Set (HOLIDAY-SET-2024)
Bundle Translation: MUG-001||1,COASTER-SET||1,GIFT-CARD||1

3. Retail vs. Warehouse SKU Translation

Scenario: Customer-facing SKUs differ from warehouse SKUs.

Product: Premium Leather Wallet - Black (PLW-BLK-RETAIL)
Bundle Translation: WH-WALLET-001-BLK||1

4. Multi-Pack Translation

Scenario: Selling a 6-pack that's actually fulfilled from individual units.

Product: Energy Drink 6-Pack (ENERGY-6PK)
Bundle Translation: ENERGY-SINGLE||6

Testing Your Configuration

After setup, test the bundle translation:

Create a test order in Shopify with a product that has bundle translation configured
Sync the order to ShipBlink
Open the order in ShipBlink and verify:
1. The order items show the translated child SKUs
2. Quantities are correct
3. Dimensions and weights are calculated based on child items

Troubleshooting

Bundle Translation Not Working

Check:

Metafield namespace/key is exactly global.bundle_child_skus
Bundle SKU Translation is enabled in ShipBlink settings
Format uses || (double pipe) and , (comma) correctly
Child SKUs exist in your ShipBlink inventory
No extra spaces in the metafield value

Incorrect Quantities

Verify:

Quantity values are integers, >0 (natural numbers)
Format is SKU||QUANTITY (not QUANTITY||SKU)
No decimal points

Orders Not Syncing

Ensure:

Shopify integration is active and connected
Product variants have the metafield populated
Child SKUs match your ShipBlink product database exactly (case-sensitive)

Best Practices

Consistent Naming: Use a clear SKU naming convention for both parent and child SKUs
Documentation: Keep a spreadsheet mapping retail SKUs to inventory SKUs
Regular Audits: Periodically verify bundle translations are current
Test Before Launch: Always test with sample orders before going live
Inventory Sync: Ensure child SKUs are properly set up in Shopify

Need Help?

Email Support: support@shipblink.com
Live Chat: Available in your ShipBlink dashboard
Documentation: https://help.shipblink.com

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