Can you merge fulfillments in Shopify?

How do you merge fulfillments in a Shopify order?

Merge fulfillment combines several fulfillments from the same location into one, based on line items and quantities. Shopify says it can help simplify fulfillment and reduce shipping costs.

Click the order, then in the Unfulfilled section you want to merge, click ⋯ and Merge fulfillment. Select the items to merge, then click Merge fulfillment.

In Shopify adminOpen in your store

1. Orders
2. The order
3. Unfulfilled
4. ⋯
5. Merge fulfillment

Zoom

You can't split or merge a fulfillment in the Shopify mobile app. Use a desktop, or the Shopify web version on a mobile device.

What if the items are at two locations or in two orders?

Merging needs one location. If you use multiple locations, moving a fulfillment elsewhere is a separate action: Change location, in the ⋯ menu of an Unfulfilled or In progress section of an unfulfilled order — not for local delivery or in-store pickup.

On orders assigned to a fulfillment service location, Mark as fulfilled isn't available; to fulfill manually, first change the location to one you manage.

Shopify introduced split and merge in July 2023 for items in a single order. Combining two orders is a separate question: can you combine two orders in Shopify.

Why is one order split into several fulfillments?

When items can't be fulfilled together, the order is split into several Unfulfilled sections — fulfillments — and you fulfill each separately. A split happens for:

• items no single location has enough inventory to fulfill;
• items that can't ship together, such as preorder, subscription or different-shipping-profile items;
• a mix of shipped and in-store pickup items.

For these splits, partial fulfillment isn't optional, though Shopify says you "might be able" to merge some fulfillments first. Because each fulfillment is fulfilled separately, a customer can receive more than one shipping confirmation email for the order.

With two or more active locations, the default order routing rule Minimize split fulfillments chooses locations that can fulfill all items.