Courier management is where you control how your orders are shipped from the fulfilment location to the delivery location.

Every order shipped through Eshopbox is allocated to a courier by Eshopbox Pilot --- an allocation engine that evaluates serviceability, live courier performance, and delivery disruptions for each order, and picks the courier most likely to deliver it well.

Courier management lets you influence that decision. Depending on how your workspace is set up, you will configure one of the following:

• Courier rules: You choose which couriers handle which orders. You can let Eshopbox Pilot optimise within the couriers you have selected, or ship strictly in the order you define.
• Shipping mode preferences: You choose the shipping mode (service level) you prefer, and Eshopbox Pilot selects the best-performing courier within that mode.

Note: Your workspace is set up with one of these two approaches --- they cannot both be active at the same time. By default Courier management for your workspace is set as Courier rules.

Shipping modes available on Eshopbox

Eshopbox offers four shipping modes:

• Eshopbox Prime: Optimised for priority delivery. Designed for same-day and next-day delivery, ensuring the fastest possible turnaround times.
• Eshopbox Express: Optimised for speed. Used for faster delivery of shipments according to express turnaround times.
• Eshopbox Standard: Optimised for cost savings. Used to deliver shipments according to standard turnaround times.
• Eshopbox Economy: Optimised for the lowest shipping cost, with longer turnaround times.

Under Shipping modes & couriers on the Courier management page, you can see every courier available in each mode, along with its serviceable pincodes and rate card.

Note: The couriers listed under a mode are not shown in priority order. Eshopbox Pilot decides which of them ships each order. If you want to change which couriers are switched on for your workspace, contact your Eshopbox account manager

Accessing Courier management

To open Courier management, follow the below-given steps:

• Step 1: From the header, navigate to Settings.
• Step 2: You will be redirected to the Settings page. Select Courier management.
• Step 3: You will be redirected to the Courier management page. Click Configure courier rules or Configure shipping mode preferences, depending on how your workspace is set up.

Understanding how you configure shipping

You can select an approach and confirm the switch. Anything you have already set up under the other approach stays saved and becomes inactive --- you can switch back at any time without losing it.

Note: If this section shows Managed by Eshopbox, your workspace has been configured by Eshopbox and the approach cannot be changed from here. Contact your Eshopbox account manager to change it.

Configuring courier rules

Courier rules let you decide which couriers handle which orders. You can split courier allocation based on conditions like order value, zone, payment method, location, and more.

To create a courier rule, follow the below-given steps:

• Step 1: From the header, navigate to Settings > Courier management.
• Step 2: Click Configure courier rules.
• Step 3: Click Create courier rule.
• Step 4: Enter a Rule name.
• Step 5: Under When, create the conditions as per your need by selecting from the available fields:
  • Chargeable weight
  • Delivery pincode
  • Delivery state
  • Location
  • Order value
  • Payment method
  • Product specification
  • Sales channel
  • Customer shipping preference
  • Zone
• Step 6: You can add multiple conditions using + New condition. All conditions are joined with AND. You can remove any condition you have added.
  
  
  
  
  
  

• Step 7: Under How this rule ships, select one of the two options:
  • Let Eshopbox Pilot decide: Include the couriers you want to use and let Eshopbox Pilot pick the best one for each matched order. Pilot considers your preferred order, but adapts to live courier performance and routes around disruptions. Recommended for most rules.
  • Follow my order exactly: Matched orders ship in the exact order you define, from top to bottom. Eshopbox Pilot will not optimise. If a courier cannot serve an order --- for example the pincode is not serviceable, or there is an active disruption --- Eshopbox moves to the next courier in your list.
• Step 8: Select the couriers this rule should use, and arrange them by dragging.
  • When Let Eshopbox Pilot decide is selected, the list shows the couriers Pilot may use. The order you set is treated as your preference, not a fixed sequence.
  • When Follow my order exactly is selected, the list is numbered 1, 2, 3 and so on, and is followed strictly from top to bottom.
    
    
    
    

• Step 9: You can also exclude a courier from a rule. Excluded couriers will never be used for orders matching that rule.

• Step 10: Click Save.

  Your courier rule will be created and becomes active immediately.

Note: It is recommended to include multiple couriers in a rule rather than selecting a single one. This gives you a wider range of serviceable pincodes and protects your orders if one courier is unable to ship.

Setting the priority of your courier rules

Rules are evaluated from top to bottom. The first rule an order matches is the one applied.

If you have not created any courier rules yet

Until you create your first rule, Eshopbox Pilot allocates a courier for every order automatically. You do not need to create rules for your orders to ship --- create them when you want to steer specific orders to specific couriers.

Configuring shipping mode preferences

Shipping mode preferences let you prioritise the shipping modes available to ship an order. You can split allocation based on conditions like order value, zone, payment method, location, and more.

To create a shipping mode rule, follow the below-given steps:

• Step 1: From the header, navigate to Settings > Courier management.
• Step 2: Click Configure shipping mode preferences.
• Step 3: Click Create rule.
• Step 4: Enter a Rule name.
• Step 5: Under When, create the conditions as per your need, using the same fields listed under courier rules above. You can add multiple conditions using + New condition; all conditions are joined with AND.
• Step 6: If you want to offer your customers same-day and next-day delivery options, enable Eshopbox Prime.
• Step 7: Set the shipping mode preference for orders matching this rule. Eshopbox refers to this priority to determine which shipping mode to assign.
  
  
  
  

• Step 8: Click Save.

  Your rule will be created and becomes active immediately.

Note:

• If your product is configured as "Is or contains liquid" or "dangerous or contains battery", Eshopbox will automatically assign the appropriate shipping mode based on the courier's capability to handle such shipments.
• You can remove a shipping mode while setting the priority. However, it is always suggested to define a priority across multiple modes rather than selecting a single mode. This gives you a wider range of serviceable pincodes.

The default rule

Eshopbox creates a default rule for every workspace. It sits at the lowest priority and applies to orders that do not match the conditions of any rule you have created.

• The default rule is marked with a Default tag.
• You cannot delete the default rule or change its position.
• The When condition of the default rule cannot be edited --- it applies to every order not matched by a rule above it.
• You can change the shipping mode priority configured for the default rule.
  
  
  
  
  

Setting the priority of your shipping mode rules

Rules are evaluated from top to bottom, and the first rule an order matches is applied. Assign the highest priority to the rule that should be validated first. You can reorder rules by dragging them.

FAQs

Q1. How can I check which rule was applied to an order?

Navigate to Orders > All orders, open the order, and click "Why this courier?". The rule name will be visible along with the courier assigned to the order.

Q2. What is Eshopbox Pilot, and does it override my rules?

Eshopbox Pilot is the allocation engine that selects a courier for every order. It does not override your rules --- it works within them.

• Your When conditions always decide which rule applies.
• If a rule is set to Let Eshopbox Pilot decide, Pilot selects the best courier from the ones you included.
• If a rule is set to Follow my order exactly, Pilot does not optimise. Your order is followed from top to bottom, and a courier is skipped only when it genuinely cannot serve the order.

Q3. Which should I choose --- "Let Eshopbox Pilot decide" or "Follow my order exactly"?

Choose Let Eshopbox Pilot decide for most rules. You still control which couriers are used, and Pilot adapts to live performance and disruptions --- which generally results in better delivery outcomes.

Choose Follow my order exactly when you have a commercial or contractual reason to ship in a fixed sequence.

Q4. What happens if the courier at the top of my list cannot ship an order?

Eshopbox moves to the next courier in your list. This applies in both modes --- a courier is skipped when the delivery pincode is not serviceable, the courier has an active disruption, or the order falls outside its delivery capability.

Q5. What happens if an order does not match any of my rules?

For shipping mode preferences, the default rule applies. For courier rules, Eshopbox Pilot allocates the courier automatically.

Q6. Can I use courier rules and shipping mode preferences together?

No. The two approaches are mutually exclusive --- only one is active on your workspace at a time. If you switch, your configuration under the other approach stays saved and becomes inactive, so you can switch back without losing it.

Q7. Why can't I change "How you configure shipping", or edit the couriers on my workspace?

Your workspace has been configured by Eshopbox, and these settings are managed by the Eshopbox team. You will see Managed by Eshopbox on the setting. Contact your Eshopbox account manager to request a change.

If your workspace uses shipping mode preferences, you can still view your rules, create new rules, and change shipping mode priority.

Q8. How can I set courier or mode priority based on the payment method?

Create two rules:

• Rule 1: Payment method is Cash on Delivery → set your preferred couriers or modes for COD orders.
• Rule 2: Payment method is Prepaid → set your preferred couriers or modes for prepaid orders.

Eshopbox will apply the matching rule when the order is created.

Q9. How can I set priority based on shipment weight?

Create two rules:

• Rule 1: Chargeable weight is less than X kg → set your preference for lighter shipments.
• Rule 2: Chargeable weight is more than X kg → set your preference for heavier shipments.

Q10. How can I let the customer decide the shipping mode?

You can charge your customer for faster shipping and honour that choice in Eshopbox.

Note: This can be configured only for Shopify and custom channel integrations.

Shopify:

• Step 1: On your Shopify store, set the shipping rate. Learn how to set the shipping rate. For example, create a rate named Express shipping for Rs. 50/-.
• Step 2: In your Eshopbox workspace, create a rule and give it a name --- for example, Express shipping.
• Step 3: Set the When condition as Sales channel is Shopify store, and Customer shipping preference is Express shipping.
• Step 4: Set your preferred couriers or modes for this rule.

Whenever an order is created in Eshopbox from your Shopify store with the customer's shipping preference set to Express shipping, Eshopbox will allocate as per this rule.

Custom channel integration: Provide the shipping rate name in the Create Order API as shipMethod. The Customer shipping preference in your rule must exactly match the shipMethod value sent in the API.

Q11. How can I assign specific couriers or modes to orders containing certain SKUs?

Create a rule and select the field Orders having SKU with the condition contains, then enter the SKU(s) --- separated by commas if there are multiple. Set your preferred couriers or modes and click Save.

Q12. How do I enable same-day (SDD) and next-day (NDD) delivery?

Navigate to Settings > Courier management and turn the toggle ON for Eshopbox Prime. Once enabled, eligible orders will automatically be assigned for faster delivery through Eshopbox Prime. You can also create a custom rule to control this further.

Q13. Do I have to create rules for my orders to ship?

No. If you have not created any rules, Eshopbox Pilot allocates a courier for every order automatically. Create rules only when you want to steer specific orders to specific couriers or modes.