If you are retailer who sells on Amazon, you are probably familiar with the handling time, which is a required piece of information for each SKU in your store. The handling time tells shoppers how many days it will be before the item is shipped.
You might base the handling time on information from your vendor, or various catalog changes, or use a set number. Duoplane users have the ability to create a calculation based on new information like inventory updates from vendors, set a number based on product, vendor, or store settings, or manage completely in Amazon.
This article will share more information about what the 'handling time' is and show you how to do all of the above methods
In this article:
What is the 'handling time' in Amazon?
In Duoplane, the "handling time" refers to the same 'handling time' as defined by Amazon, detailed in this Amazon seller article: https://sellercentral.amazon.com/gp/help/external/G200955560?language=en_US.
This is essentially the time that shows for the shopper for how long the item will take to ship. This can be managed in Amazon or Duoplane, if you have the SKU's settings (and its vendor and global settings) configured to update inventory from Duoplane to Amazon.
Is the 'handling time' different from the 'promise date' or 'estimated ship date'?
They have the same purpose—to tell how many days it will be between an order being placed and it being shipped—but have different relevance. The "handling time" is specifically Amazon's term, and is displayed to your shoppers, where the "promise date" or "estimated ship date" is information stored in Duoplane to help manage open orders and give vendors an expected date, since they are managing fulfillment in most cases.
What is the default setting for 'handling time'?
By default, this option is blank, which means Duoplane will not make any changes to Amazon and your store will only use numbers set in Amazon.
If you plan to manage all of your handling time settings in Amazon, you will not need to add or change anything in Duoplane and it is advised you do not use it. This option exists for stores who have the need to change the handling times through Duoplane, or want to make bulk changes with inventory feeds.
When does the handling time update to Amazon?
Duoplane updates the product's handling time in Amazon only along with inventory changes, so it will not reflect the change in Amazon until an inventory update for that SKU occurs.
How to set the 'handling time' from Duoplane
First you will need to access the option in your store settings:
- In your Duoplane Retailer account, go to Settings > Ecommerce Stores
- Select the Amazon store and click Edit
- Under the Products and Inventory section of the settings page, you will see an option for "Handling time template" with a blank field next to it
Once you've reached this setting, there are three different ways you can manage the handling time:
A. Keep the handling time as-is in Amazon
With this option you would set the handling time in Amazon and Duoplane will not interfere with it. To do this, simply make sure his field is blank.
B. Set an exact handling time (in days) on your store settings page
If you would like all products to show a standard, consistent handling time in your store, you can set it in this field (example: 2 business days would be "2")
C. Set a calculated handling time on your store settings page based off the lead time you've set globally or by vendor or SKU
If you have different lead times on a SKU or vendor basis for each product and want to use them as handling times in Amazon, you can use the object leadtime_days.
Similarly you can use this object placeholder to calculate the handling time dynamically (example: lead time in Duoplane + 1 extra day)
Important: Duoplane only updates the handling time in Amazon along with inventory updates. If the handling time changes in Duoplane, they will not be reflected on Amazon until there is an update to the SKU's inventory pushed to Amazon.