Customization Challenge

"Engraving details get lost between the order and the production floor."

Customer wants "Happy Birthday Sarah" engraved. That detail sits in a Shopify note. Your warehouse sees the order but not the personalization. They ship the wrong item. Customer is upset. You eat the cost.

See How Fulfil Handles Customization

Sound Familiar?

Real challenges from brands selling customized products.

"Personalization fields from Shopify don't make it to the warehouse. Operators have to look up each order manually."

Line item properties get lost in translation between storefront and fulfillment.

"We do engraving and custom bundles. Need to trigger production orders before shipping."

Customized orders need a production step. Standard fulfillment doesn't work.

"Customer picks three charms for a necklace. We need to track which charms on which order."

Multi-select customizations with specific item selection per order.

"Gift orders need specific delivery dates. We can't ship early or the surprise is ruined."

Date-sensitive orders require scheduling, not just first-in-first-out.

"Standard orders ship from 3PL. Engraved orders must ship from HQ. We route manually."

Personalized orders need different routing than standard fulfillment.

"Creating 500 SKUs for every combination of size, color, and engraving option isn't sustainable."

Variant explosion makes catalog management impossible.

No Variant Explosion

Product Options, Not 500 SKUs

Define options (engraving text, charm selection, gift date) as configurable fields on the product. Customers select options at checkout. No need to create separate SKUs for every combination.

  • 8 option types: text, selection, product, date, integer, float, numeric, string
  • Repeatable options for multi-select (pick 3 charms)
  • Options visible on pick lists, packing slips, and production orders
Product: Custom Necklace
Engraving Text (Text)
"Happy Birthday Sarah"
Font Style (Selection)
Script
Charms (Product - Repeatable)
Heart Charm (Gold)
Star Charm (Gold)
Moon Charm (Gold)
Delivery Date (Date)
March 15, 2026
Order Workflow
Order Imported
From Shopify with line item properties
Options Mapped
Personalization data attached to order line
Production Order Created
Auto-generated for make-to-order SKU
Engraving Completed
Production marked done, output added to inventory
5
Shipment Released
Order ships with completed custom product

Make-to-Order Workflow

Production Before Fulfillment

Set the SKU's fulfillment strategy to "Make on Order." When an order imports, Fulfil automatically creates a production order. The shipment waits until production completes. No manual coordination required.

  • Auto-create production orders from sales orders
  • Personalization data visible to production operators
  • Shipment held until production completes

Smart Routing

Personalized Orders Route Automatically

Set routing rules: orders with engraving go to your HQ warehouse for production. Standard orders go to your 3PL. No manual sorting. No mistakes.

  • Route by product options, SKU, order tags, or custom fields
  • Split orders: personalized items to HQ, standard to 3PL
  • Delivery date rules hold shipments for gift orders
Routing Rules
Rule 1 Engraved products to HQ

If order has "engraving_text" option, route to HQ Warehouse for production.

Rule 2 Gift orders hold for date

If order has "delivery_date" option, set planned ship date to arrive on time.

Rule 3 Standard orders to 3PL

No customization options? Route to ShipBob for standard fulfillment.

Customization: Manual Workarounds vs. Fulfil

Why personalized products need integrated workflows

Capability Shopify Notes + Spreadsheets Fulfil Product Options
Personalization Data Buried in order notes. Warehouse searches for it. Structured options on order line. Visible everywhere.
Production Trigger Manual. Someone checks for custom orders and creates work. Auto-create production order from make-to-order SKU.
Variant Management Create SKU for every combination. Catalog explodes. One SKU with configurable options. Clean catalog.
Routing Manual sort. Custom orders get mixed with standard. Rules route by option. Automatic, reliable.
Gift Dates Sticky notes. Hope warehouse remembers. Date option sets planned ship date automatically.
Pick List Visibility Engraving text not on pick list. Operator looks up order. All options print on pick list and packing slip.

How It Works

From checkout to production to doorstep.

1

Customer Customizes

Shopify line item properties capture engraving text, charm selection, delivery date.

2

Order Imports

Fulfil maps line item properties to product options. Data is structured and searchable.

3

Production Runs

Production order created automatically. Operator sees personalization on work order.

4

Shipment Releases

Production done. Inventory allocated. Shipment releases on schedule.

Common Questions

How do Shopify line item properties work with Fulfil?
Shopify line item properties import with the order. Fulfil uses channel scripts to map these properties to product options. Set the option code to match the property key, and the value maps automatically. Works for text fields, selections, dates, and even product selections (like charms).
What if I have multiple personalization fields?
Create an option set with multiple options. Each option (engraving_text, font_style, charm_1, charm_2, delivery_date) becomes a field on the order line. You can have as many options as needed. For repeatable selections (pick 3 charms), use incremented codes like charm_1, charm_2, charm_3.
Does the personalization show on the pick list?
Yes. Product options display on pick lists, packing slips, production orders, and any printed document. The warehouse operator sees exactly what needs to be engraved or assembled without looking up the order separately.
Can I charge extra for personalization?
Product options can be marked as chargeable. The price adjustment applies when the option is selected at checkout. Fulfil tracks the option revenue separately, so you can analyze how much personalization adds to your average order value.
What about built-on-the-fly assembly?
For simpler assembly (bundle three items together), use built-on-the-fly BOMs. When the order ships, Fulfil explodes the BOM and picks the component items. No production order needed. The components deduct from inventory when the shipment processes.

How Lynch Creek Farm Handles Product Options at Scale

From a few hundred wreaths to 4 shipping lines doing 20 items per minute, with hundreds of SKUs and product customizations.

"On our website we have the ability for the customer to choose a different hanger, different lights, and in some cases chocolates that can be added to your order. The script that is connected to Shopify from Fulfil, we're able to ship what the customer picked in their cart as accurate as possible so we don't miss any of those add-ons or options for the customer."

Lynch Creek Farm
Evaldo Mongia
Director of Operations at Lynch Creek Farm

Related Solutions

Manufacturing

Production orders, BOMs, work centers, and routing for made-to-order products.

Order Management

Unified orders from Shopify, Amazon, and wholesale with full customization support.

Multi-Warehouse Operations

Route personalized orders to your warehouse and standard orders to 3PL.

Ready to scale personalized products?

See how Fulfil handles customization from checkout to production to shipment.

Request a Demo