Under used and overlooked is the virtual inventory system that we have at FinerWorks. When you sign up for an account you have access to a valuable time saving tool which allows you to store frequently ordered prints and products so that you don’t have to upload your files and setup your prints each time you want to order them. Below I share two examples of why it is so useful for many.
Let’s take for instance Christine, one of our users. Christine is one of our frequent customers, ordering a couple times a day to have us fulfill her Etsy and Shopify orders for her art prints. She has about 20 different images she sells in several combinations of styles and sizes for framed giclee prints on fine art papers as well as canvas prints. Overall though about 10 images were her top sellers.
Recently she said that the time to setup each print every time she needed to order was taking a toll and asked us if we had any suggestions. The first question we asked was if she had taken advantage of the virtual inventory system we have. Sadly, she had overlooked this feature and had not take advantage of it. When we explained that she could save the prints she frequently ordered, she immediately started to take advantage of it. She started by uploading the images she had us print the most often and followed up by adding the print products for those images which she had us fulfill frequently.
Now whenever she has an order she just selects the appropriate product/print in her inventory and adds it to her cart. She said that when she does not have the item in her inventory yet, she adds it there before ordering it intending to eventually have all her inventory items saved.
Another, example is the marketing department of a large home developer here in the U.S. The builder is constantly adding new neighborhoods all over the country, sometimes up to 4 a month. Each time they do so, they build a model home which is also where their realtors locate their offices.
Inside those offices they will display interior signage as canvas prints with everything from company logos and slogans to a stock images displaying happy families. Total is about a dozen large canvas prints which they have us crate and ship to the model homes.
Since their marketing department does not have time to setup 12 canvas prints each time, they set them all up only once. Now they can quickly select all the prints from their virtual inventory, add them to their cart and checkout with the delivery location.
Even if you are not like Christine or a large home developer, and only place an order occasionally, there might come a time when your order volume increases, and you become just like Christine. So, taking advantage of this tool now will help a lot.
Is the virtual inventory feature for everyone? Not at this time since many of our customers do commissioned on demand prints that might be personalized and shipped to their customers. Unless they anticipate their customer will later order additional copies there is no sense to store it as an inventoried item.
There are some limitations on inventory items. Checkout the frequently asked questions below which address some of the common questions surrounding the virtual inventory.
Excel
When you set up your billing and payment methods, each time your orders are successfully received by FinerWorks, the payment method you set up within your FinerWorks account will be billed.
You can submit multiple items within the same order by simply including the same PO for that row.
For instance, if you had an 8×10 print and a 16×20 print going to the same customer, you would duplicate the row of the first item (let’s say it is for the 8×10 print), and then change the product code or SKU in the duplicated row to reflect the 16×20 print.
If you don’t have Excel, we recommend using Google Docs’ spreadsheet or even Apple’s Numbers. There are also other free spreadsheet programs out there. You would populate the spreadsheet the same way, but then export it as an .xlsx document.
We recommend .xlsx or .xls files, which are the two types of Excel file extensions. Also supported are .csv files; however, be careful with .csv files since formatting issues can easily occur.
Most columns are required. Our Excel module documentation shows which ones are required.
You will have the opportunity to map your Excel document to the appropriate fields prior to submitting your orders if they do not match. In some cases, you may need to modify your Excel document prior to uploading it if the column formatting is too different.
The current limit is up to 50 orders at a time. This number may change in the future. If you have more than 50 orders, you will need to split them up into more than one submission.
Order Fulfillment App
The plugin allows you to sync your WooCommerce store with FinerWorks, enabling automated order fulfillment for your print-on-demand products. When a customer places an order on your site, it can be automatically submitted to FinerWorks for printing and dropshipping.
You’ll need the following:
- An active WooCommerce store on a WordPress site
- A FinerWorks account
- Access credentials (web api key and app key available via your FinerWorks account)
When you set up your billing and payment methods, each time your orders are successfully received by FinerWorks, the payment method you set up within your FinerWorks account will be billed.
You can configure your shipping preferences (how you want us to ship orders to your customers) within the Order Fulfillment App or your WooCommerce Integration. When doing so, we will attempt to ship the order via the method you prefer.
If you have Auto Export configured within the FinerWorks plugin, and your products are synced with your virtual inventory, any new orders will be retrieved based on the schedule you set.
After the order is placed, FinerWorks will update the order with pertinent status information as well as update the order with appropriate shipping information.
Yes, you can choose not to use the Auto Export tool within the FinerWorks plugin and choose the orders you want to export. Alternatively, you can utilize the FinerWorks Order Fulfillment App to retrieve orders from your WooCommerce store.
Only if you want to use the Auto Export tool will syncing your products to your virtual inventory be necessary. Without that, we will not know what products to print and ship. Syncing involved making sure that your Virtual Inventory sku, matches your WooCommerce product sku.
A product code can come in handy when it comes to speeding up the process however, you will need to manually export your orders or use the Order Fulfillment App to select the orders you want us to process.
The plugin is free to download and install. You will only be charged for orders placed for fulfillment.
The Order Fulfillment App is a browser-based application used to integrate various shopping cart platforms with FinerWorks for the purpose of submitting orders to be dropshipped.
Yes, however you will be billed for any orders you submit using the app.
Billing information is part of the launch wizard and necessary before you can submit any orders with the app.
Yes, however when setting up your business profile, enter you company name but use a U.S.-based address in the address fields. If you do not have an address in the U.S. to use, use FinerWorks address.
Platforms that are grayed out are currently in the development phase. Over time, we will likely be adding new platforms not listed as well.
The Order Fulfillment App is not meant to be a bridge between two separate stores. For instance, you cannot use it to manage listings on one platform (i.e., Shopify) and expect it to update a similar listing on Etsy. There are other apps that specialize in that.
Instead, the Order Fulfillment App is meant to be a dashboard in which to bring over orders from various platforms for fulfillment.
If you discover something does not appear to be working as it should, please submit this to our customer service team via our contact page. They will be able to forward any issues to our development team.
You can submit multiple items within the same order by simply including the same PO for that row.
For instance, if you had an 8×10 print and a 16×20 print going to the same customer, you would duplicate the row of the first item (let’s say it is for the 8×10 print), and then change the product code or SKU in the duplicated row to reflect the 16×20 print.
If you don’t have Excel, we recommend using Google Docs’ spreadsheet or even Apple’s Numbers. There are also other free spreadsheet programs out there. You would populate the spreadsheet the same way, but then export it as an .xlsx document.
We recommend .xlsx or .xls files, which are the two types of Excel file extensions. Also supported are .csv files; however, be careful with .csv files since formatting issues can easily occur.
Most columns are required. Our Excel module documentation shows which ones are required.
You will have the opportunity to map your Excel document to the appropriate fields prior to submitting your orders if they do not match. In some cases, you may need to modify your Excel document prior to uploading it if the column formatting is too different.
The current limit is up to 50 orders at a time. This number may change in the future. If you have more than 50 orders, you will need to split them up into more than one submission.
Depending on the modules (Etsy, Shopify, WooCommerce, et) you are using and the settings you configured within those modules. Some modules will allow for this while others may not. Consult the FAQs for each module.
If you are testing your connection via the plugin and you get a connection failed message, check the logs in the FinerWorks plugin menu. It will usually provide some sort of insight as to why you cannot connect your plugin to FinerWorks.
Here are the most likely reasons:
- Incorrect / missing web api or app key
- Business profile incomplete*
- Billing & payment profile incomplete*
- Shipping preferences incomplete*
The last three should be completed via the Order Fulfillment App.
If you still have issues connecting, reach out to our customer service team.
Documentation can be found here.
This provides detailed instructions on both installation and setup and the various features.
WooCommerce
The plugin allows you to sync your WooCommerce store with FinerWorks, enabling automated order fulfillment for your print-on-demand products. When a customer places an order on your site, it can be automatically submitted to FinerWorks for printing and dropshipping.
You’ll need the following:
- An active WooCommerce store on a WordPress site
- A FinerWorks account
- Access credentials (web api key and app key available via your FinerWorks account)
When you set up your billing and payment methods, each time your orders are successfully received by FinerWorks, the payment method you set up within your FinerWorks account will be billed.
You can configure your shipping preferences (how you want us to ship orders to your customers) within the Order Fulfillment App or your WooCommerce Integration. When doing so, we will attempt to ship the order via the method you prefer.
If you have Auto Export configured within the FinerWorks plugin, and your products are synced with your virtual inventory, any new orders will be retrieved based on the schedule you set.
After the order is placed, FinerWorks will update the order with pertinent status information as well as update the order with appropriate shipping information.
Yes, you can choose not to use the Auto Export tool within the FinerWorks plugin and choose the orders you want to export. Alternatively, you can utilize the FinerWorks Order Fulfillment App to retrieve orders from your WooCommerce store.
Only if you want to use the Auto Export tool will syncing your products to your virtual inventory be necessary. Without that, we will not know what products to print and ship. Syncing involved making sure that your Virtual Inventory sku, matches your WooCommerce product sku.
A product code can come in handy when it comes to speeding up the process however, you will need to manually export your orders or use the Order Fulfillment App to select the orders you want us to process.
The plugin is free to download and install. You will only be charged for orders placed for fulfillment.
If you are testing your connection via the plugin and you get a connection failed message, check the logs in the FinerWorks plugin menu. It will usually provide some sort of insight as to why you cannot connect your plugin to FinerWorks.
Here are the most likely reasons:
- Incorrect / missing web api or app key
- Business profile incomplete*
- Billing & payment profile incomplete*
- Shipping preferences incomplete*
The last three should be completed via the Order Fulfillment App.
If you still have issues connecting, reach out to our customer service team.
Documentation can be found here.
This provides detailed instructions on both installation and setup and the various features.
Acrylic Glass Prints
Transform your space with our sophisticated Acrylic Glass Prints, featuring exceptional clarity and durability to showcase photography, art reproductions, or commercial applications with modern elegance.