Overview
Smart Fulfillment Settings in Luminous allow teams to control when and how Fulfillment Orders (FOs) are generated from Sales Orders. These tools support a variety of use cases, from fully automated order processing to more manual, controlled workflows. This guide covers some of the key smart fulfillment settings, how to test them, and how to apply them in real-world scenarios.
Smart Fulfillment Settings
To find these settings, navigate to Operations > Operations Admin > Smart Fulfillment Settings.
1. Auto-Generation Trigger
This setting determines when a Fulfillment Order is created after a Sales Order is posted.
- Manual – No FO will be created automatically; the user must create it manually.
- Immediate – FOs are created automatically after a short delay (e.g. 5 minutes).
- Scheduled – FOs are created on a daily basis, depending on the schedule set by the system.
Example: If the trigger is set to Immediate with a 5-minute delay, Luminous will generate a FO 5 minutes after the Sales Order is posted.
2. Delay FO Generation by X Minutes
Used in conjunction with Immediate or Scheduled triggers. This delay allows for any post-order edits before the FO is created. The minimum is 5 minutes.
3. Always Create Fulfillment Orders Even When No Stock is Available
Controls whether Luminous will generate an FO if there’s insufficient stock in the warehouse group priority list.
- Enabled – FO is always created regardless of stock availability.
- Disabled – FO is only created if sufficient stock is available.
- Default – Defers to the channel-level smart fulfillment setting.
4. Default Fulfillment Order Status
Sets the initial status of newly created FOs:
- Pending
- Planned
- Awaiting Shipment
- Shipped
How to Test Smart Fulfillment Settings
Step-by-Step Test Flow
- Set up your Smart Fulfillment Settings
- Choose Immediate or Manual mode depending on what you want to test.
- Set delay to 5 minutes if testing Immediate mode.
- Enable or disable the "Always Create FO" setting to compare behavior.
- Post a Sales Order from your channel (e.g., Shopify)
- Include both in-stock and out-of-stock items to see how splitting and stock logic applies.
- Wait for Auto Generation (if applicable)
- For Immediate mode, wait 5 minutes.
- Observe whether one or more fulfillment orders are created.
- Check FO Behavior
- Use the Fulfillment Order tab to confirm FO creation.
- Check if items split properly (in-stock vs out-of-stock).
- Push to Fulfillment Channel
- Manually push the FO to ShipStation if in manual mode.
- Confirm shipment status syncs back to Luminous.
- Test Manual FO Creation
- For orders created when "Auto-Generation Trigger" is set to Manual.
- Manually split items and test pushing only in-stock items.
- Try Editing or Unpushing
- Edit FOs in Luminous and observe syncing behavior.
- If needed, unpush and re-push to force sync.
Key Tips
- The Fulfillment Order grid is the best place to manage split FOs and pick lists.
- Use tags in the Sales Order grid to organize pick/pack stages.
- If syncing fails, verify the ShipStation order has all required info.
- Avoid editing orders directly in ShipStation—changes may not sync back.
Troubleshooting: Smart Fulfillment Isn't Working
Use the symptom that best matches what you're seeing to find the right fix.
🔴 No Fulfillment Orders Are Generating
Check 1 — Auto-Generation Trigger is set to Manual
Go to Operations → Operations Admin → Smart Fulfillment Settings. If the trigger is set to Manual, no FOs will ever generate automatically. Switch to Immediate or Scheduled, or manually generate the FO from inside the Sales Order by clicking Auto-Generate Fulfillment Orders.
Check 2 — Order Consolidation is ON but stock is split across warehouses
If Order Consolidation is enabled and no single warehouse group can fulfill every line item, Luminous will not create any FOs and will display an error. Either replenish stock so one warehouse can cover the full order, turn off Order Consolidation, or create FOs manually.
Check 3 — No stock available and "Always Create FOs" is OFF
If inventory is insufficient and this setting is disabled, no FO will generate. Enable the setting if you need FOs to generate for backorder or tracking purposes, or replenish stock first.
Check 4 — No Default Fulfillment Priority List assigned
If a product has no assigned Fulfillment Priority List and no default list is configured, Luminous has no warehouse path to follow. Go to Operations → Operations Admin → Fulfillment Priority Lists and confirm a default list is set.
FOs Are Generating From the Wrong Warehouse
Check 1 — Fulfillment Priority List assigned to the product is incorrect
Each product should have a Fulfillment Priority List that reflects your intended warehouse order. Navigate to the product record and confirm which list is assigned. If none is assigned, the system falls back to the Default Fulfillment Priority List.
Check 2 — Order Consolidation is overriding your priority lists
When Order Consolidation is ON, Luminous selects the first warehouse it finds that can fill the entire order — it does not follow your priority list order. If warehouse selection feels random, this setting is likely the cause. Disable it to restore priority list control.
Check 3 — Default Priority List is pulling the wrong warehouse group
Go to Operations → Operations Admin → Smart Fulfillment Settings and review the Default Fulfillment Priority List. If it points to the wrong warehouse group, update it or assign product-specific lists instead.
Only Some Items Are Fulfilling / Partial Orders
Check 1 — Partial Fulfillment Threshold is set too high
If Line Item Splitting is enabled, the threshold determines the minimum percentage of a line item a warehouse must have to be considered. A high threshold (e.g., 90%) will cause most warehouses to be skipped for low-stock items. Lower the threshold or replenish stock.
Check 2 — Line Item Splitting is disabled
If splitting is off, Luminous won't attempt to fulfill partial quantities from multiple warehouses. Enable it if you want partial shipments.
Check 3 — "Always Create FOs" is disabled
With this off, Luminous will only create an FO for items that have sufficient stock. Out-of-stock items will be skipped entirely. Enable the setting to generate FOs for all items regardless of availability.
FOs Exist But Are Not Pushing to ShipStation
Check 1 — FO status is Planned, not Pending or Awaiting Shipment
A Planned FO reserves inventory but does not push to ShipStation. Change the FO status or adjust the Default Fulfillment Order Status setting.
Check 2 — FO was edited after being pushed
Edits made in Luminous after an FO is pushed may not sync back automatically. Unpush the FO in Luminous, make your changes, then re-push to force a sync.
Check 3 — ShipStation connection issue
Confirm the ShipStation integration is active and the order has all required fields (shipping address, carrier preference, etc.). Incomplete orders may block the push.
Check 4 — Order was edited directly in ShipStation
Changes made in ShipStation do not sync back to Luminous. Always manage FOs from the Luminous side to avoid sync conflicts.
FO Was Deleted But Still Showing in ShipStation
Deleting an FO in Luminous does not automatically remove it from ShipStation. Always unpush an FO before deleting it in Luminous to avoid orphaned orders in ShipStation.
Common Questions
Q: Why isn't my Fulfillment Order generating?
Check whether the Auto-generation Trigger is set to Manual, whether Order Consolidation is on with split stock, and whether stock is available. See the troubleshooting section above for a full checklist.
Q: Can I split an order into multiple FOs?
Yes. Luminous supports both manual and automatic FO splitting based on stock levels and Line Item Splitting settings.
Q: Can I edit an FO after it's been created?
Yes, but edits may not sync to ShipStation unless you unpush and re-push the FO.
Q: What happens if I delete an FO?
Deleting in Luminous does not delete it in ShipStation. Always unpush first.
To delete and recreate a fulfillment order:
- Open the order and scroll to the Fulfillment Order section
- Click the 3 dots beside the Fulfillment Order
- Select Delete Fulfillment Order
- Once deleted, click on Actions and select Auto-Generate Fulfillment Orders
Q: Multiple FOs are showing for the same customer — is that normal?
Yes. When no single warehouse can fulfill all products, Luminous creates one FO per warehouse group. Each becomes a separate shipment in ShipStation, and the customer may receive multiple tracking numbers.
Need Help?
If you have questions about Smart Fulfillment settings or encounter issues with FO syncing, reach out to the Luminous support team via Intercom.