Getting Started
Creating a Source
A "Source" in the FLX Vendor Portal represents a fulfillment location or inventory provider. Let’s start by creating a source.
- Navigate to Sources on the left: From the left-hand menu, click Sources, and then click Create Single Source.
- Enter Source Details: On the "Create Source" page, enter a name for your source (e.g., "Shopify") and select the type that best describes your source. For example, choose "Vendor Warehouse" if this is a warehouse you’ll use for wholesale dropship fulfillment.
- Save and Proceed: Click Save & Next to move forward.
Assigning a Vendor
A "Vendor" is a group of one or more sources representing all possible fulfillment solutions from a single organization. After creating a source, you’ll assign a vendor to it.
- Vendor Set-Up: From the left-hand menu, under "Vendor Set-Up," click Assign Vendor.
- Choose or Create a Vendor: On the "Assign Vendor" page, you can either select an existing vendor from the dropdown under "Vendor Name" or click Create New Vendor to set up a new one (e.g., "New Vendor").
- Enable Vendor Portal (Recommended): You’ll be asked, "Would you like to assign a vendor to this source?" Click Yes (Recommended) to enable Vendor Order Fulfillment reporting and set up a Vendor Portal for this source.
- Confirm: Click Confirm to proceed.
Configuring the Vendor Portal
Configuring the Vendor Portal allows your vendors to manage their inventory, fulfillment requests, shipments, and invoices directly.
- Navigate to Configure Vendor Portal: Under "Vendor Set-Up," click Configure Vendor Portal.
- Create a Subdomain: You’ll see a prompt to create a subdomain for your vendors to access the portal. For example, enter a subdomain like "mycompany.vendors.flxpoint.com" and click Create.
-
Set Portal Preferences: Decide how you want to manage inventory, fulfillment, and shipments:
- Vendor Portal Invoice Upload: Choose Yes if you want vendors to upload invoices via the portal.
- Send Fulfillment Request Only to Vendor Portal: Select Yes to ensure fulfillment requests are sent only to the portal.
- Vendor Portal Inventory Upload: Choose Yes to allow vendors to upload inventory via the portal.
- Vendor Portal Shipment Upload: Select Yes to enable shipment uploads via the portal.
- Note: If you select No, Some/All Integrations, some features will be managed via integrations instead of manual uploads.
- Save and Proceed: Click Save & Next to continue.
Tip: Enabling the Vendor Portal is recommended for streamlined management. If you’re not ready, you can toggle off certain features and enable them later.
Managing Vendors
Viewing Vendors
Once your vendor is set up, you can view and manage them.
- Navigate to Vendors: From the top navigation bar, click Vendors.
- View Vendor Details: You’ll see a list of vendors (e.g., "Grocery"). Click on a vendor to view details like Source Type, Get Inventory, Send Fulfillment Requests, Get Shipments, and Get Invoices.
- Return to Sources: If needed, click the link to return to your source page.
Adding Users to a Vendor
You can add users to a vendor to allow them to access the Vendor Portal and manage inventory, orders, and shipments.
- Navigate to Users: From the vendor details page, click Users on the left-hand menu.
- Add a User: Click Add User.
-
Enter User Details: On the "Add User" page, fill in the following:
- Email: Enter the vendor’s email (e.g., "jimmy.rein@flxpoint.com").
- First Name and Last Name: Enter the user’s first and last name (e.g., "James" and "Rein").
- Send Activation Email: Choose Yes to send an activation email. You can also customize the Subject and Body of the email.
- Note: If you’re not ready to notify the vendor, you can toggle off the activation email.
- Create the User: Click Create User.
- User Activation Process: If you selected Yes to send the activation email, the user will receive an email with the subject "Login Here To Manage Inventory & Orders With Me." The email will include a link to create a password. The user should click the link, set their password, and then log in to the Vendor Portal using their email and new password.
Accessing the Vendor Portal as a User
Once the user has set their password, they can access the Vendor Portal to manage inventory, orders, and shipments.
- Log In: Using the email and newly created password, the user should log in to the Vendor Portal.
- Explore the Dashboard: After logging in, the user will see a dashboard with sections like Variants and Parents, where they can manage inventory and other tasks. Initially, the dashboard may show "Nothing matches your filters" if no inventory has been uploaded yet.
- Next Steps: The user can proceed to upload inventory or manage orders as needed (see sections below for details).
Managing Inventory
Managing Mapping Templates
Keeping your product data accurate is essential for smooth operations.
Under each vendor portal enabled operation, you can define the mapping template that vendors must follow. This template sets clear expectations by specifying the required headers and data structure needed for a successful upload.
If a vendor already has an established file format, you can adjust the mapping template to match it, reducing back and forth while onboarding your vendor. Mapping templates also let you transform data during upload, such as hardcoding values a vendor doesn’t provide or applying rules to ensure product titles align with your merchandising standards.
Inventory Data
Upload inventory data: Inside the vendor portal, your vendor will click Inventory Upload in the top-right corner of the dashboard.
Download the template and upload: Your vendor will click the download link to get the template. They will fill in product information. If certain fields don’t apply, they should leave them blank and not remove any columns or headers.
Note: For quick quantity adjustments, your vendor will only edit the quantity field in the file, while leaving other columns intact.
Processing Orders and Shipments
Viewing Orders
- Access Purchase Orders: From the vendor details page, click Send Fulfillment Requests and select the CSV/XLSX file option. All purchase orders will appear under the Purchase Orders tab. Click any order to view its details.
Adding Shipment Information
There are two convenient methods:
- Method 1: Individual Order Update: Open an Order, in the Purchase Orders tab, click on the desired order. Click Add Shipment, fill in the shipment details, and save your changes.
- Method 2: Bulk Upload: Download the shipment template and upload the completed file.
Note: For quick troubleshooting, if shipments aren't creating in bulk, make sure the date format your vendor is providing in the file matches what is set in your mapping template in the Flxpoint App.
Setting Up Order Notifications
Stay informed with real-time alerts:
- Navigate to Settings, from the left-hand menu, click Settings.
- Configure Notifications, enter your preferred email address(es) (separate multiple addresses with commas). Enable notifications by toggling the switch and clicking Update. Once activated, you will receive immediate alerts for any order or shipment activities.
Example Notification Email
The system sends email notifications for purchase orders based on your settings. Ensure your email addresses are accurate to avoid missed updates.
