The B2B Picking Allocation module allows you to control which warehouse locations are used when picking wholesale (B2B) orders versus online retail (B2C) orders. This helps you prevent B2B orders from depleting your pick-face locations and ensures more efficient fulfilment by using bulk storage for larger orders. You'll need administrator permissions and the module enabled on your account to configure allocation rules.
Overview
Important: The Mintsoft B2B Picking Allocation module is currently in testing and not yet available. For further details, please contact your Account Manager.
Mintsoft's B2B allocation functionality is designed for customers who manage both wholesale distribution (B2B) and online retail fulfilment (B2C) orders. It gives you the ability to control which locations are used when picking different types of order.
The module allows you to override the standard allocation of stock for order picking, so that wholesale (B2B) orders don't deplete your picking locations by default. You can create rules based on a set of parameters which give you full control over which types of warehouse location are used to fulfil B2B orders.
This enables businesses to separate stock allocation strategies for wholesale and retail orders, ensuring more efficient and tailored fulfilment processes.
Orders can be identified as B2B in the following ways:
Manually, during order input by setting the Recipient Type.
Automatically via API, using the recipient type flag.
Through custom rules based on factors such as Client, Channel, Number of items per order, and Order value.
B2B allocation flow
Why use B2B Stock Allocation?
Mintsoft's standard stock allocation works well for B2C orders but can cause issues for larger B2B orders, due to two key behaviours:
Prioritising stock from higher-ranked location types (for example, Pick Face).
Preferring stock from locations with the least quantity first.
These rules can lead to:
Unnecessary replenishments, as large B2B orders deplete pick-face stock needed for B2C fulfilment.
Inefficient multi-location picking when the full quantity exists in a single bulk location.
How the feature solves these issues
The B2B allocation feature gives you the ability to:
Define up to three preferred location types (for example, bulk storage) for B2B orders.
Ensure stock is pulled from the fewest number of locations possible within those types.
For example, if an order requires 1,000 units and available bulk locations hold 900, 100, and 1,000 units, the system will choose the location with 1,000 units, streamlining the picking process.
Key capabilities included in this feature
Set the Recipient Type for manually input orders.
Easily filter orders by recipient type.
Create, edit, and delete Picking Allocation Rules.
Allocate and pick B2B orders from specific location types based on defined rules.
Prerequisite
Setting roles and permissions
The Mintsoft B2B Picking Allocation is a chargeable module. For more information on getting access to this module, reach out to your Account Manager. Once the module has been added to your Mintsoft database, the relevant roles and permissions must be enabled to view and access the module. To add the roles and permissions, follow the steps below.
Click Settings, then click Warehouse User Accounts.
Find the user to add the roles for.
Click Actions, then click Manage Roles.
Select the B2BPickingAllocationRules role group.
To have visibility of the B2B Picking Allocation Overview screen, enable AdminViewB2BRules.
Click Update.
Recipient Type
To identify the Recipient Type of an order, and set rules against them, you can set the recipient type (B2B or B2C) of an order via Manual Input, CSV Upload (Multi line and Single Order) and Custom 3rd Party API connections. Once an order has been uploaded to the system, you can filter orders by Recipient Type on the Orders Overview screen.
Default behaviour
By default, the Recipient Type will be set to B2C if the field is left blank when uploading or manually inputting an order. However, you can still set up rules on the B2B screen to apply B2B stock allocations without a B2B recipient type based on client, channel, items, and value.
Managing B2B Picking Allocation Rules
The B2B Picking Allocation Rules screen allows you to create, view and manage existing allocation rules. To access the B2B Picking Allocation Rules screen, follow the steps below.
Click Warehouse, then click Extras.
Click B2B Picking Allocation Rules.
Then you have the following options:
To add a rule, click Add New Rule.
To edit a rule, click the Pencil icon.
To delete a rule, click Delete against the entry.
Adding a B2B Picking Allocation Rule
To add a B2B Picking Allocation Rule, follow the steps below.
Click Warehouse, then click Extras.
Click B2B Picking Allocation Rules, then click Add New Rule.
Select the relevant option for Which orders does this rule apply to?
Orders set as B2B Recipient Type: Orders where the Recipient Type is manually set to B2B.
Orders from a specific client and/or channel: Rules based on Client, Channel, Warehouse, order value, or number of items in the order. These are defaulted to ALL but can be selected for a specific Client or Channel. If a specific Client is selected you can also set the Minimum order value and Minimum items in order.
Select the Priority 1, 2 and 3 Location Type for Where should these B2B orders be picked from?
(Optional) Enable Use lower priority if fewer picks (Allow singular lower priority location).
(Optional) Enable Use priority location types only.
(Optional) Enable Use latest expiring stock first if you want to pick stock with later expiry dates before stock expiring sooner (reverses the standard First-Expired-First-Out logic).
Set the Holding Order Policy. The Holding Order Policy determines what happens when stock cannot be allocated from priority locations:
Use Client's Holding Order Policy (default): Follows the client's configured policy.
Place in Holding: Orders are placed in holding status and order splitting is disabled.
Place on Back Order: Orders are placed on back order status until stock becomes available.
Set the Minimum shelf life (in weeks). This filters out stock that will expire within the specified number of weeks. For example, setting this to 4 weeks will exclude any stock expiring in the next 28 days from allocation.
Set the Rule Priority. Lower values have higher priority.
Set to Active once ready.
Click Save.
Default settings
When creating a new rule, the following defaults are applied:
Holding Order Policy: Use Client's Holding Order Policy.
Use lower priority if fewer picks: Enabled.
Use priority location types only: Enabled.
Use latest expiring stock first: Disabled.
Minimum shelf life: 0 weeks.
Active: Disabled (you must manually enable the rule).
Use lower priority if fewer picks
When the Use lower priority if fewer picks setting is enabled, Mintsoft will allocate stock from a lower priority location type if the system cannot fulfil the entire order line from a specific location within the higher priority type.
Important: This setting only applies when:
The product does not track expiry dates.
No specific preferred location is set.
The order is being processed in B2B mode.
If these conditions are not met, the system will not consider lower priority locations even if this setting is enabled.
Example
An order line requires one hundred units.
Priority 1 location type is Bulk, with stock distributed as:
B1: 50 units.
B2: 75 units.
B3: 90 units.
None of these locations can fulfil the full 100 units on their own.
Priority 2 location type is Bulk Level 2, with:
BL1: 100 units.
Since BL1 can fulfil the full requirement in one pick, the system will allocate all 100 units from BL1 instead.
Audit trail
When a B2B allocation rule is applied to an order, the system automatically adds a comment to the order showing:
The rule that was applied.
The client, channel, and warehouse criteria.
The minimum order value and items criteria.
The priority location types used.
This helps with troubleshooting and understanding why orders were allocated to specific locations.
B2B Allocation FAQ
What happens if we don't select a Recipient Type?
By default, the Recipient Type will be set to B2C if the field is left blank when uploading or manually inputting an order. However, you can still set up rules on the B2B screen to apply B2B stock allocations without a B2B recipient type based on client, channel, items, and value.
Can I use Advanced Order Rules to select a Recipient Type?
Yes, if you set the action as 'Set Recipient Type' and the Param as 'B2B'. You must also turn on 'Override Existing'.
Does B2B allocation support order integrations?
Order integrations like Shopify, Amazon, and eBay are not supported by the B2B allocation logic, only custom 3rd party API connections as well as Manually Input Orders and Order Uploads via CSV.
What happens if there is not enough stock in the priority location types?
This depends on the setting Use Priority Locations only. If there isn't enough stock in the priority locations and the setting is on, then the order will go to back-order status until there is stock in the relevant priority locations selected on the rule. If the setting is off, it will revert to standard allocation logic.
How does B2B logic choose between full and partial locations?
With the default B2C logic on Mintsoft, a pick location with 10 units would be used as priority over a pick location with 20 units, as the goal is to empty one pick face at a time. With the B2B logic applied, Mintsoft will prioritise full locations over partial ones, so that you are picking from the fewest locations possible.
Example: In the case where an order may require stock split over 2.5 pallets/location, Mintsoft will allocate all picking from 3 bulk locations as specified in the rules. This will result in a half pallet/location being left in bulk. Future orders would allocate full pallets/locations as priority and only allocate from the half pallet/location when required.
What happens if we are using Replen Only locations and B2B Allocation Module?
When B2B allocation rules specify location types that include Replen Only locations, the system may allocate stock from these locations for B2B orders. Contact support if you need specific guidance on configuring Replen Only locations with B2B allocation rules.
When do B2B allocation rules take effect?
B2B allocation rules are applied:
When an order is first created.
When an order is reallocated.
When order details are updated that affect rule matching (client, channel, order value, item count).
Note: Existing orders will not automatically pick up new or modified rules unless they are reallocated.