How Do I Send Shopify Orders to Different Vendors Automatically?

Quick answer: Shopify doesn't automatically forward orders to vendors. You need to set up notification routing using Shopify Flow, third-party apps, or webhook integrations. Configure rules based on product vendor, and the system will automatically send order details to the right supplier when their products are ordered.

You sell products from multiple suppliers. When an order comes in with items from Vendor A and Vendor B, both need to know—but only about their own products. Manually forwarding order details to each vendor doesn't scale.

Here's how to automate vendor order notifications in Shopify.

Why Manual Vendor Notification Fails

If you're copying order details into emails for each vendor, you already know the problems:

Time drain. Every order requires checking which vendors are involved, extracting relevant line items, and composing separate messages. At 50+ orders daily, this becomes a full-time job.

Delays. Orders sit in your queue until someone processes them. A 2-hour delay on your end means a 2-hour delay in fulfillment.

Errors. Manual data entry leads to mistakes—wrong quantities, missing items, incorrect addresses. Each error creates customer service issues downstream.

Scaling bottleneck. Your business growth is capped by how many orders you can manually route. Add more vendors or more volume, and the system breaks.

How Automated Vendor Routing Works

Automated routing evaluates each order and sends notifications to the appropriate vendors based on rules you define.

Customer places order
   ↓
Order contains products from Vendor A and Vendor C
   ↓
System identifies vendors from line items
   ↓
Vendor A receives notification with their items only
Vendor C receives notification with their items only
   ↓
You receive confirmation both were notified

Each vendor gets exactly the information they need—nothing more, nothing less.

What Vendors Need in Order Notifications

An effective vendor notification includes:

Example vendor notification:

New Order for Fulfillment

Order #5847 - Your Items

SKU: WIDGET-BLU-LG × 2
SKU: WIDGET-RED-SM × 1

Ship to:
Sarah Johnson
425 Oak Street, Apt 3B
Austin, TX 78701
Phone: (512) 555-0147

Shipping: Standard (3-5 days)
Notes: Gift order - no invoice in package

Please confirm receipt and provide tracking.

Method 1: Shopify Flow (Advanced/Plus Plans)

If you're on Shopify Advanced or Plus, Shopify Flow can route notifications based on product vendor.

Setting Up Vendor-Based Workflow

Step 1: Create a new workflow with "Order created" as the trigger.

Step 2: Add a condition to check line item vendor:

• For each → Line items
• Condition → Vendor equals [Vendor Name]

Step 3: Add an action to send email notification to that vendor's email address.

Step 4: Repeat for each vendor you work with.

Limitations

• Only available on expensive plans ($399+/month)
• Email only—no WhatsApp or SMS
• Complex to maintain with many vendors
• No easy way for vendors to confirm receipt

Method 2: Third-Party Notification Apps

Several apps specialize in conditional order routing:

Order Notify / Vendor Notifications

These apps let you create rules based on:

• Product vendor field
• Product tags or collections
• SKU patterns
• Order tags

You configure each vendor's email and the conditions that trigger notifications. The app handles routing automatically.

Multi-Vendor Marketplace Apps

If you're running a marketplace model, apps like Multi Vendor Marketplace or Webkul's solution include built-in vendor notification systems with dashboards for each supplier.

Pros and Cons

Pros:

• No coding required
• Quick setup
• Most handle the complexity for you

Cons:

• Monthly subscription fees
• Usually email-only
• Adding vendors means updating app configuration

Method 3: Custom Webhook Integration

For full control, build a webhook integration that processes orders and routes notifications.

Architecture

Shopify Order Webhook
   ↓
Your Server/Function
   ↓
Parse line items by vendor
   ↓
For each vendor:
   - Filter to their items only
   - Format notification
   - Send via email/WhatsApp API
   ↓
Log delivery status

Implementation Approach

1. Register webhook in Shopify for "Order creation" events.

2. Build routing logic:

// Pseudocode
function routeOrderToVendors(order) {
  const vendorItems = groupLineItemsByVendor(order.line_items);
 
  for (const [vendor, items] of Object.entries(vendorItems)) {
    const vendorConfig = getVendorConfig(vendor);
    const notification = formatVendorNotification(order, items);
 
    if (vendorConfig.channel === 'whatsapp') {
      sendWhatsApp(vendorConfig.phone, notification);
    } else {
      sendEmail(vendorConfig.email, notification);
    }
  }
}

3. Maintain vendor configuration with contact details and preferences for each supplier.

When Custom Makes Sense

• You have developers on staff
• You need WhatsApp delivery (most apps don't support it)
• You have complex routing rules
• You want to avoid per-order fees at high volume

Handling Split Orders

When an order contains products from multiple vendors, you have options:

Option A: Separate notifications Each vendor gets notified only about their items. They ship independently, customer may receive multiple packages.

Option B: Primary vendor coordination One vendor receives the full order and coordinates with others. Works for vendors who have fulfillment relationships.

Option C: Consolidation warehouse All vendors ship to your warehouse, you combine and ship to customer. Adds handling time but provides single package delivery.

Most dropship operations use Option A—it's simplest and fastest.

Getting Vendor Confirmation and Tracking

Notifications are one-way. You also need vendors to confirm receipt and provide tracking.

Simple approach: Reply required

Include "Reply to confirm" in your notification. Track which vendors confirmed and follow up on those who didn't.

Better approach: Portal or form

Give vendors a link to confirm receipt and enter tracking numbers. This data flows back to your Shopify order.

Best approach: Integrated system

Use a multi-vendor system where suppliers have dashboards to manage their orders, update status, and add tracking—all synced with your store.

Notifying Vendors via WhatsApp

Email notifications have problems:

• 20-30% open rates
• Checked a few times daily
• Easy to miss urgent orders

WhatsApp notifications:

• 98% open rates
• Checked constantly
• Orders processed faster

Setting Up WhatsApp Vendor Alerts

You need WhatsApp Business API access to send automated messages to vendors. Options:

Direct API integration: Connect to WhatsApp Business API through Meta or a provider like Twilio. Build routing logic to send to vendor phone numbers.

Staff notification app with vendor support: Apps like Staff Ping let you add external recipients (like vendors) and route notifications based on product attributes. Vendors receive WhatsApp alerts for orders containing their products.

What About Vendor Order Management Systems?

Some vendors have their own systems (EDI, API, portals) for receiving orders. In these cases:

EDI integration: For large suppliers with established EDI connections, you may need specialized middleware to translate Shopify orders to EDI format.

Vendor API: If your supplier has an API, you can push orders directly into their system instead of sending notifications.

Vendor portal: Some suppliers provide portals where you upload orders. This can be automated with the right integration.

For most small-to-medium dropship relationships, email or WhatsApp notifications work fine.

How Staff Ping Handles Vendor Notifications

Staff Ping lets you route order notifications based on product vendor, collection, tags, or other attributes.

Example setup:

• Add Vendor A's phone number as a recipient
• Create rule: "If product vendor is 'VendorA', notify VendorA recipient"
• Vendor A receives WhatsApp alerts only for orders with their products

You can configure multiple vendors, each with their own routing rules. Orders with products from multiple vendors trigger notifications to all relevant suppliers.

Staff Ping sends WhatsApp alerts to your team when Shopify orders need attention.

We're currently in early access. Join the waitlist to get notified when we launch.

Summary

To send Shopify orders to different vendors automatically:

1. Use the product vendor field consistently in Shopify to identify which supplier fulfills each product
2. Choose your routing method: Shopify Flow (expensive plans), third-party apps (easiest), or custom webhooks (most flexible)
3. Include essential information in notifications: order number, SKUs, quantities, shipping address, special instructions
4. Consider WhatsApp over email for faster vendor response times
5. Set up confirmation flow so you know vendors received and are fulfilling orders

The goal is removing yourself from the order routing process entirely. When an order comes in, the right vendors should know within seconds—without any manual intervention from you.