Location types that match reality
Warehouse, 3PL, Store, and Marketplace types will cover your own distribution centers, outside partners, retail backrooms, and marketplace warehouses, without forcing one layout on all of them.
Warehouse management
Every place your stock lives, in one system.
adorabl's warehouse management software will track your stock in each place it lives, from your own distribution centers to third-party logistics (3PL) providers, retail stores, and marketplace warehouses. You'll set receiving and shipping defaults once, get the right ship-from address on each label, and turn on bins only where you need them.
Stop treating each location like a different system.
When your direct-to-consumer, wholesale, 3PL, and marketplace stock each live in a separate spreadsheet, channel defaults and ship-from addresses turn into guesswork. adorabl's ecommerce warehouse management will keep every location in one system, so you'll know what's where and where each order ships from.
Defaults that save a step
Receiving and shipping defaults will preselect the right warehouse, so your team won't have to choose one on every receipt.
Labels that stop instead of guessing
If a ship-from address is incomplete, adorabl will stop the rate quote and name the warehouse instead of shipping from somewhere else.
From first location to bin allocation.
Set up your locations and defaults before heavy receiving. Bin locations come last, and only for the warehouses that need them.
- 01
Create locations
Add each warehouse with a name, optional code, type, address, and contact. Inactive locations will drop out of new transactions.
- 02
Set receiving and shipping defaults
Choose one active receiving default and one shipping default. One location can be both when that fits your setup.
- 03
Complete ship-from addresses
Give each warehouse that ships orders a full street address, city, region, postal code, and country. If an assigned address is incomplete, carrier rates won't quote until you fix it.
- 04
Optional: turn on bins
Turn on bin locations for a warehouse, set its aisle, rack, and shelf structure, and create bins. adorabl will then assign your stock to bins as you receive, adjust, and fulfill.
Four location types. One on-hand model.
Each location type tracks stock on hand the same way, and the type also sets defaults for any channel that doesn't have its own.
Warehouse
A warehouse location is a distribution center you run yourself. Trail Ridge's Denver warehouse, for example, is the receiving default for incoming purchase orders.
3PL
A 3PL location is a warehouse run by an outside fulfillment partner. Trail Ridge's Reno 3PL, for example, is the shipping default for web orders.
Store
A store location holds retail backroom stock. Shopify POS orders can default here for customer pickup.
Marketplace
A marketplace location holds stock a marketplace stores for you, like Fulfillment by Amazon (FBA). adorabl will track your FBA inventory as a quantity count with bins turned off.
Receiving and shipping defaults that stick.
Set your defaults before your first big delivery, so your team won't have to pick a warehouse for each incoming shipment. Your shipping default will also be your default ship-from address for labels.
| Rule | What it does |
|---|---|
| Receiving default | Comes up first when you receive stock |
| Shipping default | Your preferred location to ship from, and the first choice for label ship-from addresses |
| One of each | One active receiving default and one active shipping default per organization |
| Both roles | One location can be both the receiving and shipping default |
| Deactivate or delete | You can't deactivate your only active location or delete a current default |
Optional bins without forcing a WMS project.
Bins are optional in adorabl, so you'll get a simple warehouse location system without a full warehouse management system (WMS) rollout. Set up a bin location structure once per warehouse, such as aisle, rack, and shelf, then create bins and assign stock as you receive, adjust, and fulfill.
- Turn on bin locations in the warehouse settings. The bin tools appear only after you do.
- Bin codes read left to right. Trail Ridge's Denver warehouse uses codes like A1-R1-1 for aisle 1, rack 1, shelf 1.
- adorabl can preview how many bins a pattern would create, and you'll still choose which bins to add.
- Marketplace warehouses can keep bins off while your own warehouses track stock down to the shelf.
Addresses, optional bins, and switching partners.
Your setup will change as you grow. adorabl will keep your address, default, and bin rules clear, so moving to a new partner won't throw off your orders.
Bins are optional
Warehouses without bins will track stock as one location, and adorabl won't ask for a bin when you receive or adjust stock until you turn bins on.
An incomplete address stops the quote
If an order's assigned warehouse has an incomplete address, adorabl will stop and name that warehouse instead of quoting rates from somewhere else.
Amazon FBA stock
Marketplace warehouses will track on-hand the same way as your other locations. When Amazon confirms it shipped an FBA order, adorabl will reduce that stock and post cost of goods sold (COGS).
Switch to a new 3PL
Add the new 3PL as a location without making it the default, transfer stock to it, then switch your shipping default when you're ready. You won't have to rename or rebuild anything.
Example · Trail Ridge Outfitters
Four locations, one view of Trail Ridge's stock.
Trail Ridge Outfitters receives purchase orders in Denver, ships web orders from a 3PL in Reno, handles in-store pickup at its Boulder flagship, and sells through Amazon FBA.
Denver warehouse
Warehouse type. The receiving default, with bins by aisle, rack, and shelf.
Reno 3PL
3PL type. The shipping default for Shopify web orders.
Boulder flagship store
Store type. Customer pickup for Shopify POS orders.
Amazon FBA
Marketplace type. Bins stay off, and stock drops when Amazon confirms a shipment.
Incoming purchase orders default to Denver, and web orders ship from Reno. If the Reno address were incomplete, adorabl would stop the label quote and name that warehouse.
Tied to inventory, orders, purchasing, and books.
Warehouse management touches everything else you run. See how the rest of adorabl connects.
Inventory management
Each on-hand balance, receipt, adjustment, and transfer will belong to a warehouse, and to a bin when bins are on.
Order management
Channel defaults will choose the warehouse, and your pick, pack, and ship lists, packing slips, and labels will use its ship-from address.
Purchase orders
The ship-to address on a purchase order and the receiving warehouse will decide where your incoming stock lands.
Accounting and financials
Shipments and inventory adjustments will post COGS and inventory entries from the location where your stock moved.
Warehouse management questions, answered.
What is warehouse management software?
Warehouse management software tracks where stock is stored, within and across locations, and controls how goods are received, stored, and shipped. As warehouse management software for small business, adorabl will track your stock across warehouses, third-party logistics (3PL) providers, stores, and Fulfillment by Amazon (FBA) without a full warehouse software rollout.
Do I need a WMS, or is an ERP enough?
Many product businesses won't need a separate warehouse management system (WMS) if their enterprise resource planning (ERP) system handles locations, bins, and shipping defaults. A WMS goes deeper on floor work like putaway routes, picking waves, and labor tracking. adorabl will cover multiple locations, defaults, label addresses, and optional bins, but doesn't include directed putaway, labor management, or wave picking.
Can I manage my own warehouse, a 3PL, a retail store, and Amazon FBA in one system?
Yes. adorabl will track each one as its own location type: Warehouse for space you run, third-party logistics (3PL) for an outside partner, Store for retail backroom stock, and Marketplace for Fulfillment by Amazon (FBA) stock. Each type will track stock on hand the same way, and you'll see all of them in one view.
Do I need bin locations?
No. Bin locations are optional, and you can turn them on for each warehouse when you need aisle, rack, and shelf tracking. A bin location is a specific spot inside a warehouse where a product is stored. Warehouses without bins will keep working, tracking stock as one location.
How will receiving and shipping defaults work?
You'll set one receiving default and one shipping default for your organization. The receiving default will come up first when you receive stock, and the shipping default will be your preferred location to ship from and the first-choice ship-from address for carrier labels, as long as its address is complete.
What happens if a warehouse address is incomplete?
adorabl will stop the carrier rate quote and name the warehouse with the incomplete address, instead of quoting rates from a different location. A ship-from address is the location a carrier uses to quote shipping rates and print the label, so it needs a full street, city, region, postal code, and country.
How do I switch to a new 3PL?
Add the new third-party logistics (3PL) provider as a location without making it the default. Transfer stock to it, then switch your shipping default when you're ready, and new orders will ship from the new 3PL. You won't need to rename locations or rebuild your setup.
What's the difference between a distribution center and a warehouse?
A distribution center is a warehouse built to move stock out quickly to customers or stores instead of holding it long term. A warehouse can also store goods for longer stretches. In adorabl, both will use the Warehouse location type, with the same receiving, shipping, and bin options.
Put every warehouse in one place.
Start on the free tier and add more as your business grows, or talk to us about moving your warehouses over from NetSuite or another system.