In a bid to streamline the online selling experience, Walmart is rolling out an innovative capability that allows Marketplace sellers to seamlessly receive and manage multi-quantity orders. This enhancement promises to save valuable time and eliminate ambiguities in order management.
Need-to-Know Updates 🛠️
Deadline Alert! 🚨: All API users, including sellers and channel partners, must act promptly to update their Orders and Returns APIs by August 31st. Neglecting this crucial step might hinder your ability to efficiently handle multi-quantity orders.
What’s Changing in Orders API?
Ship Order Lines: A new block, currentTrackinginfo, has been introduced. If you wish to modify the tracking number for an order involving multiple shipments, utilize the currentTrackingInfo field. Remember, post shipping, you have a 4-hour window to update this tracking number as required.
A significant shift is the modification in the “amount” field in Orders request and response payload. Instead of being perennially set to 1, it can now accommodate values greater than 1. Ensure your systems adapt to this change to benefit from the multi-quantity order functionality.
Revisions in Returns API
New objects for a more granular returns management are being incorporated:
- ‘currentTrackingStatuses’: Captures the ongoing status of returned quantities in an order (e.g., initiated, refunded).
- ‘refundChannels’: Enumerates refund channels linked with the quantities returned (e.g., in-store, online). I.e. the system will list out (or specify) the method through which each item (or group of items) was refunded, whether it was in a physical store or online.
Another important thing to take note of is that some existing fields in the Returns API will be deprecated come August 31st.
It’s crucial to update your APIs to incorporate the new fields, safeguarding your returns management process. Here are the following fields that will be affected:
returnOrders[].returnOrderLines[].status
returnOrders[].returnOrderLines[].statusTime
returnOrders[].returnOrderLines[].currentRefundStatus
returnOrders[].returnOrderLines[].quantity
Issue Refund API Enhancements
In the ‘Issue refund’ section, a new field titled ‘quantity’ will make its appearance. You can utilize this to specify the total quantity you wish to refund in a return order.
Here’s What You Need to Do 👩💻👨💻
- Update ASAP: Don’t wait until the last minute! Start the process of updating your APIs to align with these changes.
- Cross-Check Fields: Ensure that the new fields in both Orders and Returns APIs are correctly integrated into your system. Pay special attention to deprecated fields and replace them with the new alternatives.
- 4-Hour Window: Familiarize yourself with the 4-hour window constraint related to tracking number updates, especially if you deal with multi-shipment orders regularly.
- Seek Assistance if Needed: If you’re uncertain about any aspect of these changes or their integration, don’t hesitate to consult the API references provided by Walmart or seek expert advice.
This overhaul aims to offer sellers that use the API system on Walmart a more intuitive and efficient order and returns management experience.
As always, it’s vital to stay updated and make the necessary adjustments in your systems to harness these new features fully.
