How Orders Look in Each Handling Mode

This guide provides a detailed comparison of what orders look like after BundlesIQ processes them in each handling mode, including the impact on invoices, packing slips, reporting, and downstream systems.

What You Will Accomplish

You will see exactly how each handling mode transforms an order, understand the reporting and fulfillment implications, and know what to expect in your Shopify Admin.

Side-by-Side Comparison

For a bundle called "Summer Essentials" priced at $99.00 containing:

• Sunglasses ($50 retail)
• Beach Towel ($40 retail)
• Sunscreen ($30 retail)

Using bundle-led pricing with uniform 17.5% discount:

Hybrid Mode

Operational Mode

Reporting Mode

Parent-Only (BOM) Mode

In Parent-Only mode, no order editing occurs. Component inventory is managed behind the scenes:

• On order creation or payment (depending on reserve timing setting): component stock moves from available to reserved
• On fulfillment: reserved stock is consumed (decremented)
• On cancellation: reserved stock is released back to available

Multi-Bundle Order (Mixed Modes)

When a single order contains multiple bundles using different handling modes, BundlesIQ processes each bundle according to its configured mode. The order allocation view shows the full before-and-after transformation:

Impact on Invoices and Packing Slips

Identifying Bundle Components on Packing Slips

In Hybrid and Reporting modes, the bundle line item appears alongside the components, making it clear which items belong to the bundle.

In Parent-Only (BOM) mode, no components appear on the packing slip at all — only the bundle SKU. Your warehouse should use the bundle's bill of materials (available in the BundlesIQ app) or a printed BOM sheet to know which items to pick or assemble.

In Operational mode, the bundle line is removed. To identify components as part of a bundle on packing slips, you can:

• Use the BIQ_READY tag to identify bundle-processed orders
• Check the bundles_iq.transformation_audit order metafield for the full bundle mapping
• Use BundlesIQ's bundle header feature (in Writer Options) to add grouping headers to the order

Impact on Revenue Reporting

If you need bundle-level revenue reporting in Shopify Analytics, use Reporting mode or Parent-Only mode. If you need SKU-level reporting, use Hybrid or Operational mode.

Impact on Fulfillment

Impact on Discount Codes

If a customer applies a Shopify discount code at checkout:

• The discount is applied to the original bundle line item at checkout (before BundlesIQ processes the order)
• BundlesIQ detects the applied promo discount and factors it into the component price calculations
• In Hybrid and Operational modes, the promo discount is distributed across components along with the bundle allocation discount
• In Reporting mode, the promo discount stays on the bundle line and components remain at $0
• In Parent-Only (BOM) mode, the promo discount stays on the bundle line as-is (no component lines exist to distribute to)

Impact on Taxes

Tax calculation depends on your Shopify tax settings:

• Tax-exclusive stores — Taxes are calculated on the final line item prices after discounts. Each component is taxed at its allocated price
• Tax-inclusive stores — BundlesIQ preserves the tax-inclusive pricing during allocation

In all modes, the total tax collected should match what the customer was charged at checkout, because BundlesIQ preserves the order total.

What the Customer Sees

In Reporting mode and Parent-Only mode, the customer sees the bundle name and price in their order history, which is the most familiar experience. In Hybrid and Operational modes, the customer sees component line items.

Related Pages

• Handling Modes Explained
• Pricing Strategy Setup
• 3PL Integration Guide