What does Crowdsender do?
Welcome to Crowdsender! It is an easy-to-use tool to manage and automate all your orders from a single platform. The platform is designed to help eCommerce businesses and marketplaces with all aspects of shipment management, from inventory control to order preparation and courier tracking.
Now that you’ve decided Crowdsender is the platform for you, it’s time to set up your account! In this section, we’ll cover the basics of setting up your account.
Getting started with Crowdsender
We'll have you up and running in just a few steps. You can sign up for your Crowdsender account for free on our website.
All you have to do is add your first name, last name, company name, website, phone number, email and password.
Once your email is validated, you'll have access to the platform. Then, simply follow the 5 steps to get your shipments up and running. In the bottom-left corner, you'll see the steps listed, and by clicking on each line, you'll be taken to the section where you need to complete them.
Step 1 & 2. Add your warehouses
First of all let's add your reference addresses in Settings > Account > Warehouses
Pick up addresses: Address where the parcel is shipped from. In case you use the simple CSV upload the pick up address is mandatory to register your orders. If the order comes with addresses already assigned, those addresses will be used. If the addresses are empty, the default address will be applied.
On this screen, you’ll be asked to provide the minimum information required to begin operating in the warehouse.
At the bottom, you can configure the warehouse settings:
Picking type: Choose between Picking by Box (preparing individual boxes with specific contents) or Picking by Production Line (preparing batches of identical boxes).
Packing: In the 'Preparation System' section, you can specify the number of packing stations, trolleys, and production lines available for order preparation.
Return addresses: For each courier contract a return address is mandatory. When you start the configuration of your courier contracts, we get the addresses form there.
Step 3. Add your couriers contracts
Add the couriers you are currently working with. Go to Settings > Integrations > Couriers and activate the couriers you have a contract with.
📔 Note: If you cannot find the couriers you are working with, please contact the Crowdsender team so that we can provide you with a solution.
If you want to see step by step how each of the couriers is integrated, you can consult our courier integration documentation.
Step 4. Connect to your store or upload your orders
Crowdsender has three ways to receive your orders:
Shopify app: If you have a store built on Shopify, you can connect your orders using our plugin from their App Store. To see a step-by-step guide on how Shopify integration works, you can refer to our integration documentation.
CSV uploads: At the top right of the orders page you can see a CSV upload button.
When you click on it, you will see a popup where you can upload a CSV with the orders you want to process. Crowdsender provides you with two CSV templates: minimum CSV (only valid for national shipments) and advanced CSV. All the documentation about the templates and what data is required can be found in this article.
Connection via API: To view your orders in real time on the platform, Crowdsender provides you with an API where you can connect. All the documentation about this API is in the developers section.
Step 5. Generate your first label
Once your first orders are imported, you can start shipping! In the orders table, select the orders you want to begin preparing and click on the "Start Preparation" option. This will prevent any changes to the shipping address or the contents of the boxes, and will generate the labels in the background.
Once preparation has started, it's time to pack the products into each box. If you have a high volume of orders, we recommend two preparation methods:
Via Packing Display: Go to Overview > In preparation, select a group, click on Actions, and then select Packing Display. This will show you, box by box, what you need to place inside and what you need to print. Once completed, you can mark it as prepared and move on to the next box. Crowdsender will guide you through all the boxes until the group is finished.
Via App: If you download the Crowdsender app, you can scan the label of a box and see the items that need to be placed inside. When you scan the label again, the order will be marked as prepared.
If you don’t have a high volume of orders, you can review each order individually from the orders table and mark it as prepared.
Once the courier has picked up the orders, you can notify that the orders have left the warehouse from the Track & Trace > Mark as Dispatched section, or directly from the Crowdsender app in the Dispatched section.
And that's it! You have just started using Crowdsender!
If you want to enable the Warehouse Management System (WMS) or invoice matching sections, you can contact the Crowdsender sales team. (hello@crowdsender.io)
Next steps
Add your order management team to the Crowdsender platform. View article
Set up your first shipping rule. View article