Differentiating between multiple drop-off sites

Store Design

Topic summary

Goal: capture and report which of three drop-off sites (A, B, C) each order should go to, without using Shopify inventory “Locations.”

Approach tried: repurposed the “Billing Company” field (re-labeled to “Campus”) as a required checkout field. In internal tests, the field appeared in Analytics (Top Selling Product report with Billing Company added).

Problem: for real customers, the field showed as N/A in reports, even after adding Campus to customers’ default addresses. Checkout mix included both logged-in and guest buyers behind a storefront password. Order tagging was considered but not preferred and not easily reportable.

Complications: store uses Local Delivery; some items were marked “No Shipping Required” while others were Local Delivery. Using Local Pickup wasn’t viable since it implies inventory at pickup Locations, which the store doesn’t have.

Resolution: issue appears resolved by standardizing the “Physical Product” checkbox usage. Inconsistent settings likely prevented the Campus field from being captured consistently.

Status: likely resolved; no further action requested.

Summarized with AI on January 6. AI used: gpt-5.
1

We are trying to differentiate between three different product “drop-off” sites. A, B, & C.

At first I thought these were “locations”, but they are not. We do not stock inventory there. We do not fulfill orders there.

Nor are these “drop-shipping” sites. They are where we leave their product for them.

We have one default location, the kitchen, where all inventory is and all orders are fulfilled.

I thought I could use “Billing Company” name at checkout and have our customers enter their drop-off site name there, either A, B, or C.

I made the “Billing Company” name “required” at check-out. Via help from this board (thanks Daniel), I was also able to update the label to say “Campus” instead.

When I purchase from our store it works fantastic. I can run a Top Selling Product report in Analytics, and add Billing Company to the report, and there is my delivery site listed by my order.

However, this is working for zero of our customers. The Billing Company field says N/A. Whether they are new or existing. I also edited all of our existing customers to have the Campus Name in the Billing Company field in their default address.

None of this is working. I thought it would at least work for new customers. It looks like our customers have to re-enter their address every time they purchase from us.

I am also aware that we can “tag” the orders (not our preferred method), but do not know how to reference any “tags” in any of the canned reports.

Getting discouraged, because I consider this to be baby-logic, and yet it still does not work…

Completely non-intuitive how to implement or I am totally missing the definition of “location”…

2

Hey @kitchenhelp ,

Are all your customers logged in users or can guests checkout as well?

3

We have a generic password to let customers into our non-public store. Anyone can check-out. Our customers are not logging in…unless they are coming from the Shopify app on their phone. I understand that those entering that way never see the password page.

Based on some tests with Discounts, it looks like the system sometimes knows who they are based on their entered email address.

I guess “both” is the answer to your question.

4

I understood the part about the drop off locations not being a place where you store inventory. Any other issues using the"local pickup" feature?

5

We have “Local Delivery” available. One of the new orders has two products under the “No Shipping Required” and the other product in their order is listed as “Local Delivery”. And they entered the campus name, yet that campus name is still not available to us in any report.

If we go back to “Local PickUp”…that means we have to set the drop-off sites as “Locations” and we do not fulfill orders there or stock inventory there…hence this endless circular loop…

There seems to be nothing in between - Fulfillment Center with Inventory and Drop Shipping. There is no facility for drop-off sites. We only want to implement three drop-off sites, we do not deliver to each customers home address, which they are entering to validate their credit card purchase.

Maybe I need to deselect the button that says assume the billing and delivery address are the same…but we have Campus Name in Billing company, not delivery…

This is turning into a gigantic waste of time to implement something a third-grader should be able to do…

6

my apologies for the frustration…that is on me…

7

This issue may be resolved. Looks like the problem can potentially be traced to an inconsistent use of the this is a “Physical Product” checkbox.

Thank you for your time and assistance.

8

Hey @kitchenhelp ,

I was looking up and down for solutions haha, but glad you found one.

1 Like