B2B Routing Guides: How Shopify Brands Avoid Chargebacks and Ship Retail Orders Correctly

When a Shopify brand decides to expand into wholesale, the first surprise is almost always the same: retailers do not simply accept shipments. They require suppliers to follow detailed instructions called B2B routing guides. These documents dictate how cartons must be labeled, how pallets must be stacked, what information must go on ASNs, when deliveries can be made, and how data must flow digitally. A single mistake can turn a profitable order into a loss through chargebacks or rejected shipments. This is why understanding a B2B routing guide is essential for any Shopify merchant entering wholesale.

Many founders underestimate how strict these requirements can be. Labels placed an inch off. Cartons stacked incorrectly. Missing barcodes. Incorrect ASN formats. Any one of these issues might trigger fines that quickly wipe out margins. Connor Perkins, Director of Fulfillment, hears the consequences often. "One of the pain points our clients have experienced with previous 3PLs is inventory accuracy; maybe their previous 3PL wasn't great at picking the orders accurately. So they were losing money by shipping wrong items or wrong quantities of items." In B2B, those errors become even more costly because retailers expect total precision.

Why Routing Guides Matter for Shopify Brands Moving Into Wholesale

Routing guides are not suggestions. They are mandatory instructions that ensure retailers can process shipments efficiently. When a supplier follows the routing guide correctly, inventory flows smoothly through the retailer's distribution center. When they do not, shipments may be rejected or penalties applied. For Shopify brands new to wholesale, the transition can feel overwhelming, but with the right fulfillment partner, routing guides become manageable.

Compliance Protects Margins

Every routing guide rule exists to prevent errors in the retailer's supply chain. The rules vary widely between partners, which is why experience matters. Bryan Wright, CTO and COO, explains G10's built-in capability. "They have routing guides that make you specific labels on and put them in a specific place on the box, and you have to send EDI, ASN, electronic information in a timely fashion. All of those kinds of things were built into our software from day one, and we have all of those capabilities for our customers." Many 3PLs built primarily for D2C simply cannot handle this level of complexity.

Without routing guide compliance, even a large PO becomes a financial burden.

How Routing Guides Fit Into the Wholesale Fulfillment Workflow

A routing guide affects every step of preparing a wholesale order. From carton builds to pallet configuration to labeling to documentation, everything must match the retailer's specifications exactly. Shopify brands quickly learn that wholesale is not about shipping quickly, but shipping correctly.

Inventory Accuracy Drives Wholesale Success

Wholesale shipments require large quantities and perfect accuracy. If counts are wrong, the entire shipment may be rejected. Bryan explains the difference between reliable and unreliable systems. "A bad WMS system will not track inventory 100 percent as it should. A good WMS tracks inventory through the warehouse at every point that you touch it." A routing guide assumes perfect accuracy, which means the 3PL's system must match that expectation.

When inventory is accurate, routing guide compliance becomes much easier to execute.

Omnichannel Brands Must Balance B2B and D2C

Most Shopify brands that enter wholesale still run a strong D2C business. Balancing these two channels can strain fulfillment operations because wholesale requires bulk accuracy while D2C demands speed. Routing guides do not allow improvisation, so a brand needs a 3PL capable of handling both operational styles without sacrificing quality.

Unified Inventory Prevents Channel Conflict

Wholesale pulls large volumes at once. If inventory is not updated in real time, Shopify may continue selling items that no longer exist. Joel Malmquist, VP of Customer Experience, explains the workflow. "There's a direct integration with Shopify where orders come in and flow directly into G10. We fulfill those, push back tracking to Shopify to show that the order hits, has been completed, which then fires an email out to the customer saying, your order's on the way." That same workflow supports wholesale inventory allocations, ensuring the system stays accurate across all channels.

With reliable data, brands avoid oversells and protect their retail relationships.

Geography and Speed Influence Routing Guide Compliance

Retailers expect deliveries at exact appointment times. If a truck misses its window, the retailer may refuse the shipment. A 3PL with multiple warehouse locations reduces transit times and improves delivery accuracy, making routing guide compliance easier.

A Distributed Network Helps Meet Tight Deadlines

Holly Woods, Director of Operations, explains the impact of G10's multi-location footprint. "We currently have locations in South Carolina, a couple in Wisconsin, Nevada, Arizona, and Texas. And we're always talking about new locations. This allows inbounds to come in faster, which means we can get it distributed faster." Faster inbound and outbound movement helps wholesale orders reach retailer distribution centers on schedule.

Meeting delivery appointments is just as important as correct labeling in a routing guide.

Peak Season Exposes Weak Wholesale Fulfillment Systems

Q4 drastically increases the number of wholesale POs while D2C volume also surges. Shopify brands often discover during this period whether their fulfillment partner is truly capable of meeting routing guide requirements at scale.

Agility Matters When Deadlines Cannot Be Missed

Holly describes a high-pressure situation that shows the level of execution required. "We had inventory come in and it was delayed at the ports. Target has a deadline for delivery and that's it, no exceptions. Our team worked that entire day into the night, came back in the morning at 5 a.m. and got it ready." Routing guide requirements leave no room for delay, especially during peak season.

Wholesale success depends on both accuracy and speed.

Support Helps Brands Understand and Apply Routing Guides

Routing guides can be dozens of pages long and filled with logistics jargon. Founders entering wholesale for the first time need clear explanations and reliable support. A good 3PL helps translate routing guide requirements into simple, repeatable workflows.

Joel explains the support model G10 provides. "If you're working with G10, your experience for getting help is that you can either email or call your direct point of contact. It's that simple." Direct communication ensures routing guide questions never delay shipments.

Trust also matters. Jen Myers, Chief Marketing Officer, emphasizes the emotional weight behind choosing a 3PL. "If you're outsourcing your service and logistics you're putting the heartbeat of your company in the hands of someone else. I wouldn't do it unless I know who's on the other end, someone I can call and talk to, who I feel cares about my business almost as much as I do." Wholesale fulfillment requires this level of trust because mistakes carry financial consequences.

When Shopify Brands Know They Need Routing Guide Support

The warning signs appear quickly: chargebacks, rejected shipments, retailer warnings, mismatched ASNs, late deliveries, and packaging noncompliance. These issues drain margins and damage retailer relationships. This is when Shopify merchants recognize that successful wholesale expansion requires routing guide expertise.

Connor describes the moment clearly. "As a growing business, the goal is to scale over time. Entrepreneurs need to look at their 3PL provider and say, can I scale with these guys and grow my business?" Routing guide compliance is part of that scale.

If your Shopify brand is entering wholesale or wants to strengthen retail partnerships, now is the time to adopt B2B routing guide expertise. With the right 3PL, routing guides become a roadmap to reliable, profitable wholesale growth instead of a source of confusion.