We begin, as all good stories do, with a promise: foresight and forethought stitched into every seam; a quiet confidence that the tumult to come will find you prepared.

Black Friday’s splendid pandemonium approaches: carts multiplying; couriers caffeinating; inventory pirouetting; and we have set the stage so your systems remain serene and your teams stay swift.

Imagine the warehouse at dawn: scanners waking; totes arrayed like well‑behaved chess pieces; stock whispering its whereabouts while couriers rehearse their ballet of parcels.

In such a theatre, Helm keeps watch - not merely reactive, but prescient; listening for frictions and smoothing them before they creak; attuning each improvement to the particular rhythms of your operation, so Christmas does not crash upon you like a wave but arrives, graciously, like a well‑timed overture.

❄️  New Features

Stock Take: Barcode Search

You can now search inventories in the Stock Take module by barcode as well as SKU: faster item lookup during cycle counts and audits; especially when labels carry only barcodes.

Tote Settings: Relocated

Access to Tote settings has moved from Settings to the Picks page: find “Totes” in the top‑right table header: quicker workflow for pick teams; configure totes without leaving the picking context. 

PO Creation: Scoped to Assigned Warehouses

Fulfilment clients can create purchase orders only for warehouses assigned to them: stronger tenant isolation; fewer misrouted POs.

Shopify POS: Despatch and Location Handling

• Incoming unshipped POS orders are no longer auto‑marked as despatched: prevents accidental despatching from POS imports; keeps control with your team.

• If an order already has Shopify fulfilment, it is marked despatched; otherwise it is set to despatch‑ready: preserves fulfilment intent and queues unfulfilled POS orders correctly for review.

• Added fulfilment option “Specific location” with a selector; POS orders that arrive despatched will deduct stock from the selected location: aligns stock movements with the correct POS site and maintains accurate on‑hand balances.

Billing API: B2B or B2C Flag

The Billing API now includes whether an order is B2B or B2C: enables correct downstream tax treatment; invoicing rules; reporting segmentation.

NI ↔ GB Shipping: Windsor Framework Alignment

Batch Terminal and routing logic updated so NI → GB shipments are treated as domestic: multi‑parcel supported.

• GB → NI: domestic; customs data required: ensures compliant documentation for GB‑origin shipments into NI.

• NI → GB: domestic; no customs: enables NI → GB multi‑parcel shipments without international blocking or customs prompts.

• NI → IE: international; full customs data required: aligns export flows with proper customs declarations.

• IE → NI: international; no customs data required: streamlines inbound flows from IE to NI by removing unnecessary customs data.

🛍️  Enhancements to Reliability and Flow

Unpaid Orders: Calm Import Behaviour

Unpaid orders excluded from import now remain politely excluded; repeated import attempts no longer arise: tidier queues; quieter APIs; no duplicate processing.

Global Picked Location: Unblocked Stock Operations

Stock movement, stock transfer and stock level updates for the Global Picked location proceed without warehouse‑based permission checks: end‑of‑pick adjustments flow as intended; no permission dead‑ends.

Pre‑Fulfilment Validation: Early Guidance

A validation step now checks payloads before submission: immediate success or actionable feedback; fewer stalled fulfilments.

Auto Allocation and Box Splitting: Harmonised

Allow box splitting now coexists amicably with the Auto Allocation plugin: reliable allocation regardless of box‑splitting preference.

Purchase Orders: Sensible Delivery Dates

Leaving the delivery date blank no longer infers an incorrect timeline: accurate scheduling and clear lead‑time reporting.

Black Friday will be boisterous; Christmas will be sparkling; and Helm will be steady.

Each rush is a tutorial; each lesson becomes capability; each capability becomes your advantage.

With these improvements, your flows become smoother; your systems grow sturdier; your clients’ clients grow delighted - uber‑happy, even.

Proceed with confidence: may your counts be crisp; your picks be nimble; your stock be true; and your season unfold serenely - with Helm in control.

- Your team at Helm ⚡