How delivery restriction groups work at checkout

Delivery restriction groups block a delivery method when there are products in the cart that are not eligible for that delivery method. The same group can be attached to multiple products and banned from multiple delivery methods, so there is no need to maintain a separate product list in the settings for each delivery method.

This is how the delivery limit works at checkout

A delivery restriction consists of two connections: one or more delivery restriction groups are assigned to the product, and the codes for the groups that the delivery method does not accept are written to the delivery method setting. At checkout, AI Commerce collects the group codes of all products in the shopping cart and compares them to the prohibited codes for the delivery method.

If even one of the lists has the same code, the shipping method will be removed from that cart. Therefore, a combined purchase of one restricted product and regular products will also restrict the shipping method. An empty value for the prohibited groups means that this rule does not prevent the shipping method; other weight, size, country, postal code, and customer rules may still affect its availability.

Create a delivery restriction group

Shipping restriction groups are created in the Products → Shipping restriction groups view at /products/shipping-restriction-groups . Select New group , fill in the fields, and select Save group .

• The code is a unique identifier containing 1-64 lowercase ASCII characters, such as hazmat , chemical , oversized , fragile , or battery . Numbers, spaces, and punctuation are not accepted.
• The title is the name visible to the administrator and can be a maximum of 255 characters.
• The description tells the decision rule: when to attach a group to a product and what deliveries it limits.
• The order is an integer that determines the position of the group in the listing.

The code is locked after creation because the product and shipping method rules refer to it. Subsequent changes to the title, description, and order are saved automatically. Create groups based on a business reason, such as hazardous material, large size, fragile, or battery; do not create a separate group for each product.

Associate a group with a product

To select a product's delivery restriction group, open Products at /products , select the product, and go to the Delivery section for the product. Under Restriction Groups, you will see the group registry options. Select all groups that actually apply to the product; the selection is saved automatically.

Use the same group code consistently for products with the same shipping feature. For example, if all products that are not eligible for air freight are in battery group, assign a group to each such product. After selecting, verify that the group still appears in the product's Shipping section and that saving does not report an error.

Ban a group from delivery mode

The denied restriction groups for a shipping method are configured in the Settings → Shipping methods view under /configuration/shipment . Open the shipping method and find the configuration field with a technical key ending with _DENIED_RESTRICTION_GROUPS . Enter the group codes separated by commas in the field, for example hazmat,battery .

The comparison is case-insensitive and spaces are removed around the codes, but still use the exact lowercase codes from the group register. The change to the field is saved automatically. Only clear the field if the delivery method should not have any restrictions based on delivery restriction groups.

Edit and delete a group securely

The title, description, and order of a delivery restriction group can be edited on the group's own page; changes are saved automatically. The code cannot be changed afterwards. If a business rule requires a new code, create a new group, change the product connections and prohibited codes for delivery methods in a controlled manner, and only delete the old group when finished.

AI Commerce prevents a group from being deleted if it is used by any product. However, deletion prevention does not check the comma-separated settings of delivery methods. Therefore, before deleting, review all delivery methods and remove the old code from their settings to avoid leaving an unrecognized rule in the settings.

Test the limit at checkout

The delivery restriction group test is performed with three shopping carts and the same delivery address. First, test the product without the group and record the delivery methods that appear. Then test the product in the group and make sure that the delivery method that prohibits the group is not available for selection. Finally, test a combined purchase with both a restricted and unrestricted product; the same prohibition should still be met.

If the shipping method remains enabled, compare the product group code to the shipping method's comma-separated value and make sure the change has been saved. If the shipping method also disappears from the unlimited cart, check the other availability rules for the shipping method separately. Test each shipping method and tenant, as shipping module settings are store-specific.

Manage large product volumes

There is no dedicated CSV import or export profile for shipping restriction groups product connections in the current Data Transfer. Don't add a self-invented shipping_restriction_groups column to the file and expect it to update. Use the current Shipping section of the product until a separate bulk management workflow is implemented.

For a large deployment, first limit a small pilot group, check the groups for products and delivery methods, and do checkout tests. Only expand when every prohibited combination and allowed comparison case works. Keep a decision rule in the description field and document who owns the maintenance of the product group members.