> ## Documentation Index > Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://docs.vortexiq.ai/llms.txt > Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further. # Pending Dispatch, Target Plus > Pending Dispatch for Target Plus stores. Tracked live in Vortex IQ Nerve Centre. How to read it, why it matters, and how to act on it. **Card class:** [Hero](/nerve-centre/overview#card-classes-explained) • **Category:** [Fulfilment](/nerve-centre/connectors#connectors-by-type) ## At a glance > **Pending Dispatch** is the live count of paid Target Plus orders that have been accepted but not yet shipped. On an invite-only marketplace where Target holds partners to an enterprise-grade dispatch SLA, this queue is the single most time-sensitive number your operations team works against each day. When the backlog grows past twice its normal level, orders start drifting toward their committed dispatch deadlines and the risk of a late-dispatch penalty rises sharply. | | | | --------------------- | ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- | | **What it counts** | Paid Target Plus orders that are awaiting dispatch right now. | | **Sample type** | Backend API data from Target Plus, refreshed on the standard data refresh. | | **Why it matters** | A backlog more than twice the 30-day average signals a fulfilment bottleneck that can push orders past Target's dispatch SLA and trigger partner-status scrutiny. | | **Reading the value** | Read it against your normal daily throughput; a steady queue your team clears each day is healthy, a climbing one is not. | | **Currency** | `count` | | **Time window** | `RT` | | **Alert trigger** | `>2x 30D avg` | | **Sentiment key** | `tgt_pending_dispatch` | | **Roles** | owner, operations | ## Calculation Vortex IQ counts every Target Plus order that has been paid and accepted but does not yet have a dispatch confirmation recorded against it. The figure is a real-time snapshot rather than a rolling sum, so it rises as new orders land and falls as your team confirms shipments. The alert baseline is the trailing 30-day average size of this queue, and the trigger fires when the live count exceeds twice that average. See the worked example for how this reads on a typical partner. ## Worked example *A representative reading of **Pending Dispatch** for a typical Target Plus partner.* On 18 Jun 26 a homewares partner normally carries about 40 orders in the pending-dispatch queue across a working day, which matches their trailing 30-day average. By mid-morning on 19 Jun 26 the live count reads 95, more than twice the baseline, and the card flips amber. The cause turns out to be a warehouse picking team running short-staffed after a public holiday, with a parcel-carrier collection that slipped a day. Because the SLA clock runs against each order's committed deadline, leaving the queue at this level into the afternoon would put dozens of orders at risk of a late dispatch. Vortex Mind traces the spike to the missed carrier collection and the holiday rota gap, and Ask Viq answers "why is pending dispatch double normal today" in plain English so the operations lead can brief the floor without digging through reports. ## Sibling cards merchants should reference together | Card | Why merchants reach for it | | ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- | -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- | | [`late-dispatches-risking-partner-status`](/nerve-centre/kpi-cards/target-plus/late-dispatches-risking-partner-status) | Shows which pending orders are already close to or past their dispatch deadline. | | [`on-time-dispatch-rate-partner-sla`](/nerve-centre/kpi-cards/target-plus/on-time-dispatch-rate-partner-sla) | The headline SLA number a growing backlog will eventually erode. | | [`late-dispatch-rate-partner-penalty`](/nerve-centre/kpi-cards/target-plus/late-dispatch-rate-partner-penalty) | Quantifies the penalty exposure when the queue is not cleared in time. | | [`orders-day`](/nerve-centre/kpi-cards/target-plus/orders-day) | Confirms whether a rising queue is inflow-driven or throughput-driven. | | [`cancellation-rate`](/nerve-centre/kpi-cards/target-plus/cancellation-rate) | A stalled queue often precedes cancellations as orders age out. | ## Reconciling against Target Plus Partners **Where to look in the Target Plus Partners portal:** Open the orders view and filter to orders in an accepted-but-not-shipped state, and cross-check against the SLA / dispatch reports on the partner scorecard. The portal's "to ship" or pending-fulfilment count is the closest equivalent to this card. **Why the Vortex IQ value may legitimately differ:** | Reason | Direction | What to do | | --------------- | ----------------------- | -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- | | Period boundary | Either | The card is a live snapshot; the portal view may have been loaded minutes earlier, so refresh both before comparing. | | Time zone | Either | SLA deadlines and "today" in the portal use Target's reference time zone; confirm your dashboard is reading the same boundary. | | Filter scope | Vortex IQ may show more | The card counts all accepted-unshipped orders, while a portal filter may exclude orders already in a partial-pick or hold state. | **Cross-connector reconciliation:** If you fulfil Target Plus orders from the same warehouse as Walmart or Amazon, compare this queue against those marketplaces' pending-ship counts to spot a shared bottleneck rather than a Target-only issue. ## Known limitations / merchant FAQs **Q: How often does this number update?** It refreshes on the standard data refresh, so it tracks the live queue closely but is not a sub-second feed; treat it as a near-real-time snapshot. **Q: Why does the Partners portal show a different pending count?** The portal may exclude orders on hold or in a partial-pick state, and its view may have loaded at a slightly different moment. Refresh both and confirm you are using the same status filter. **Q: How does this relate to the on-time dispatch rate?** Pending Dispatch is the live workload; the on-time dispatch rate is the outcome. A backlog left unworked is what eventually drags the rate below the 99% partner SLA. **Q: Can I change the alert threshold?** Yes. The "greater than twice the 30-day average" trigger is the default and can be tuned per store on the Sensitivity tab. *** ### Tracked live in Vortex IQ Nerve Centre *Pending Dispatch* is one of hundreds of KPI pulses Vortex IQ tracks across Target Plus and 70+ other ecommerce connectors. Nerve Centre runs the detection layer; Vortex Mind investigates the cause when something moves; Ask Viq lets you interrogate any number in plain English. [Start for free](https://app.vortexiq.ai/login) or [book a demo](https://www.vortexiq.ai/contact-us) to see this metric running on your own data.