It takes clear vision, executional strategy and resilience to sell physical products online. With the rising trend, eCommerce stores are becoming increasingly popular. The competition is fierce, so it’s crucial to choose the right eCommerce platform and plugins. This decision should be based on your particular niche market. Ultimately, it’s the first step towards success. WooCommerce stores provide a seamless, hassle-free, high-quality shipping experience to customers. But, it isn’t that much simpler as for the sale to be closed with your customer receiving the product, you’d need a reliable method along with the right WooCommerce shipping plugin. If you’re a budding entrepreneur ready to make an impact in the world of eCommerce, the details below will surely help you in choosing the best shipping plugins for WooCommerce.
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Best WooCommerce Shipping Plugins: How to Choose the Right One
Picking the best shipping plugin from the pool is tough. Each plugin carries a particular attribute. This attribute makes it unique in its own right. For you to make the right decision, we’ll start by understanding prerequisites first.
As a WooCommerce store owner, you must be able to determine core functionalities of your shipping operations. Here’s what you need to consider:
Identify the Needs & Goals
Ask yourself the following questions that’ll not just help in picking the right plugin but also hook you up with a partner WooCommerce Development Company.
Regional Distribution: What is your target market and audience? Are you dealing in international shipping or is it just domestic?
Carrier Partner: Which shipping companies would you collaborate with? Is there any particular company or eCommerce partner agency that you prefer working with based on WooCommerce pricing and other such factors.
Shipping Cost: What would be the rate of your shipment per product? What’s your delivery plan and how would you set real-time shipping rates based on change in order or any exceptional case?
Delivery Option: Would you cater your customers with a special delivery option? What would be the shipping rates based on the type of shipment such as express, same-day etc.?
Shipment Tracking: Do you have a system or a software to track shipments? Which shipping companies would you recommend and what is your strategy for tracking?
Once you’re clear on the above queries, you’ll be able to better evaluate the appropriate shipping plugins for WooCommerce.
Budget & Pricing Model
Who wouldn’t like cost-free options when on a tighter budget! If such is the case, there’re free WooCommerce shipping plugins available in the WordPress repository but, do note that the features are limited as compared to the paid/premium counterparts.
There are several factors to consider for delivery, including the delivery address, shipping distance, package weight, and customized needs. Customized needs might include things like cold storage or extra safety measures for fragile goods. All these factors weigh in when you’re calculating the final shipping cost.
When you connect your WooCommerce store to plugins like FedEx, DHL, USPS and others, you’d get carrier rates and shipping quotations in real-time. It’s worth noting that certain plugins are expensive but the return is worth paying for.
Free or premium, base your decision based on shipping operations, integration and transactions that your WooCommerce store will be offering.
Evaluate Compatibility of the Plugin
Checking plugin compatibility is an important step. You can’t afford to miss it. You should make sure that the plugins are compatible with the store.
Compatibility with WooCommerce: You’d need to make sure that the WooCommerce version is updated and compatible with the shipping plugin. To make sure, you can refer to the technical documentation of the plugin or simply consult creator of the plugin
Features and Functionalities: The first step post-plugin selection is to activate it and execute detailed testing. It’ll help you assess if it fits well to your business needs and fulfill your WooCommerce store requirements in a seamless and flawless manner.
Regular Updates: Enable updates and technical support for the plugin to ensure it remains compatible and functional with all future releases of WooCommerce.
Now that we’ve had a basic understanding about shipping plugins and factors worth considering, let’s look at the best ones in 2024, handpicked for you by eCommerce experts!
Best WooCommerce Shipping Plugins in 2024
WooCommerce ShipStation Gateway
Online retailers can automate the shipping process. They can create labels, track shipments, and manage orders. All of these tasks can be done in one central location. WooCommerce ShipStation Gateway works by sending order information from the store to the plugin, which then manages the entire process. This integration saves retailers time and streamlines the shipping process.
Features:
Order Syncing: Automatically syncs orders from WooCommerce to ShipStation, saving businesses time and reducing the risk of errors.
Shipping Labels: Allow retailers to create and print shipping labels directly from ShipStation. This feature saves businesses time and money by reducing manual entry and simplifying the shipping process.
Tracking: Provides real-time tracking information, allowing retailers to keep customers informed about the status of their orders.
Shipping Rates: Offers real-time shipping rates, allowing businesses to offer customers accurate and competitive shipping options.
Automation: Automates the shipping process, reducing human biases thus improving overall eCommerce experience for customers and more winning to businesses.
ELEX WooCommerce USPS
Adding to the list of best WooCommerce shipping plugins is ELEX WooCommerce USPS. It integrates with the United States Postal Service (USPS) to provide real-time shipping rates, label printing, tracking, and more. This plugin can automate many shipping tasks. These tasks usually consume valuable time. By automating them, you can concentrate on other aspects of your eCommerce business. This way, you can optimize your time management and productivity.
Features:
Real-time Shipping Rates: Provide customers with accurate shipping rates in real-time. The plugin connects with USPS servers to calculate rates based on the weight and destination of the package.
Label Printing: Allows you to print shipping labels directly from your WooCommerce store. You can print labels in bulk or individually, making it easy to manage multiple orders at once.
Tracking: The plugin also provides tracking information for all packages. Once you’ve printed a label, you can track the package’s progress right from your WooCommerce dashboard. This makes it easy to keep your customers informed about the status of their orders.
Address Validation: To ensure accurate delivery, the plugin provides address validation services. This helps to prevent delivery errors and can save you money on return shipping fees.
Customizable Settings: Highly customizable, allowing you to tailor the settings to your specific needs. You can choose which shipping services to offer, set handling fees, and more.
Multi-Carrier Support: Supports other carriers such as FedEx, DHL, and UPS. This shipping plugin for WooCommerce makes it easy to manage all of your shipping operations from one place.
International Shipping: Supports international shipping, allowing you to expand your business globally. You can set up shipping rates for specific countries and regions, and the plugin will automatically calculate the rates for you.
Table Rate for WooCommerce by Flexible Shipping
With this shipping plugin, online store owners can create custom shipping rates based on a range of conditions. Merchants can set up shipping rates easily. These rates depend on different variables. The variables include the destination, weight, dimensions, and quantity of products. These rates can be adjusted based on the products in the cart. With Table Rate, you can also create custom shipping methods, such as flat rate, free shipping, or local pickup.
Features:
Packed with powerful features that make shipping rate management easy and efficient. Here are some of the essential features of this WooCommerce shipping plugin:
Shipping Method Configuration: Create different shipping methods, such as flat rate, free shipping, or local pickup. You can also set up different shipping rates based on different conditions, such as weight, quantity, destination, and product categories.
Flexible Pricing: Set up different pricing tiers based on different conditions. For example, you can offer free shipping for orders over $50 or charge a flat rate of $5 for orders under $50.
Conditional Logic: Lets you create complex shipping rules based on multiple conditions which makes it valuable and handy to decide on custom shipping rates for specific products or customers.
CSV Import/Export: Import and export shipping rates in CSV format. This feature makes it easy to manage shipping rates in bulk, especially if you have a large number of products.
Compatibility: Table Rate is compatible with most WooCommerce themes and plugins, making it easy to integrate into your existing store.
Advanced Shipment Tracking for WooCommerce
A WooCommerce plugin that helps you manage your shipments efficiently as well as track packages from the time they are shipped till delivery. The plugin integrates with popular shipping carriers such as FedEx, UPS, USPS, DHL, and many more. With Advanced Shipment Tracking, you can also add tracking numbers to orders, set custom tracking URLs, and send automated email notifications to your customers. The plugin also provides detailed tracking information, including delivery status, shipping carrier, and package location.
Features:
Multiple Carrier Support: Supports over 40 popular shipping carriers, including USPS, FedEx, DHL, and UPS. You can choose the carrier that best suits your needs and track your packages directly from your WooCommerce store.
Custom Tracking URLs: Set custom tracking URLs for each carrier. This feature helps you create a consistent customer experience and build brand trust. You can also add tracking URLs for carriers that are not supported by the plugin.
Automated Email Notifications: Automates sending email notifications to your customers when their packages are shipped, in transit, and delivered. Customize the email templates and include the tracking information and carrier details.
Detailed Tracking Information: Provides detailed tracking information, including delivery status, package location, and shipping carrier. View tracking information directly from the order page or from the WooCommerce dashboard.
Order Tracking Widget: Order tracking widget allows customers to track their packages directly from your WooCommerce store. The widget is fully customizable and can be placed anywhere on your store.
Delivery Estimation: Provides estimated delivery dates based on the shipping carrier’s delivery schedule. You can conveniently manage customer expectations and avoid potential delays.
Tracking Analytics: Analyze your shipping performance, view the number of shipments by carrier, delivery time, and shipping destination. The data helps you optimize your shipping process and reduce costs.
A powerful and advanced shipping plugin for WooCommerce that allows eCommerce store owners to create custom shipping rules and methods. With this plugin, you can create different shipping methods based on various conditions, such as weight, destination, and cart total. For example, you can offer free shipping to customers who spend over $100 or charge a flat rate for orders under a certain weight.
Features:
Conditional Shipping: Able to create conditional shipping rules that lets you assign different shipping rates based on a variety of conditions, such as weight, destination, or product category. For example, you can offer free shipping to customers in the United States but charge a flat rate for customers in Canada.
Shipping Classes: Create shipping classes for your products. This is useful if you sell products that require special shipping methods, such as fragile items. You can also create different shipping rules for each shipping class, so you can ensure that your products arrive safely and in good condition.
Local Pickup: Offer local pickup as a shipping option. This is useful if you have a physical store or warehouse and want to offer customers the option to pick up their orders instead of paying for shipping.
Multi-Carrier Shipping: Integrate multiple shipping carriers, such as UPS, FedEx, and USPS. This means you can offer your customers a variety of shipping options and choose the carrier that offers the best rates and service for your products.
This particular WooCommerce shipping plugin supports shipment of multiple items at a reduced rate, rather than charging separate shipping fees for each individual item. It is a popular option for eCommerce businesses that sell multiple products, especially when those products are frequently purchased together.
Features:
Cost-Effective: You can save your eCommerce businesses money on shipping costs with Bundle Rate Shipping. By shipping multiple items together in bulk, businesses can reduce the overall cost of shipping in return for an increased profit margin and make pricing more competitive.
Convenient: When customers purchase multiple items, they typically prefer to receive them all at once, rather than in separate packages. It makes the entire process more streamlined and less time-consuming.
Customizable: You can tailor the WooCommerce shipping plugin to fit as per your store’s operations and scalability eCommerce businesses can tailor it to fit their specific needs. For example, businesses can set different rates based on the weight or size of the package or the destination of the shipment. This allows flexible shipping options for customers while still maintaining control over their costs.
Improved Customer Satisfaction: Customers appreciate when businesses offer cost-effective and convenient shipping options, which can lead to repeat purchases and positive reviews. As one of the best shipping plugins for WooCommerce, Bundle Rate Shipping can also help to reduce the likelihood of package loss or damage, as items are shipped together in a single package, reducing the number of packages in transit.
After Ship WooCommerce Tracking
After Ship WooCommerce Tracking plugin is available on WordPress repository that allows businesses using WooCommerce to integrate order tracking functionality into their online store. This WooCommerce shipping plugin works by integrating with the AfterShip API, which then provides tracking information for 700+ carriers worldwide.
Features:
Multiple Carriers Supported: One of the key features is its support of tracking information for more than 700 carriers globally. Businesses using the plugin can provide their customers with up-to-date tracking information, no matter where their package is in the world.
Customizable Tracking Page: The plugin allows businesses to customize the tracking page to match their website’s look and feel. This feature helps in providing a consistent brand experience for customers throughout the order tracking process.
Email and SMS Notifications: Send email and SMS notifications to your customers when their order status changes. This feature helps to keep customers informed and improves their overall shopping experience.
Automatic Tracking Updates: The shipping plugin for WooCommerce automatically updates the tracking information for orders, which means that customers can see the latest tracking information without having to refresh the page.
Multiple Language Support: The plugin supports multiple languages, which means that businesses can provide tracking information in the language preferred by their customers. This feature helps to improve the accessibility of the tracking information for customers who speak different languages.
Analytics and Reports: The plugin provides businesses with detailed analytics and reports, which can help them understand how their customers are using the order tracking feature. This information can help businesses optimize their online store and improve the overall shopping experience.
WooCommerce Royal Mail Shipping with Tracking
The Royal Mail shipping plugin for WooCommerce allows you to display real-time shipping rates to your customers during the checkout process. When setting up your online store, you have the flexibility to choose which Royal Mail services to offer. Some options include standard delivery, signed for delivery, or tracked delivery. Along with these services, the plugin also includes advanced features. For instance, it can calculate parcel size and weight, integrate with Royal Mail’s Click & Drop system, and provide automatic tracking updates.
Features:
Real-time shipping rates: The Royal Mail plugin calculates shipping rates in real-time, so your customers can see exactly how much they will pay for shipping during the checkout process.
Parcel size and weight calculations: Automatically calculates the size and weight of each parcel, so you can accurately charge for shipping based on the Royal Mail’s pricing structure.
Click & Drop integration: Integrates with Royal Mail’s Click & Drop system, allowing you to generate and print shipping labels directly from your WooCommerce store.
Automatic tracking updates: Automatically updates the tracking information for each order, so you and your customers can track the progress of each shipment.
Customizable shipping rates: You can customize the shipping rates for each service, including setting up free shipping thresholds, adding handling fees, and applying discounts.
Multi-vendor support: If you run a multi-vendor store, the Royal Mail plugin allows each vendor to set up their own shipping rates and methods for their products.
WooCommerce DHL Express / eCommerce / Paket
DHL Express is a courier services provider that delivers worldwide. It is known for its fast and reliable delivery, with options for express delivery and time-definite delivery. DHL Express also offers international shipping, customs clearance, and tracking services. With DHL Express as one of the best WooCommerce shipping plugin, you can supercharge your eCommerce store and deliver the best shipping experience.
Features:
Easy integration with WooCommerce: One of the main benefits of using DHL Express for WooCommerce is its easy integration with the platform. You can quickly set up shipping options for your store, including DHL Express, without needing any technical expertise.
Real-time shipping rates: Get real-time shipping rates based on the weight, destination, and other factors of each package. This means that your customers will see accurate shipping costs at checkout, which can help improve the customer experience and reduce abandoned carts.
Package tracking: DHL Express for WooCommerce also offers package tracking, so you and your customers can keep track of the progress of each shipment. This can help reduce customer inquiries and improve the overall customer experience.
Affordable pricing: Despite the high level of service and features offered by DHL Express for WooCommerce, the pricing is affordable and competitive. This can help online businesses save money on shipping costs while still offering reliable and fast delivery to customers.
APG Weight Shipping
APG Weight Shipping for WooCommerce is a shipping plugin that provides an efficient way to calculate shipping costs based on the weight of the products being shipped. With this WooCommerce plugin for shipping, you can create different shipping rates based on the weight of the products, the destination, and other factors. This plugin also allows you to set up shipping rules and restrictions, such as minimum and maximum weight limits, shipping zones, and more.
Features:
Weight-based shipping rates: Create different shipping rates based on the weight of the products being shipped. You can even set a flat rate for products that fall within a certain weight range.
Shipping rules and restrictions: Define shipping rules and restrictions based on weight, destination, and other factors. For example, you can set a minimum weight limit for certain shipping methods or restrict shipping to certain regions.
Multiple shipping methods: Supports multiple shipping methods, including flat rate, free shipping, and table rate shipping. You can choose the method that best suits your business needs and configure it according to your preferences.
Advanced pricing options: Get advanced pricing options, such as pricing tiers based on weight or quantity, and discounts for bulk purchases.
Easy configuration: Easy to configure and customize, with a user-friendly interface that makes it simple to set up shipping rates and rules.
Real-time shipping rates: Integrates with popular shipping carriers such as USPS, FedEx, and UPS to provide real-time shipping rates to your customers.
Compatibility: Compatible with the latest version of WooCommerce and WordPress, ensuring that it works seamlessly with your e-commerce platform.
What Will Be Your Pick for WooCommerce Shipping Plugin?
Online stores today are incomplete without a reliable shipping service. With WooCommerce and many other eCommerce development platforms, the many shipping plugin options are available to power up your store for the intense competition and offer the best customer service.
Sharjeel Ahmed is a passionate tech enthusiast and an expert in SEO and content strategies who thrives on exploring cutting-edge innovations in the app development world. With a rich background in software development and mobile app technology, he brings a fresh and insightful perspective to how technology intersects with everyday life. Sharjeel has dedicated his career to sharing his knowledge and experiences through engaging, informative articles that resonate with both tech novices and experts alike. His professional journey is marked by significant contributions to several high-profile app development projects, showcasing his expertise and commitment to excellence. Sharjeel's deep involvement with various app development companies further highlights his industry knowledge and leadership.