Shipping software and integrations: automate labels, rates and tracking
As order volumes grow, creating shipping labels by hand on each carrier’s website quickly becomes slow and error-prone. Shipping software connects your sales channels to your carriers so orders flow in automatically, the best service is chosen by rules, labels print in batches and tracking goes back to the customer without anyone copying and pasting.
This guide explains what shipping software does, the integrations that matter and how to choose a platform.
What shipping software does
- Imports orders from your store, marketplaces and other channels into one place.
- Applies shipping rules that pick a carrier and service based on weight, destination, value, delivery option or product.
- Compares rates across carriers so you use the cheapest service that meets the delivery promise.
- Prints labels and packing slips in batches, often with barcode scanning to confirm the right items are packed.
- Generates customs data for international parcels.
- Updates tracking on your store and marketplaces and triggers customer notifications.
- Manages returns labels and returns portals.
Integrations that matter
Check that any platform connects reliably with:
- Your ecommerce platform (for example Shopify, WooCommerce, OpenCart, BigCommerce or Magento).
- The marketplaces you sell on.
- Every carrier you use or may want to use.
- Your inventory, warehouse or order management system.
- Label printers and scales.
Native integrations are usually more reliable than custom connections. Where you need something bespoke, look for a well-documented API.
Types of shipping platform
Multi-carrier shipping tools suit most small and medium stores, offering rate shopping, labels and tracking across many carriers. Carrier-specific tools are free or low cost but lock you into one carrier. Warehouse and order management systems include shipping alongside picking, inventory and multi-warehouse routing for larger operations.
Choosing a platform
Run a trial with real orders. Test how quickly you can process a typical day’s orders, how easy it is to set rules, how customs data is handled and how well tracking syncs back. Compare pricing models, which may be per label, per order or tiered monthly plans, against your expected volume.
Getting the most from automation
Set up product weights and dimensions accurately, as rules and rates depend on them. Build rules for your most common scenarios first, then handle exceptions manually. Review carrier performance reports regularly and adjust rules to favour carriers that deliver on time.
Shipping software is the glue between your store and your carriers. See Order Processing & Management for how it fits into your wider order flow, and Shipping & Freight Services for choosing carriers.
Part of: Shipping & Delivery