Shopify shipping strategies to consider now & later

Shopify shipping strategies to consider now & later

Shopify offers Sendle integration for easy shipping label creation & estimation. Australia Post and other services require a third-party plugin to integrate. You can start small to save on costs, then expand operations as your site grows.

Shipping Tips:

  1. Keep it simple. Use flat rates to increase average order value & avoid cart abandonment. Shipping costs to customers will vary but ultimately balance out. 
  2. Load products that are easy-to-ship. When settings are enabled, products are expected to be available for all enabled pickup & delivery methods.
  3. Offer free shipping. This should be a standard offering for most businesses. If it isn't, you can entice customers with a limited time offer. 
  4. Sendle is fully integrated into Shopify allowing you to easily print labels at up to a 44.2% shipping discount.  Shopify Help Center | Shopify Shipping with Sendle
  5. Australia Post requires an integration. When starting off, you can take orders to the post office, collect tracking numbers & assign to Shopify orders. You can also use MyPost Business portal to print labels direct. MyPost Business - Australia Post
  6. Carrier-calculated rates can be setup through shipping integrations and product dimensions. Due to initial running costs (Data entry time, higher Shopify plan & app integration) this is best considered for the next phase of your site. Shopify Help Center | Activating third-party carrier-calculated shipping
  7. Target locals with local delivery. Up to 5 zones can be created based on either postcodes or radii.
  8. If you have heavy or bulky items that you think maybe too heavy to ship, we have some workarounds that we can help you with. However, these complex or varied setups are often best tackled with apps. Shopify Help Center | Shipping profiles
  9. Communicate custom shipping rates clearly. If you have a complex setup, add a notice to product details (Product title is clearest during checkout). Update Default Theme Content labels for checkout wording. Theme customisations & Shopify Flow can help with product messaging. 
  10. Keep your shipping policy up-to-date, again communication is key!


Packing & Fulfilment Tips:



Shipping overview:

  1. Inbuilt options. Flat rates based on shipping profiles, product price or product weight. Use Sendle or manually process orders at Auspost or via their online portal. Attach tracking numbers to Shopify orders.
  2. $ As above. Connect with app to print Auspost labels or app to automate flat rate shipping profiles.
    Example:
    1. Australia Post EZ Label | Shopify App Store
    2. Australia Post Rates & Labels | Shopify App Store
    3. ASP‑Automate Shipping Profiles | Shopify App Store
  1. $$ Load stock with weights. Integrate with calculated carrier shipping apps.
    Example:
    1. Bespoke Shipping | Shopify App Store
    2. Australia Post Rates & Labels | Shopify App Store
  2. $$$ Load stock with weights. Integrate with fulfilment services
    Example:
    1. ShipStation | Shopify Shipping and Tracking Integration 
    2. Starshipit | Shopify Information
    3. Interparcel Business | Shopify Shipping

Example Shipping Strategies:

📦Online Shopper - Flat Rates & Free Shipping 

Standard Rate
Express Rate
Free Shipping for orders over ___

🤝Community Shopper - Flat Rates & Local Delivery

Standard Rate
Local Area 1 - Free (e.g. Customers within 5km)
Local Area 2 
etc.

🎯Specialty Retail Shopper - Calculated Rates

Load products with exact weights. Requires Calculated Shipping & app integrations

🧩Shipping Profile & App Workarounds

Instead of managing shipping profiles or using apps to set custom shipping rates, you can leverage inbuilt options.
Consider loading weights of specific products to save time. 

Example - Make Pickup-only products identifiable with an intentionally high weight eg. 9999g or 99kg
Standard Rate between 0-98kg

This prevents shipping checkout options of 99kg products.

Alert
When having complex or varied setups, website communication is key!


For more information:

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