Shipping Automation
Using software to automate shipping tasks such as carrier selection, rate comparison, label printing, tracking updates, and customer notifications in the e-commerce fulfilment process.
In-Depth Explanation
Shipping automation uses software to streamline and automate the shipping process for e-commerce orders. It eliminates manual tasks, reduces errors, and ensures customers receive timely shipping information.
Automated shipping tasks:
- Carrier selection: Automatically choosing the best carrier based on rules (cheapest, fastest, service level)
- Rate shopping: Comparing rates across carriers in real time
- Label printing: Generating shipping labels with correct addresses and services
- Package dimensions: Auto-calculating optimal box size and weight
- Tracking: Automatically uploading tracking numbers to orders
- Notifications: Sending shipping confirmation and tracking emails to customers
- Returns: Generating prepaid return labels when needed
- Customs: Creating customs declarations for international shipments
Popular shipping automation tools in Australia:
- Shippit: Australian multi-carrier shipping platform
- ShipStation: Global shipping management with Australian carriers
- Sendle: Carbon-neutral parcel delivery with API integration
- StarShipIT: Australian-based shipping automation
- EasyPost: Multi-carrier shipping API
- Australia Post APIs: Direct integration for domestic shipping
Shipping automation rules:
- Orders under 500g → Sendle for cheapest rate
- Express orders → StarTrack or TNT for speed
- Orders over $100 → Free shipping (standard carrier)
- Regional/remote addresses → Australia Post for best coverage
- International orders → DHL or FedEx with customs documentation
Key shipping metrics:
- Average shipping cost per order
- Shipping cost as percentage of revenue
- Delivery time (order to delivery)
- Shipping error rate
- Customer satisfaction with delivery experience
- Late delivery percentage
Business Context
Shipping automation typically reduces shipping costs by 10-20% through rate comparison and carrier optimisation, while saving 30-60 minutes per day in manual shipping tasks.
How Clever Ops Uses This
Clever Ops implements shipping automation for Australian e-commerce businesses by integrating multi-carrier shipping platforms with e-commerce stores and order management systems. We build automated workflows that select optimal carriers, generate labels, and keep customers informed throughout the delivery process.
Example Use Case
"An Australian e-commerce business implements Shippit, connecting it with Shopify to automatically compare rates across Australia Post, Sendle, and CouriersPlease for each order, saving 15% on shipping costs and eliminating manual label creation."