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."
Frequently Asked Questions
Related Terms
Related Resources
Fulfilment
The complete process of receiving, processing, picking, packing, and shipping cu...
Order Management System (OMS)
Software that manages the entire order lifecycle from placement to delivery, coo...
Returns Processing
The system and workflow for handling product returns including return authorisat...
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