If you’re in the process of building a WooCommerce store, it’s normal to have a packed checklist of services. However, there are some pretty obvious essentials for constructing an e-commerce website that online shopkeepers, especially newbies, sometimes neglect. Chief among them is the business of shipping.
The below list of shipping plugins for WooCommerce will be significantly beneficial to online store owners who are concerned about their experience. However, even if shipping is high on your list of priorities, many businesses fail to take fully grasp what it means.
What Falls Under “Shipping”
To the casual observer, any mention of the word “shipping” normally conjured up an image of delivering a purchased product to the buyer’s doorstep. In fairness, they certainly have the right idea. However, shipping in e-commerce has a lot more to it than that.
From the moment someone chooses a product online, there is a need to adjust checkout, process the orders, pack the goods, add the necessary documents, and have them sent out. And that’s without going into details like choosing couriers, tracking orders, tinkering with delivery rates, etc.
So, it’s clear that there’s a lot more to online product shipping compared to, say, having pizza delivered from a fast food joint.
Why Keeping Shipping Plain and Simple Is A Must
Getting your goods transportation service right isn’t merely about logistics. Understanding all these little details is paramount to the superior shipment service that your buyers are entitled to.
Only a smooth shipping experience, like with any other aspect of online shopping, guarantees happy and returning buyers. Anything less, and you’re jeopardising your business with bad reviews, higher bounce rates, and abandoned carts.
Your need to invest in premium-grade plugins, complete with proper support and widespread integration, professionally developed for shipping calculation, checkout field editor functions, and more. Luckily, savvy online stores are getting too wise to take shipping for granted.
Simplify Your WooCommerce Store With These 6 Shipment-Related Plugins
With shipping plugins, WordPress-based online stores are spoiled for choice. However, we won’t be discussing and comparing dozens of eligible tools, as that can make things a bit chaotic. Instead, let’s direct focus on a select few plugins, each bringing something unique to the realm of WooCommerce shipping.
1. Table Rate Shipping Method by Flexible Shipping
The Table Rate Shipping Method is the tool for you if the goal is a user-friendly product and cart billing system. On your end, you can conditionally display or hide functions, like insurance details and transparent billing. Online stores can also go ahead and establish options for flat rates and tiered pricing structures.
2. WooCommerce Weight-Based Shipping
In principle, the concept of setting shipping costs based on the weight of purchased goods seems straightforward enough. But in practice, it can quickly become a needlessly complex issue on its own without the aid of WooCommerce WBS.
You can set up shipping costs based on how heavy the total goods are. It’s a granular approach which ensures fair charging, thus upholding your bottom line. For buyers, it eliminates the annoyance that is concealed charges. Plus, it lets you offer free shipping if the total weight is above a certain threshold, which you can decide.
3. Checkout Field Editor by JCodex
Not only is shipping a multistep process; but it is also inextricably linked with other actions that your store may allow, including checkout. Ensuring a stress-free and engaging checkout experience means fewer abandoned carts and more conversions.
In terms of shipping, many customers complain of a lack of transparency and options in the checkout section. With the Checkout Field Editor, you can add, remove, or hide fields and design bespoke or conditional fields. For shipping, these can include options for flat rates, local pickup, preferred delivery time, location instructions, and more.
Some fields can be entirely of your choosing, while buyers can fill in the rest.
4. PDF Invoices & Packing Slips for WooCommerce
Providing online shopping records is a subtly smart touch that enhances your store strategy with competence and trust. The PDF Invoices and Packing Slips tool takes an online order and converts it to a detailed and easy-to-read PDF file.
It provides all the relevant information like shipping costs, added charges, tax info, date and time, and other instructions that might have been added at checkout.
5. Advanced Shipment Tracking for WooCommerce
Unsurprisingly, shipping and delivery can sometimes have buyers anxiously biting their nails. The reality is that you can’t really offer them much control over how smooth the delivery is. What does the trick, however, is keeping them a bit more in the loop.
This is where the Advanced Shipment Tracking plugin comes through. They can oversee everything from order processing to shipping to each stage of shipping can be at their fingertips. You can generate, or even customize, product IDs, import CVS data, and make fulfilment a breeze. And that’s before getting into API support.
6. CTX Feed – WooCommerce Product Feed Manager
For the most part, CTX Feed primarily helps you optimize e-commerce feeds for Google, Facebook, Instagram, and a host of other platforms.
This nifty extension can expertly showcase relevant info followers across more than 100 platforms, and yes, shipping is among those. You can even share instructions, tips, and even discount offers or promo codes on shipping.
Amazingly, this ends up getting their attention before they’ve even made it to your store. Just design the right attribute, and you’re good to go. For extra ease, this too also integrates with Google Shipping and WooCommerce plugins.
Concluding Remarks
Of all the different aspects of managing an online store, shipping calls for your full, undivided attention. Fortunately, it doesn’t have to be complicated. With these WooCommerce shipping plugins at your disposal, your buyers will appreciate your store as a beacon of unparalleled customer experience.