Details the requirements for In-Cart Delivery Options and with a common use case, demonstrates how to use the feature's basic functions.
In-Cart Delivery Options is a new ShipStation feature that allows you to configure the rates you wish your customers to select during their store checkout process.
In ShipStation, you’ll configure the carrier and service for each option and set the type of rate the options will use (live rate or preset rate). ShipStation will then send this information to your store for your customers to choose in their shopping cart.
Use Case Example
The best way to understand how to use In-Cart Delivery Options is with a common use case.
In this example, you want to offer your customers three different delivery options during checkout based on transit time:
A standard option. This is low-cost, but may take several days.
An expedited option. A slightly higher cost that may take 2 - 3 days.
The fastest option. The highest cost that may take 1-2 days.
You must be using ShipStation's new layout (feature not available with ShipStation Legacy).
Currently only available for U.S.-based ShipStation users.
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An active Magento, Shopify , or BigCommerce account.
Store-Specific Requirements
Shopify Plan: To use the In-cart Delivery Options feature, you must be on a Shopify Advanced plan or higher. Alternatively, you could also gain access by switching your Shopify plan monthly payment to an annual payment. Or you may request access to Shopify's third-party calculated shipping rates that Shopify charges an additional fee for.
Magento Plug-in: You must update to the latest version of the ShipStation plug-in (2.3+) to use In-Cart Delivery Options. Visit Magento's ShipStation page to get the most recently updated plug-in.
The ShipStation app installed in your Magento, Shopify, or BigCommerce store (available from the App Marketplace).
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Your Magento, Shopify, or BigCommerce store is connected to ShipStation.
If you have not connected your store to ShipStation, follow the instructions in the appropriate article:
Setup-process Summary
Setting up In-Cart Delivery Options requires three main steps:
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Enable Shipstation to provide In-Cart Delivery Options during checkout:
Magento does not require this step.
You only need to connect and enable once. Afterward, you can configure more options or modify them at any time.
Before you can start configuring your options, you must first connect the feature to your store in ShipStation.
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Select your store and click Edit.
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Select the Delivery Options tab.
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Click the Connect to Shopify or Connect to BigCommerce button.
You are now ready for the next step: Configure In-Cart Delivery Options in ShipStation!
In this demo, we’ll first set up the Standard option, then add the Expedited and Fastest options.
How Rates Are Estimated
The returned rates must make certain assumptions about your shipments. Please keep in the mind the following:
This feature assumes all shipments are shipping from your default warehouse location in ShipStation. Please see our Service Mapping article to learn how to automate your customer's selected shipping options by order or by store.
This feature assumes all shipments are using the package type of Package. There is currently no way to designate other package types or receive rates for other package types.
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ShipStation uses the product weights sent from the ecommerce platform. For the most accurate rates, make sure those product weights represent the shipping weights.
If this is not possible with your workflow, an alternate option would be to use the Rate Adjustment option provided in the Delivery Options setup. This allows you to add a percentage or set amount to any rate returned by the carrier's API to compensate for any rate increase the package weight will incur.
To add a standard delivery option:
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Select the Add Delivery Option button.
This will open the New Delivery Option pop-up:
Enter 'Standard' in the Delivery Option Name field.
Enter 'transit time' in the Description field.
Choose Live Rate in the pricing method drop-down menu.
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Select the following shipping services or similar ones from the Select Shipping Service drop-down:
USPS Priority Mail Express
FedEx Standard Overnight
UPS Next Day Air
Leave the Rate Adjustments set to 'None' and leave the Do not display selection as is. (This determines what to do if rates are unavailable.)
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Click Save.
You should now see your new Delivery Option listed in the Delivery Options tab.
To preview what your customers will see for this option:
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Click the Preview button.
Enter a Zip Code and a Package Weight.
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Click the Preview Shipping Costs button.
For this example, the preview shows the customer will see a Standard Delivery option for $15.09 that is expected to take 5 days from shipment.
How Does This Happen?
ShipStation takes the entered package weight, ship-to zip code, ship-from address (from your default ship-from location), and requests rates from all the carrier services you specified (in this example: USPS Priority Mail, UPS Ground, FedEx Ground). ShipStation compares those responses and passes back the least expensive result and its transit time.
Now, let’s add the Expedited and Fastest Delivery Options.
Follow the same steps for the Standard option, but fill in the Edit Delivery Options pop-up with the details from the corresponding images:
After you complete and Save these two additional Delivery Options, you should see all three of your configured Delivery Options listed in the Delivery Options tab:
The final step is to enable your store to receive the rates you configured in ShipStation.
For your new delivery options to appear in BigCommerce, you must enable the feature in your BigCommerce account.
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Go to Store Setup then Shipping in your BigCommerce account.
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Click Configure (under the Checkout Shipping options section) for the zone that you wish to enable ShipStation as the rates provider.
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Toggle ShipStation to the enabled position.
A dialog box will appear.
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Select the Show Transit Time checkbox.
This will enable the display of the transit time, shown in number of days, for each In-Cart Delivery Option.
Click Submit.
Now let’s go to your BigCommerce store, as your customer would, and see the results for this set of Delivery Options.
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Select a product, add it to the cart, and go to checkout.
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Enter a shipping address at checkout.
You now should see the options you configured in ShipStation:
Congratulations! You’ve successfully configured your first set of Delivery Options in ShipStation!
For your new in-cart delivery options to appear in Shopify, you must enable the feature in your Shopify account.
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Go to Settings, then Shipping and delivery in your Shopify account.
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Click Manage rates in the Delivery methods at checkout section.
You should now see ShipStation as one of the carriers.
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Select the tri-colon menu “...” to the right of ShipStation, then select Edit rate.
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Make sure the checkbox is selected next to Standard Delivery in the Edit rate pop-up, press the Done button, and click Save.
Magento: Use the most up-to date plugin (2.3+) for your Magento store for In-Cart Delivery Options to work.
If your plan is Basic Shopify or if you pay monthly for your Shopify, you must contact Shopify to add Real-Time Calculated Shipping (RTCS) to your store.
There is an additional $20 monthly fee that Shopify charges for Real-Time Calculated Shipping. This service is mandatory for ShipStation’s rates to work in Shopify. For Shopify Advanced, Shopify Plus, and Shopify annual subscription plans, there is no additional fee for Real-Time Calculated Shipping.
After you register for Real-Time Calculated Shipping, there may be a delay from 30 minutes to 24 hours before the ShipStation rates appear in Shopify.
To calculate rates for your delivery options, ShipStation uses product weights from the ecommerce platform. Please make sure those product weights represent the shipping weights.
We assume all shipments are shipping from your default warehouse location and using a package type of Package. Please see our Service Mapping article to learn how to automate your customer's selected shipping options by order or by store.
Troubleshooting tip: If you see a blank page under Delivery Options after ShipStation enables In-Cart Delivery Options on your account, you will need to enter a Ship From Location.