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How to Set Up the ReachShip WooCommerce Multi-Carrier & Conditional Shipping Plugin?

This article will provide detailed, step-by-step instructions to assist you in setting up the ReachShip WooCommerce Multi-Carrier & Conditional Shipping plugin. On its product page, additional information about the plugin’s features can be found.

The ReachShip WooCommerce Multi-Carrier & Conditional Shipping Plugin is a powerful tool that enables online merchants to streamline their shipping operations and offer a better shipping experience to their customers.

The plugin is designed to simplify the shipping process for online businesses by allowing them to manage their shipping operations using multiple carriers, all from within the WooCommerce platform.

With this plugin, merchants can easily integrate their WooCommerce store with multiple carriers, including FedEx, UPS, USPS, Australia Post MyPost Business, DHL, and more. This allows them to offer a wider range of shipping options to their customers and optimize their shipping costs.

The plugin also offers advanced shipping rules and conditions, which enable merchants to create custom shipping rules based on a variety of parameters, such as product, product category, cart value, and more.

Other features of the ReachShip WooCommerce Multi-Carrier & Conditional Shipping Plugin include real-time shipping rates, label printing, package tracking, and shipment automation. These features will help you save time and improve your store’s overall shipping efficiency.

Overview

  • Multi-Carrier Shipping – ReachShip WooCommerce Multi-Carrier & Conditional Shipping Plugin offers a wide range of shipping options, including FedEx, UPS, DHL, USPS, and Australia Post MyPost Business, providing users with flexibility and convenience in choosing the best carrier for their specific shipping needs.
  • Multiple Account Integration – Not only can you add multiple carriers but also add multiple accounts from a single carrier so as to consolidate all your shipping requirements into one single location.
  • Real-Time Shipping Rates – This feature enables you to access real-time shipping rates directly from the chosen carrier, enabling them to make informed shipping decisions based on the most up-to-date information.
  • Estimated Delivery Date – The plugin also provides an estimated delivery date feature, which allows users to inform their customers of the expected delivery date for their packages, improving customer satisfaction and reducing customer inquiries.
  • Live Tracking – Users can track their shipments in real-time, allowing them to monitor their packages’ progress and keep their customers updated on delivery status.
  • Bulk Label Printing – With bulk label printing, you can print multiple shipping labels at once, saving time and streamlining the shipping process.
  • Bulk Label Printing History – This feature keeps a record of all past label printing, allowing you to quickly access previous shipping labels, and reducing the likelihood of errors or duplications.
  • Customizable Packaging – The plugin provides the option of partial packaging that allows you to consolidate several items into a single package, resulting in lower shipping costs, or divide a single order into multiple packages to streamline the shipping procedure. Additionally, you have the ability to create personalized packaging solutions tailored to your specific requirements.
  • Shipment Automation – Shipment automation enables you to automatically change the order status based on the shipping process, freeing up time for other business tasks.
  • Auto Label Generation – Auto label generation automatically generates shipping labels, further streamlining the shipping process and reducing the risk of errors.
  • Conditional Shipping | Table Rate Shipping – Conditional shipping allows you to set up custom shipping rules based on a variety of criteria, such as product, product category, cart value, shipping class, and shipping address, ensuring accurate and efficient shipping rates and methods.

Getting Started with the ReachShip WooCommerce Multi-Carrier & Conditional Shipping Plugin

To get started, first, you need to download the plugin from the product page.

Next, log in to your WordPress dashboard.

Click Plugins on the WordPress Sidebar > Add New > Upload Plugin

Next, click Choose File > Install Now

Once the installation is complete, click Activate.

Once the plugin has been installed and activated, there are two ways to access its settings.

  • Dashboard > Plugins > Installed Plugins > ReachShip WooCommerce Multi-Carrier & Conditional Shipping > Settings.
  • Dashboard > WooCommerce > ReachShip > Settings

After the installation is complete, you can connect your account using ReachShip API credentials created for your existing ReachShip account or sign up for a new account. 

You can read this article for a step-by-step demonstration of how to create an account with ReachShip. 

Once your account is created, you can navigate to the ReachShip Dashboard > Settings > API to obtain the Client ID and Client Secret.

Connect Carrier Credentials with ReachShip | ReachShip WooCommerce

Connect Carrier Credentials with ReachShip

The generated credentials can then be used to connect your ReachShip credentials with the plugin.

Connect Carrier Credentials with ReachShip

Next, select Sandbox or Production mode based on the generated credentials and click Connect. This will connect your ReachShip account to the plugin.

Upon successful connection, you will be redirected to the onboarding setup page.

Setup Carriers and Services

On the carriers and services setup page select the ReachShip Carriers you wish to connect and activate. When a carrier is activated, their shipping options become available to you.

Note You can go through the ReachShip knowledge base for a step-by-step guide on how to obtain carrier credentials for various carriers and set them up on ReachShip.

Explore our extensive collection of carrier integration documentation for seamless setup tailored to individual carriers.

Carrier IntegrationSetup Documentation
Australia Post
DHL Express

When a carrier is activated, its shipping options become available to you.

Setup Carriers and Services | ReachShip WooCommerce

Here you can activate or deactivate each of the available carrier services, set custom service names, add extra cover, enable or disable signature on delivery, and add price adjustments in the form of flat rate or percentage.

Once you have activated and configured your required carriers and services, click Next.

Delivery Settings

On this page, you need to enter the default origin address which will be used for label generation. 

Delivery Settings
  • Save address as – This field allows the user to enter a custom name for the address, which will be used for easy identification of the address in future use.
  • Sender Name – This field allows the user to enter the name of the sender of the package.
  • Sender Company Name – This field allows the user to enter the name of the company of the sender, if applicable.
  • Sender Phone – This field allows the user to enter the phone number of the sender.
  • Sender Email – This field allows the user to enter the email address of the sender.
  • Sender Street 1 Address – This field allows the user to enter the street address of the sender, such as a house number and street name.
  • Sender Street 2 Address – This field allows the user to enter additional information about the sender’s address, such as an apartment or suite number.
  • Sender City – This field allows the user to enter the name of the city where the sender is located.
  • Sender Country – This field allows the user to enter the name of the country where the sender is located.
  • Sender Zip Code – This field allows the user to enter the postal code or zip code of the sender’s address.
  • Set Return Address – This option allows the user to choose whether they want to set the origin address as the return address or to set a custom return address.

Once the origin and return address settings are configured, click Next.

Shipment Automation

Using ReachShip’s powerful integration you can automate shipments for FedEx, UPS, USPS, Australia Post MyPost Business, and DHL.

Shipment Automation | ReachShip WooCommerce

Ready to Ship Order Status – This option allows you to automatically change the order status when the order is ready to be shipped. The available order statuses include Processing, On Hold, and Completed.

After Shipment Initiated Auto-update Order Status To – This option allows you to select an order status that will be automatically updated when the shipment has been initiated. For example, the order status can be changed to “Completed” when the shipment has been initiated. The available options include – None, On Hold, Processing, and Completed.

Ready Time – Set the starting time when shipments become available for processing.

Cut off time – Define the deadline for accepting shipments to ensure timely processing.

Working Days – Specify the days of the week when the plugin should be active for order processing.

Auto Label Generation – This option allows the user to automatically generate shipping labels for the order. When this option is enabled, a shipping label will be automatically generated and attached to the order when the shipment has been initiated. 

Email Notification for Failed Shipments – Enable email alerts for failed shipments, ensuring prompt attention to any issues.

Package Creation for Non-ReachShip Orders – Automatically generate packages for orders not processed through ReachShip.

  • Carrier – Integrate seamlessly with your preferred default carrier for efficient shipping solutions.
  • Default Domestic Service – Set the default service for domestic shipments, simplifying order processing.
  • Default International Service – Define the default service for international shipments to streamline global logistics.

Fallback to Cheapest Service – Optimize cost efficiency by automatically selecting the most economical service when preferred options are unavailable.

This brings us to the end of the onboarding process. Once you have configured all the shipment automation settings, click Finish.

The main plugin settings are divided into four tabs – General Settings, Carriers & Services, Delivery Settings, and Label Generation.

Keep reading to learn more about the features available in each tab.

General Settings

On the general settings page, you can enable real-time rates, debug mode, and review and disconnect your API key settings.

General Settings
  • Real-Time Rates – This enables you to access real-time shipping rates from the chosen carrier, providing accurate and up-to-date shipping information to your customers.
  • Debug Log – The debug log feature helps you identify any errors or issues that may arise during the shipping process, making it easier to troubleshoot and resolve any problems quickly.
  • Account/API Key Details – This enables you to review API key details.
  • Disconnect My Account – This enables you to disconnect your ReachShip account from the plugin, removing the account and API key details from the plugin’s settings.

If you have made any changes, click Save Changes.

Carriers and Services

On the Carriers, Accounts & Services page, you can add, edit, and delete shipping carriers, accounts, and services.

Carriers and Services | ReachShip WooCommerce
  • Fallback Amount – Set a global fallback amount that will be applied in case any of the carriers fail to retrieve and respond with real-time shipping rates.
  • Fallback Method Label – Set a custom method label for the fallback rate.
  • Refresh – Refresh the page with the newly added carriers, accounts & services settings.
  • Add New Carrier Account – This enables you to add a new carrier account to the plugin, providing access to additional shipping options and carriers.
Add New Carrier Account
  • Rate Settings – The rate settings allow you to customize the carrier-specific shipping settings such as the option to display the cheapest rates only, add extra cover, enable a signature, display the best flat rate services, set a custom method title, and choose if you wish to offer the service to all countries or a few selected countries.

NoteThe rate settings are carrier-specific and differ from carrier to carrier. You can refer to the Carriers and Services section for a list of documentation for each carrier integration.

Rate Settings | ReachShip WooCommerce
  • Account Settings – Account settings enable you to change the default origin address.

Note The account settings are carrier-specific and differ from carrier to carrier. You can refer to the Carriers and Services section for a list of documentation for each carrier integration.

Account Settings
  • Edit – This enables you to enter the API credentials for the selected carrier and set the shipping carrier account as primary.
  • Delete – Remove a carrier account from the plugin, removing access to the carrier’s services and account information
  • Show Services – Here you can activate or deactivate each of the available carrier services, set custom service names, add extra cover, enable or disable signature on delivery, and add price adjustments in the form of flat rate or percentage.
Show Services

Manage Addresses

On the manage addresses page, you can edit or delete the default origin and return addresses and add new addresses if needed. 

Manage Addresses
  • Add new origin and return address: This feature allows users to add a new origin and return address to their account. This is useful for those who have multiple shipping locations or have recently moved.

Click Save Changes upon configuring the addresses.

Shipment Automation

In this section, you can change the default shipment automation settings configured during the setup process. You can also configure the default carriers and services.

Shipment Automation

WooCommerce Order Status for Ready to Ship – This option allows you to automatically change the order status when the order is ready to be shipped. The available order statuses include Processing, On Hold, and Completed.

After Shipment Initiated Auto-update Order Status To – This option allows you to select an order status that will be automatically updated when the shipment has been initiated. For example, the order status can be changed to “Completed” when the shipment has been initiated. The available options include – None, On Hold, Processing, and Completed.

Ready Time – Set the starting time when shipments become available for processing.

Cut-Off Time – Define the deadline for accepting shipments to ensure timely processing.

Working Days – Specify the days of the week when the plugin should be active for order processing.

Auto Label Generation – This option allows the user to automatically generate shipping labels for the order. When this option is enabled, a shipping label will be automatically generated and attached to the order when the shipment has been initiated. Note – This feature is not available for MyPost Business.

Email Notification for Failed Shipments – Enable email alerts for failed shipments, ensuring prompt attention to any issues. Specify email IDs in a comma-separated format or leave it empty to send an email to the site admin when the auto label generation fails.

Package Creation for Non-ReachShip Orders – Enables the Default Carrier & Services settings

  • Carrier: Set your default carrier for efficient shipping.
  • Default Domestic Service: Set the default service for domestic shipments, simplifying order processing.
  • Default International Service: Define the default service for international shipments to streamline global logistics.

Fallback to Cheapest Service – Optimize cost efficiency by automatically selecting the most economical service when preferred options are unavailable.

Once the settings are configured, click Save Changes.

Shipment & Bulk Printing

On this page, you can generate shipments and create shipping labels individually or in bulk for your received orders.

Shipment & Bulk Printing

Here you can filter orders based on Date Period, Shipment Status, and Carrier. The search field also enables you to search for specific orders.

Shipment & Bulk Printing

To create shipments and print shipping labels individually or in bulk, select the orders you wish to create shipments and shipping labels for.

Once you have selected the orders you want to create shipments and shipping labels for, select Bulk Shipment and Label Generation from the drop-down menu and click Apply. Check out the screenshot.

Bulk Shipment and Label Generation

When you click “Apply” the Bulk Shipments Generation and Pickup Process pop-up window will appear containing the orders selected which redirects to the WooCommerce order page and the option to add pickup service.

If you have enabled Add Pickup Service, select the date and time for the pickup to be scheduled and click Confirm.

Add Pickup Service | ReachShip WooCommerce

Upon confirming, the created shipping label(s) will be available for you to view and download.

Each order number on the order details page along with the order creation date and time redirects to the WooCommerce Order page. Along with that, the number of packages, shipment status, date, and shipping carrier can be viewed, and the following actions can be executed:

Preview: Enables you to preview the shipment and package details such as order ID, package number, carrier, preferred service, estimated delivery date(if applicable), tracking ID, box name, box weight, and package content.

Print Label PDF: Enables you to print the label as a PDF file.

Download Label: Enables you to download the label in a PDF format that you can save or share with others.

Track Shipment: This enables you to track the shipment of the package associated with the label. 

The tracking ID will redirect you to the respective shipping carrier’s tracking page. If your shipment includes multiple packages, you can also switch between multiple tracking IDs to check the status of each. The refresh button also allows you to refresh the tracking status and get the latest updates.

Bulk Label History

This page logs all of your bulk printing and shipping label creation activity from the Shipment and Bulk Printing page.

Filter Logs: Enables you to sort through logs based on the date range.

Bulk Delete: Enables you to delete multiple logs at once, saving you time and effort.

Order IDs: The orders for which you have created shipment and shipping labels in bulk will be displayed, and clicking on any of them will direct you to the corresponding shipping label so that you can view, print, or download it.

Actions: 

  • Print: Enables you to print out the logs for future reference or to share with others.
  • Download: Enables you to download the logs in a PDF format that you can save or share with others.
  • Delete: This option allows you to delete individual logs that are no longer needed.

Conditional Shipping | Table Rate Shipping

The ReachShip plugin enables you to add conditional shipping to your WooCommerce store.

To begin creating conditional shipping rules, click Add New Rule.

  • Rule name: This field allows users to create a unique name for their shipping rule to easily identify it.
  • Condition type (Any or All conditions): This field allows users to choose whether the shipping rule applies if any or all of the specified conditions are met. If “Any” is selected, the rule will apply if any one of the specified conditions is met. If “All” is selected, the rule will only apply if all of the specified conditions are met.
  • Condition type: This field allows users to select the type of condition they want to apply to their shipping rule. The available options are:
  • Item-based: This condition applies to specific items in the cart. Users can select the items they want to apply the condition to.
  • Product category-based: This condition applies to products in a specific category. Users can select the category they want to apply the condition to.
  • Cart value-based: This condition applies to the total value of the cart. Users can set a minimum or maximum cart value for the condition.
  • Shipping class-based: This condition applies to specific shipping classes. Users can select the shipping classes they want to apply the condition to.
  • Shipping address-based: This condition applies to specific shipping addresses. Users can select the countries or states they want to apply the condition to.
  • Carriers: This field allows users to select the carriers they want to use for the shipping rule. You can also choose between production and sandbox carriers. The available options are: Australia Post, DHL, FedEx, UPS, and USPS.
  • Use flat rate and flat rate amount: This field allows users to set a flat rate for their shipping rule. The flat rate amount is the amount charged for shipping when the rule applies.

Once the rules are added, they can be turned on and off, edited, and deleted from the conditional rules list.

Demonstration

The process of creating shipments, generating labels, printing labels, and tracking shipments are different for each carrier integrated with ReachShip. You can find the setup documentation for each carrier, in the Setup Carriers and Services section or the ReachShip website > Integrations. For demonstration, below is a screenshot of a domestic shipping label generated via Australia Post:

Below is a screenshot of the created international Australia Post shipping label:

Below is a screenshot of the created domestic and international DHL Express shipping labels:

Product Level Settings for International Shipments

If you are shipping internationally, you must provide some additional information for each product. These settings are located in the ReachShip section of the WooCommerce Product Data meta-box for every product.

NoteThe product level settings for international shipments are carrier specific and differ from carrier to carrier. You can find the setup documentation for each carrier, in the Setup Carriers and Services section or the ReachShip website > Integrations.

The demaonstrated settings for Australia Post MyPost Business are shown in the following screenshot.

Dashboard

Dashboard > WooCommerce > ReachShip > Dashboard

The dashboard tab displays a detailed report that includes the total number of shipments, total shipments initiated, total pickups scheduled, and total labels generated, and more.

  • Total Shipments: The total number of shipments processed or initiated using any of the available ReachShip carriers.
  • Shipments Initiated: The number of shipments that have been initiated using any of the available ReachShip carriers.
  • Pickups Scheduled: The number of shipments for which a pickup has been scheduled using any of the available ReachShip carriers.
  • Label Generated: The number of shipping labels that have been generated using any of the available ReachShip carriers.

Carrier Details

  • Packages Shipped: The total number of packages shipped using the carrier.
  • Ready To Ship: The number of shipments that are ready to be shipped by the carrier.
  • Shipment Created: The number of shipments that have been created in the carrier’s system.
  • Label Generated: The number of shipping labels that have been generated in the carrier’s system.
  • Pickup Scheduled: The number of pickups that have been scheduled with the carrier.

Further Reading

Next How to Set Up WooCommerce Conditional Shipping / Table Rate Shipping for Flat Rates & Shipping Carriers?
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