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Shopify marketingHow to Set Up and Automate Compelling Shopify Welcome EmailsWith the increasing usage of smartphones and consumers’ increased online presence, email seems like a relic from the past. However, the truth is that email is the backbone of customer retention and a highly effective channel for connecting with your customers even after they’ve left your website.
With this in mind, let’s take a look at how you can automate one of the most important emails you’ll ever send to your customers: the welcome email.
Does Shopify Have Welcome Emails?
At this stage, Shopify does not have a built-in way to send automated welcome emails to new email subscribers. Not to worry, there are other ways you can easily send out emails to your customers. The easiest of these is to use a third-party app that will set up welcome emails and future email marketing efforts.
How to Set Up a Welcome Email in Shopify
To set up a welcome email for Shopify you will need to integrate a third-party app. There are many available through the Shopify App Store and many of them are simple enough to set up and use. Perhaps the hardest part of creating welcome emails and subsequent email marketing campaigns isn’t the setup but instead is choosing how the emails are laid out, organized, and written.
The easiest (and only way) to set up automated welcome emails in Shopify is with a third-party app added to your store through the Shopify App Store.
What to Write In a Welcome Email?
If you’re running a subscription-based website, welcome emails are an absolute necessity. However, determining exactly what to write in a welcome email can be tricky. To help you out, here’s a look at some points you should include in a high-converting welcome email:
Welcome emails need to include a clear, concise, and engaging subject line.Included should be an easy-to-read greeting. Something that’s inviting, enthralling, and to the point.Once you’ve got the reader’s attention, remind them who you are and why they signed up in the first place.Now, to really create an impressive entrance, offer them a gift. A discount or two for one deal should do the trick.Of course, mention your brand’s social media accounts.If you have one, take this opportunity to spruik your refer-a-friend campaign.And lastly, wrap it all up with a witty little conclusion. Preferably something that has a call-to-action included within it.
What Is a Good Welcome Message?
The best way to write a good welcome email message is to introduce yourself, the face behind the brand. It will keep it consistent with how you want others to see your brand's voice. Just don't use passive voice - that’s not convincing anybody particularly your readers. Always be clear about what it is that you want people to do after reading your email.
How to Change Your Welcome Email in Shopify?
Third-party apps that can be used to send welcome emails in Shopify have an integrated template editing tool and written editor. That way you can easily customize not just the look and layout of your welcome emails but also edit the first message you’d like to deliver to your new subscribers.
How to Send a Welcome Email to New Subscribers?
It’s easy enough, just jump onto your Shopify dashboard, find the third-party app you’ve integrated into your store, and get writing. Once your welcome message is completed, roll out your app’s automated capabilities and sit back and relax as the app does all the hard work for you.
7 Best Shopify Email Marketing Platforms for Welcome Emails
1. Klaviyo
Klaviyo streamlines your email marketing, so you can get back to what matters. The app simplifies your welcome email marketing by bringing together everything you need - in one place. From list management to campaign creation, the drag-and-drop builder makes it easy to craft beautiful emails that will both grow your customer base fast while also boosting sales.
2. Privy
Privy is a complete email marketing platform built for Shopify that helps you attract, convert, and retain more customers. Not only does it help you automate and create high-converting welcome emails but it also easily adds beautiful signup forms, follow-up sequences, abandoned cart emails, and more with no coding required.
3. Mailchimp
Create and send beautifully crafted, e-commerce-based welcome emails in just minutes. Collect customer data with ease and send targeted personalized content. And send automated emails to nurture leads and turn them into loyal customers.
4. Omnisend
Omnisend helps e-commerce businesses to increase sales and reduce cart abandonment by sending automated, personalized welcome emails and subsequent communications. It enables store owners to save time by automating order follow-ups with abandoned carts emails, SMS reminder messages, and push notifications.
5. Smartrmail
Smartrmail brings you the best and most advanced tools to help you automate your email marketing. With features that help you create engaging welcome emails, abandoned cart emails, and remarketing copy you can easily increase your customer base by converting potential customers into loyal buyers.
» Gain an in-depth understanding by reading our comprehensive Smartrmail review
6. Moosend
Moosend is a visual email builder that makes it easy to create professional, eye-catching welcome emails without ever needing to write a line of code. Create and send beautiful emails from your own template library with customized design, layouts, and typography.
7. Shopify Email
The Shopify Email App makes it easy to send beautiful emails from directly within your Shopify admin. Send transactional and welcome emails, as well as customer surveys and more - all while paying next to nothing for a third-party service.
Is Shopify Email Free?
The Shopify Email app is free to use for the first 2500 emails per month. Any emails sent above this number are only charged at $1 USD for every 1000 emails you send after that. Compared to the rates of other email marketing apps, this is very competitive pricing.
Can Shopify Email Send Automated Emails?
Yes, the Shopify Email app can send automated emails. Simply integrate the application into your Shopify store through the Shopify App Store, enter your details, and get creating. Once you’re happy with your efforts, set up the automated process, and sit back and relax.
Final Verdict
In today's time, well-written welcome emails and email marketing, in general, has become a highly effective channel for connecting with your customers even after they’ve left your website. Get this right and you’ll be bringing more customers back to your store than ever before.
Shopify inventoryOrganizing Your Shopify ProductsFiguring out how to organize products on Shopify might not seem like a complex task, but it's something many new business owners struggle with. Successfully managing Shopify products is a crucial part of running your store effectively.
After all, the better you are at product management, the better you can control your inventory and present items to your target audience in a way that generates crucial sales. Today, we're going to cover the basics of organizing your products on Shopify for the best possible e-commerce results.
How to Add Products to a Page
Before you can start experimenting with Shopify product bundles or tags, you first need to add your products to a page within your Shopify store. Fortunately, the process of listing your products with Shopify is relatively straightforward.
You can add new products to your page either from a desktop computer or a mobile device. If you're adding products from a desktop, start by logging into your Shopify account, visiting the admin panel, and following these steps:
Click on Products and Select All Products.Choose Add Product.Give the item you want to add a name and description.Include an image of your product (or multiple if possible).Select Save.
The process is very similar on a mobile device. Simply open the Shopify app on your smartphone and click on All Products. When the new screen loads, select the + icon in the top right corner of the screen—you can also just hit the + button from the products screen.
Add the details for your Shopify draft products, such as the description, the name, and the images you want to include, and hit Save.
» Trying to run multiple Shopify stores? Read our guide to having multiple Shopify stores under one account
How to Hide a Product
When you're learning how to organize products on Shopify, you'll also need to know how to hide the products you don't want to show straight away. Hiding products can be a great way to prepare draft products that aren't ready for launch. You can also learn how to hide a product from store pages with an app like Out-of-Stock Police to avoid drawing attention to items that are out of stock.
To hide or unhide a product manually, go into your Shopify account and click on Products again, then:
Select your Product list and the product you want to edit.Keep the visibility section blank to hide a product.If you want to show your product to users, click the online store option to display the product to anyone who visits your store.
How to Organize Your Products on Shopify
Learning how to organize products on Shopify means discovering how to change the order of your products, applying specific tags to each item, and creating collections.
To start, it's important to understand the product organization capabilities you'll have on a Shopify store. Shopify allows you to create different product types, define products with tags, and establish collections. Here's what you need to know about your product options:
Collections
Shopify "collections" is another word for product categories. You can use these product types to group similar products. For instance, a clothing store might have different collections for shoes, outerwear, and jackets.Tags
Within each Shopify collection, you can create sub-categories using tags. Product tags are the searchable keywords you can associate with specific products. Customers can search for terms to help them find the items they’re looking for in your store. You can add multiple tags to each product. Product Type
Each product created within Shopify can also be given a single "type." A product type is a category for each product used to manage collections. For instance, if you wanted to create an automated collection with Shopify, or filter products in the Shopify admin center, you could organize products by "type."
While collections and tags are valuable for helping customers find the products they need, a product type is more for your needs in the backend of Shopify when you want to change the order of products or filter through your collection.
Alternatively, you can simplify this process with an app like BestSellers reSort.
Tips for Organizing Products on Shopify
When organizing products on Shopify, you'll have a range of options. You can stick with simple collections of products—which is ideal if you only have a handful of items to sell. Alternatively, you can create a "nested" collection, which consists of multiple levels of sub-categories to help customers find specifically what they're looking for.
For instance, within a collection of women's tops, you could create sub-categories for graphic tees, blouses, and tanks. Tags create sub-categories within a collection, and they can also help you organize items by size, color, type, and style.
When organizing your products effectively, it's best to do the following:
Plan the Structure of Your Website
Consider how you want your customers to see your products and how you can make it easier for them to find the items they need.Put UX First
Consider the customer experience first and minimize the number of steps your customers need to take to find each product.Avoid Over-Filled Categories
Avoid filling categories with too many products, as this can make it difficult for users to browse through everything.Remember the Navigation Menu
How your collections appear on your site will vary depending on how you organize your navigation.
Don't forget to test your Shopify site after adding your products to ensure the user experience is up to scratch.
Shopify appsTagRobot: Auto-Tag Orders & Customers on ShopifyAs a Shopify seller, you have to handle and fulfill various kinds of orders. TagRobot is an intuitive, convenient, and fully customizable solution that makes managing your orders and customer segmentation far simpler.
Why Should You Use TagRobot?
Easy setup: Tag automatically without coding in seconds.Automated tagging: Accurately categorize orders and customers with automated tagging rules.Advanced reporting: Tag your orders for easier management and reporting.
Shopify lacks user-friendly features for segmenting orders or auto-tagging customers. TagRobot helps you streamline and organize your order management and customer segmentation, all directly within your store's admin area.
The app integrates with your existing admin interface, saving you the time and effort of learning a new system. You can filter your orders and customers by tags and save those applied filters as searches for future use, giving you an efficient solution to organizing order and customer segments.
You can get started with TagRobot immediately since there's no coding required.
How Does TagRobot Work?
Once you've defined a set of tagging rules, TagRobot will analyze each new order placed in your store against each of your tagging rules. If the order matches any rule conditions, that order will be tagged as specified in the rule.
TagRobot provides over 50 easy-to-follow rules to either remove tags or auto-tag orders and customers based on an extensive list of criteria, such as the time that orders are placed, the order quantity, the use of discount codes, and much more.
In addition to tagging new orders automatically, you can apply your rules to past orders.
» Discover how to tag gift your orders on Shopify
Pricing Plans
TagRobot has a free option and three paid pricing plans to choose from, all of which come with real-time tagging:
Free PlanFreeReal-time taggingUp to 50 orders per monthUp to 50 customers per monthBasic Plan$5/monthReal-time taggingUp to 1,000 orders per monthUp to 1,000 customers per monthPro Plan$10/monthReal-time taggingUp to 5,000 orders per monthUp to 5,000 customers per monthBusiness Plan$25/monthReal-time taggingUnlimited order tags per monthUnlimited customer tags per month
It is important to note that 1¢ per additional tag will be charged if the plan limit is exceeded.
Is TagRobot Worth Investing in?
TagRobot is a valuable investment for Shopify sellers who want to streamline their order management and customer segmentation. The app's user-friendly interface, over 50 auto-tagging rules, real-time tagging, efficient order management, and cost-effective pricing plans make it a compelling solution for sellers. By automating the tagging process, TagRobot can save sellers significant time and effort in managing their orders and customer segments.
Shopify appsNerdy Form: Easy Setup & Flexible DesignPotential customers are more likely to fill out a contact form than call or email. Nerdy Form by Nerdy Apps allows you to add a customizable contact form widget to any of your store's pages. It is a spam-free contact form app that makes communication with customers more manageable to increase conversions.
Nerdy Form is incredibly versatile; there are several types of form fields from which to pick, and you can easily alter the field set and field order of any form. Simple and ready to use, it takes one click to install the app on your store.
Why You Should Use Nerdy Form
This app ensures consistent message delivery and eliminates scenarios where customers are unable to contact a business owner, increasing your chances of making a sale. Google reCAPTCHA can be quickly applied to any form, helping deter spammers from exasperating merchants.
A great feature of Nerdy Form is how it meets the demands of any shop without jeopardizing the user experience. Through conditional visibility and the multi-step feature, you can build and customize forms to integrate into the look and feel of your website.
Key Features
Flexible, adaptable form designAuto-reply emailFile uploadIntegration with Google reCAPTCHATerms and conditions checkboxRedirect after submissionPop-up formsCompatible with popular email marketing tools like Zapier, ActiveCampaign, Omnisend, and KlaviyoShow or hide a form field based on the user's selection using conditional logicPersonalize email templatesDate selector supporting various formatsThe option to include a store's location map on the contact pageForm donations and accept payments through StripeThe option to add a department and tailor email recipients based on that selectionMultiple email receivers
Pricing
Nerdy Form provides one free plan and four paid plans. Notably, if you choose to pay annually rather than monthly, the Bronze, Silver, and Gold plans cost $5, $9, and $24 per month, respectively. Additionally, the free plan includes all available features.
Is Nerdy Form Worth It?
To put it simply, yes! Nerdy Form is designed to prevent message loss, allowing potential customers to contact the store owner. Setting it up is simple, and you can modify the designs with just a few clicks to make them fit any store's aesthetic and integrate perfectly with the user interface (UI) of any website or device.
Shipping, suppliers & fulfillmentHow to Import Products From AliExpress to ShopifyAliExpress is a great place to source products for your online Shopify store. And the good news is, importing products from AliExpress into your category and landing pages is a relatively easy process if you know how to go about it.
Here’s how:
Step 1: Choose an AliExpress Product Integration App
The easiest way to import Aliexpress products onto Shopify is by using a product integration app. For the purpose of this tutorial, we’ll use the most widely used application, Google Chrome’s Oberlo extension.
Although, there are some great alternatives. Here are some of the more popular ones:
ImportifyDropifiedDSers
Step 2: Install Oberlo’s Chrome Extension
First, you’ll need to head over to Google Chrome’s extension database and download Oberlo.All you have to do is hit the “Add to Chrome” button on the right-hand side of the extension page.This will prompt a pop-up window. To proceed, simply click “Add extension”.
Step 3: Head Over to AliExpress and Start Importing
Navigate to the AliExpress website.Using the search bar, find a product that you like.Hover your mouse over the product you’d like to import and click the “Add to Oberlo” button.To see your added products, click the “import list button” that appears below the Oberlo extension icon.Before importing the product, click the “connect to store” button.Next, simply enter your site’s URL and click “connect store”.From the import list, click the “Import to store” button.The last step is to enter the product details, product price, and assign any photos you wish to the product before loading it into your Shopify store.
And that’s it, you’re all done. Now the products will appear in your Shopify store.
Shopify appsOrder to Discount by Egnition Review (2023): Shopify Discounts for Increased Store GrowthAs an e-commerce store owner, you probably already know that good customer service drives sales and builds your brand. The Order to Discount app by Egnition can help you deliver exceptional customer service by streamlining and automating your customer service process, saving you previous you time and money and allowing you to focus on other areas of business growth.
How does the app achieve this? It generates auto-calculated loyalty discounts (not to be confused with BOGO discounts) from any order which can then be re-used, increasing efficiency and bolstering your customer support.
ProsEasy-to-use discount and email templatesReview, customize, and send automatically generated emailsSend unlimited discount emailsReasonable fixed pricing structureConsAutomatically generated emails may seem generic if not customized
Best for E-commerce Startups
Unlike most other discount apps on Shopify, Order to Discount is particularly useful for e-commerce startups due to its low cost and easy to use interface. It is best suited for any new e-commerce business looking to grow its customer base and create customer loyalty and support by rewarding active customers with discounts.
Example 1: Joyful Jewelry sells designer earrings, necklaces, and rings. Order to Discount would help this business promote the repeat buying of gifts.Example 2: Billy's Bedding sells duvet covers, sheets, and pillowcases. Order to Discount would build a loyal customer base of users who take advantage of discounts every time they need to replace old bedding at home, a hotel, or a guest house.
Overview of Features
The Order to Discount app aims to help increase customer engagement with your brand through discounts. It removes the frustration of manually determining and applying discount values through a formula and automation. Specific features include:
Discount Templates
With the discount template feature, you can create a template for your follow-up emails and typical discounts by generating discounts based on a customer's order information. This is useful because the templates give you a professional and convenient structure to work with.
Email Templates
The email template feature allows you to pre-define your customer email and generate it based on factors like the order, customer, and discount information available. These email templates are easy to customize and will save you time by allowing you to create emails in a few clicks.
Support Automation
Time is money, and the automation feature aims to save you both by streamlining your customer service process. Review automatically generated emails and customize them for some of your customers if necessary before pressing send.
Order Value Capabilities
With the order value capabilities feature, you can use any of the standard Shopify conditions or unique options. This is useful because it allows you to generate a discount as a percentage of the original order.
Plans & Pricing
The pricing structure is simple, with only one package:
Basic Plan
Cost
Discounts
Features
$1.99/month,Unlimited,All
A 7-day free trial is also available if you want to try it before committing.
Usability
The Order to Discount app has a simple and clear layout that's easy to navigate. Easily set and edit your discount parameters before incorporating it as a coupon into your email to your customer. The app also allows you to preview your email for any last quality checks before sending it.
If you're uncertain about anything or need a refresher on the app's functions, a handy How to Use the App? button can give you immediate assistance.
Customer Support
The Order to Discount app offers superb customer support 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, and a full 365 days a year. You can reach out to the support team either via the dedicated support icon in the app or by sending an email to [email protected] with any questions you may have.
The support team is efficient and dedicated, relying on your feedback and questions to improve the product and their customer service. This, in turn, can help add value to your business because you're using the best version of the product.
The Verdict: Is Order to Discount Worth It?
Is your time valuable to you? Of course, it is. Is good customer service a high priority for you? Without a doubt. So, yes, the app is definitely worth the cost when you weigh up the time you will save and the convenience you will experience as an e-commerce business owner who is serious about customer service.
» Revolutionize your online store with the best Shopify discount apps
Shopify inventoryFree Shopify Inventory Management Apps: Are They Worth It?According to financial reports, Shopify generated over $5.6 billion in sales in 2022 alone—and if you're an e-commerce business owner, you can get a slice of that revenue by tweaking your Shopify store.
However, to run a successful Shopify business, you need to rely on automated solutions like inventory management apps to help you stay on top of your stock status. But with over 8,000 apps on Shopify, it can be hard to choose the best Shopify app to manage your inventory. One strategy for narrowing down your choice is considering free vs. paid apps, as those with free plans offer many advantages while saving you money.
What Are Shopify Inventory Management Apps?
Inventory management apps are tools that help you manage your inventory by syncing with your Shopify store and tracking your stock levels in real time. Depending on your needs, you can opt for different types of free Shopify inventory management apps to streamline your operations.
If you have multiple stores, you might want an app that can help you manage inventory across all of them. On the other hand, managing a warehouse may require an app that can help you track stock levels in different locations. Finally, you might want an app that can help you manage pricing and orders for your customers if you sell wholesale.
Pros of Using Free Inventory Management Apps
Cost-effective: Free inventory management apps are great if you have a small business with a tight budget, as they can help manage your inventory without spending money on apps.Easy to use: Most free inventory management apps are user-friendly and easy to set up with no special training or technical expertise.Useful features: While they don't have all the advanced features that paid apps do, most free inventory management apps provide essential functions like stock level tracking, reordering alerts, and low stock notifications.Integration: These apps integrate seamlessly with Shopify, allowing you to manage your inventory and sales from one platform.Real-time inventory tracking: Free inventory management apps provide real-time tracking to help your business stay on top of stock levels at any moment.
Cons of Using Free Inventory Management Apps
Limited functionality: Free inventory management apps generally have fewer features than paid apps, so you may not be able to integrate them with other software or get advanced analytics and forecasting.Limited support: Many free apps don't offer the same level of support as paid software, which can be frustrating if you run into technical issues or need help troubleshooting.Security risks: Not all free inventory management apps provide the same level of security as paid apps, which can be an issue if your business handles sensitive customer data.Limited customization: A Shopify inventory management app doesn't have the same level of customization as a custom inventory management software.
» Discover the best apps to sync your inventory across stores
Why Effective Inventory Management Matters for Your Online Store
Improved Cash Flow
Inventory management gives you an accurate, up-to-date picture of your current cash flow. Having clear insight into how much cash is tied up in stock and how quickly your stock moves can help you improve your business's finances. Avoiding Overstocking & Understocking
Overstocking can lead to obsolete inventory, increased storage costs, and lost sales due to slow-moving items. On the other hand, understocking can lead to stockouts, lost sales, lower customer satisfaction, and more rush orders. Effective inventory management can help you find the right balance and have enough inventory to meet demand while preventing obsolete inventory.Enhancing Customer Satisfaction
By tracking sales trends and monitoring stock levels, you can identify which products are in high customer demand and make sure they're always in stock. Inventory management software can generate reports to help you make informed decisions about what products to order and in what quantities, boosting customer experience in your store.Streamlining Operations
Automating inventory-related tasks helps online stores streamline operations. You can automate tasks like reordering, receiving, and tracking inventory levels to save time and reduce the risk of errors. This can improve your efficiency and reduce labor costs.
» Effective inventory management requires good inventory accounting
3 Best Free Shopify Inventory Management Apps
1. Out-of-Stock Police
Key Features
Push down sold-out products in collectionsHide out-of-stock products automaticallyReceive low-stock and out-of-stock notificationsImprove SEO and generate assisted conversions
By making it incredibly easy to manage your unavailable products, this is one of the best Shopify inventory management apps that can be invaluable for your entire inventory management process. Relying on the app's essential features for handling out-of-stock items that are available even with the free plan, you can easily improve customer satisfaction in your store while saving money.
Plans & Pricing
While the app's core features are available for free, it offers paid plans for more advanced functionalities.
Use Case
Let's say you offer pre-ordered products that aren't yet available. Out-of-Stock Police will hide these products in your store until they're ready to ship, allowing you to meet customer expectations on time and avoid overselling.
» Read our full Out-of-Stock Police review for more details
2. Bestsellers reSort
Key Features
Create custom sorting rules Feature products at the top of collectionsOrganize and arrange products with tags Mix and match sorting rules
This online merchandising app automatically sorts and organizes products in collections, saving you time on manually sorting items on your Shopify store. You can organize products with precise sorting rules to improve your sales while reducing the amount of effort you put in, even with the app's free version.
Plans & Pricing
Apart from the free plan that's suitable for smaller businesses, the app's paid options with additional features come at budget-friendly rates.
Use Case
You can use Bestseller's reSort to sort your products based on popularity so that your best-selling products are prominently displayed and easy to find. This makes it easy for your customers to find what they're looking for and complete their purchase, helping you increase sales.
» Read our comprehensive Bestsellers reSort review to find out more
3. Reports: Inventory & Sales
Key Features
Inventory reports, forecasting, tracking, and optimizationSales performance, financial, and net profitExport reports and data to Google SheetsSchedule automated reports
Allowing you to generate reports and manage your inventory, track stock levels, control stock, and predict inventory levels on its free plan, this app is a great choice for getting a handle on multiple aspects of your stock.
Plans & Pricing
In addition to the free plan that offers essential features, paid plans are available to get extra functionalities.
Use Case
You can use this app to generate reports on sales data—for example, which products are selling the most, which customers are buying the most, and which channels drive the most sales. This can help you make better decisions about your inventory management, marketing, and sales strategies.
Which Is the Best Free Inventory Management App?
Overall, Egnition's Out-of-Stock Police and Bestsellers reSort are flexible, scalable tools that can help you easily optimize your inventory and sales. However, at the end of the day, the best free inventory app is the one with features that can adapt to your business needs.
To choose your ideal free inventory management app on Shopify more easily, here's what to keep an eye out for:
Features and functionality: The app should offer a comprehensive set of features to help you manage your inventory effectively, including inventory tracking, order management, purchase order management, or reporting and analytics.Integration capabilities: The app should be able to integrate with your existing systems, like your accounting software or shipping and fulfillment software. This can help streamline operations and reduce the risk of errors.Cost and scalability: The app should be affordable and scalable to meet your business needs as you grow. Consider the cost of the app once you outgrow the free plan plus any additional fees and the level of customer support it offers.
While you can get a lot of value out of free inventory management apps, most apps also offer upgraded versions with even more features and benefits.
» Explore the best apps for managing inventory in multiple stores
Final Verdict: Are Free Shopify Inventory Management Apps Worth It?
While free apps have their downsides, like limited features or customization options, you should consider your business needs before nixing them. You may be able to fully optimize your business with just the features available on free inventory management apps.
So, are they worth it? Yes—for most businesses, the advantages outweigh the disadvantages, and good free inventory management tools can help you pull ahead of the competition.
Shipping, suppliers & fulfillmentThe Ultimate Guide to Third-Party Carrier-Calculated Shipping Rates for Shopify Store CheckoutOne of the primary pain points for many e-commerce brands is figuring out what to charge customers for shipping. It isn't always a feasible option to offer free shipping or 1-day delivery, as you may not cover your costs.
On the other hand, you don't want your customers to pay too much.
Shopify, for example, states that "80% of businesses overcharge customers for shipping if they manually set their rates."
This will have a terrible effect that can result in high cart abandonment rates.
There's also another conundrum when your customers are in different parts of the country or the world. The shipping cost of an item to customer 1 may vary immensely from the shipping cost of the exact item to customer 2, who resides in another location of the country.
Plus, factoring in different dimensions and weights for each item makes these calculations a lot harder.
Take the brand Tatly, for example. They set a flat shipping rate for every domestic purchase at $3.
Regardless of where the delivery location is in the United States, the shipping price will be the same, no matter how much it costs the merchant.
» Pro Tip: The best Shopify shipping apps can help automate many order fulfillment processes
Tatly, on average, figured that the shipping cost would be approximately 3 bucks. If the cost is lower, the merchant will get something extra. But if it costs more, they'll lose a few cents.
So how can you automate the process of shipping cost calculation and consistently charge customers the correct shipping amount?
Real-time third-party carrier calculated shipping is a shipping option for e-commerce brands on Shopify that offers a precise approach to shipping cost calculations.
What is a Third-party Carrier Shipping Rate Calculation?
Third-party carrier calculated shipping is when the real-time/exact shipping rates that the carrier charges are pulled in automatically to checkout for any particular order.
The shipping rates shown take the order dimensions, customer shipping destination, and item weight into account to display the correct rate to the shopper the moment they are done putting products into their cart.
E-commerce brand Chalkd implements this perfectly. They offer customers a shipping calculator right on the checkout page.
Image Source: Chalkd screenshot
Why Use Third-Party Carrier-Calculated Shipping Rates?
Third-party carrier calculated. Shipping allows your Shopify store to charge customers the exact amount it cost to ship their order.
This helps ensure that you don't lose cash on some orders or overcharge some customers.
Benefits of Third-Party Carrier-Calculated Shipping Rates?
Manually setting your shipping rates by yourself will create rates that aren't exact. And most times, the process is time-consuming depending on your level of customization (order weights, rules for different countries, total order values, and a lot more).
Here's how third-party carrier calculated shipping rates help:
1. Charge Your Customers the Exact Amount
Unlike standard rate shipping, third-party carrier calculated shipping rates mean that you can charge customers the accurate amount every time.
So you don't have to bother that your rate won't be enough or be too pricey.
2. Automatically Calculate Customer Shipping Cost
Your customers will get to see the real-time carrier rates shown at checkout once they impute their shipping destination. You won't have to perform any complex calculations to know the accurate amount.
3. Cater Better for International Sales
Getting the right international shipping costs can be difficult.
However, with a third-party carrier calculated shipping rate, you can be certain that shoppers will always get the correct rate. This is regardless of their location, including outside your country.
What Do You Consider When Switching to Third-party Shipping Rates?
If you're reading this article, then you may be considering making the switch to third-party carrier shipping rates. But before you go ahead, there are some crucial decisions you will have to make.
The below will help you choose the right third-party carrier shipping rate strategy.
1. The Countries You want to Ship Products To
You can ship to any country you want to, but that doesn't mean that you should ship to every nation.
Different nations have varying taxes, tariffs, regulations, and guidelines for incoming shipments. Logistic and shipping costs can also be very pricey.
2. The Carriers You'll Use
Each carrier has its pros and cons regarding flexibility, specialties, speed, and cost. Look at DHL, FedEx, UPS, and USPS and make a cost comparison.
The more carriers you create partnerships with, the more locations and customers you can reach. But you may lose out on bulk rates if your store is using numerous carriers, except you're working with a 3PL.
3. How You'll Incorporate Handling Costs
When you opt for third-party carrier shipping rates, you're giving 100% of the direct shipping expenses to the shopper.
Handling costs, including moving products and packing boxes, are not included in the shipping rates, so you need to craft out a strategy on how you will cover these costs. And not neglect them when you're looking at your margin.
4. One Carrier or Multiple Carriers
If you partner with a single carrier, you can include the carrier's calculator on your checkout page.
But if you work with multiple carriers (for instance, to deliver to many countries because they have unique terms for different types of items or because every carrier ships at different speeds), you'll have to use a third-party app that will help you automatically calculate the best rates.
Enabling Third-party Carrier-calculated Rates
Shopify gives you 3 options to include third-party carrier-calculated rates into your plan.
Let's have a look at them:
1. Additional Fee
You can add third-party carrier shipping rates to your Shopify checkout page for an extra $20 fee every month.
To do this, though, you will have to request the feature by reaching out to Shopify's support team.
2. Change Your Billing Cycle from Per Month to Yearly.
When you change your billing cycle from per month to yearly, you'll not only get a 10% discount on your subscription cost but the third-party carrier calculation feature as well.
This can also be added by Shopify's support team once you have changed your billing cycle.
To change your billing cycle (which can be done at any time), navigate to your Shopify Admin, click Settings, next hit Plans, and click Permissions.
Here's a visual of how it works:
3. Advanced and Shopify Plus Plan
The carrier-calculated rates feature is added automatically once you upgrade to Shopify's Advanced or Plus plan.
Shopify Shipping
If you fulfill orders from a location in Australia, United States, or Canada, you can use Shopify Shipping to give shoppers calculated rates at checkout.
By setting up and using Shopify Shipping, you will not have to create an account with any shipping carrier because you'll be connected to Shopify's carrier account.
You'll also get discounted rates for your store's shipping labels.
Conclusion
That's a wrap! Setting your shipping rates at prices that vary from the real-time rates can be disastrous if the right strategy isn't in place. You could lose customers and cash.
Plus, there isn't a perfect method for charging customers for delivery, but third-party carrier calculated shipping rates offer the best way for you to safeguard your margins.
Technical issuesHow to Fix "SSL Pending" and How Long Will It Take?When a custom domain is added to a Shopify store, a new SSL certificate is automatically generated. Basically, SSL (Secure Sockets Layer) encrypts and improves the security of a store’s content using HTTPS (Hypertext Transfer Protocol Secure). HTTPS, a security protocol implemented in browsers and web servers, reduces a website’s susceptibility to interception and tampering from online attackers.
The thing is though, adding a custom domain to Shopify can take some time. How long? That question is answered here.
» Once your domain is up and running, you may want to consider a top Shopify store design app to help make your store stand out.
What to Do When a Shopify SSL Error Occurs
After a custom domain is added, Shopify merchants will likely see an “SSL Unavailable” error on their Shopify admin page. This is nothing to be worried about, as it is simply part of the process of integrating a custom domain with a Shopify store.
Generally, it can take up to 48 hours for a new SSL certification to be generated. You may also notice a security error when visiting your Shopify store. At this stage, there is nothing to be worried about and the error message should go away as soon as the SSL integration is complete.
Is it Possible to Speed Up an SSL Connection?
Unfortunately, there is no real way to speed up this process. 48 hours is generally the time it will take and there really is nothing that can be done to shorten this time period. Although, if the “SSL Pending” error remains on a Shopify store’s admin page longer than this time, it’s recommended you get in contact with Shopify’s customer service team just to be sure there is no further holdup.
There are multiple ways to contact Shopify's support, either use the above link, jump onto their community forums page, search their help center, or get hold of them directly through their contact support channel.
Conclusion
As frustrating as the wait may be, staying patient and allowing time for the SSL certification process to be carried out is in your best interests. After all, a wait of 48 hours is better than a hack that could result in the deletion of all the content you have on your website.