Seamlessly Integrate Order Tracking in Your Shopify Store

Table of Contents

1. Introduction
2. The Importance of Order Tracking
3. Implementing Order Tracking Before Order Fulfillment
4. Adding Tracking Numbers Post-Fulfillment
5. Custom Tracking Options and Third-party Apps
6. Concluding Thoughts
7. FAQs

Introduction

Have you ever eagerly awaited the status of your online order, refreshing the email or page to see if it's been shipped? You're not alone; the excitement of awaiting a package is a shared experience among shoppers. For Shopify store owners, providing customers the ability to track their orders is not just a nice touch—it's a cornerstone of modern e-commerce functionality that enhances customer satisfaction and promotes the transparency of your operations. But how exactly do you add order tracking to your Shopify store? In this post, we will guide you through the process and provide tips to streamline order tracking for both you and your customers.

Online shopping has transformed the way we buy, and with this paradigm shift comes the expectation of tracking an order's journey right to our doorsteps. As a store owner, equipping your Shopify store with order tracking capabilities can decrease customer service inquiries and raise confidence in your brand. By the end of this blog post, you'll know not just how to implement this feature, but also the rationale for doing so and how it can elevate your customer experience.

The Importance of Order Tracking

Order tracking is an element of online retail that can sharply differentiate your service. It offers a plethora of advantages such as:

• Enhancing Transparency: A business that provides order tracking allows customers insight into the delivery process, setting clear expectations about delivery times and fostering trust.
• Reducing Customer Service Workload: With accessible tracking information, there's less need for customers to contact support for updates, which can significantly reduce your support team's load.
• Improving Customer Retention: A satisfying purchase experience, from browsing to final delivery, is more likely to turn one-time shoppers into repeat customers.

Integrating order tracking within your Shopify store is not as daunting as it might seem. Let's break it down into manageable steps, so you can offer this indispensable feature confidently.

Implementing Order Tracking Before Order Fulfillment

When it comes to adding tracking numbers to orders, Shopify simplifies this process, whether you acquire the tracking number before or after fulfilling an order. Here's how you can do it before fulfilling an order:

1. Begin by accessing the 'Orders' section from your Shopify admin panel.
2. Select order numbers with 'Partially fulfilled' or 'Unfulfilled' status.
3. Click 'Fulfill items' to visit the order's Fulfillment page.
4. Enter your shipment’s tracking number and choose the appropriate shipping carrier. If unrecognized or wrong, adjust manually.
5. For more than one tracking number, repeat the previous step, ensuring all are from the same carrier.
6. If the carrier isn't fully supported by Shopify or is uncategorized, you'll need to provide the complete tracking URL.
7. To finalize the process, confirm by clicking 'Fulfill items'.

This straightforward process ensures that the tracking information is included in the shipping confirmation email sent to the customer.

Adding Tracking Numbers Post-Fulfillment

Occasionally, you might receive tracking numbers after having already fulfilled an order. Here's how you can add them post-fulfillment:

1. In Shopify admin, navigate to 'Orders' and click the relevant fulfilled order number.
2. In the Fulfilled section, hit the 'Add tracking' option.
3. Enter the tracking number and select the appropriate carrier in the Edit tracking dialog. Remember, if your carrier isn't recognized, enter the URL manually.
4. Optional: You can choose not to send a notification email at this stage.
5. Click 'Save' to update the order's information.

This action inserts the tracking number into the system and, by extension, the order's status page, allowing customers to stay updated.

Custom Tracking Options and Third-party Apps

For those seeking a personalized touch or operating with carriers outside the mainstream, custom options are available through code implementation. This requires fabricating a new page and embedding HTML code to include bespoke tracking functionalities—like integrating the services of a lesser-known carrier or changing the appearance of the tracking page to better reflect your branding. Keep in mind this requires some web development savvy to ensure a seamless look and functionality.

There are several Shopify-approved third-party apps designed to simplify this further, providing ready-to-use canvases to create your tracking system. These apps often offer valuable extras such as automated notifications, customizable tracking pages, and easy integration with multiple carriers—saving you time and coding hassle.

Moreover, services like ParcelPanel provide automatic creation of an order tracking page that aligns with your store's design, along with offering technical support and a potential free trial.

Concluding Thoughts

Before we proceed to the FAQs, it's pivotal to stress how injecting order tracking elements into your Shopify store signals professionalism and attentiveness to detail—crucial for nurturing customer satisfaction and driving repeat business. Now armed with requisite knowledge and having understood its intrinsic value, implementing order tracking in your Shopify store is your next stride towards e-commerce excellence.

FAQs

Can I add order tracking to my Shopify store without technical expertise?

Yes, you can manually add tracking numbers to Shopify as outlined in this post. If you require more sophisticated or customized tracking, consider employing a third-party tracking app available in the Shopify app store that requires minimal technical skill and offers straightforward setup procedures.

What if the shipping carrier is not supported by Shopify?

Shopify supports a range of carriers but if yours isn't supported, you can still add tracking by entering the tracking URL manually. Ensure this is done accurately so customers can track their shipments reliably.

Do I need to notify customers manually after adding the tracking number?

No, opting to fulfill an order with the provided tracking number will automatically trigger a shipping confirmation email to the customer—unless you uncheck the option to send a notification email.

Is it possible to integrate multiple carriers for tracking in Shopify?

When fulfilling an order, you can add tracking numbers from different carries, but all tracking numbers added at a single time must be from the same carrier. For multiple carriers, you may require a third-party app that can integrate diverse carrier tracking in one platform.

How does order tracking reduce customer service workload?

By providing customers with real-time access to their order status, they are less inclined to contact customer service for delivery updates, reducing the inbound load of inquiries related to shipping information.