Shipping integration: get orders out the door without re-keying

Every order you take has to be picked, packed, labelled and handed to a courier. If the details are copied from your store or ERP into a carrier portal, then tracking numbers are copied back again, despatch becomes the slowest part of your business. It's also where the most visible mistakes happen: wrong addresses, missed orders and customers chasing a parcel nobody can find.

Shipping integration connects the systems that take orders with the systems that deliver them, so despatch runs from the same data as everything else.

What is shipping integration?

Shipping integration is the automatic exchange of order, shipment and tracking data between your sales and finance systems and the companies and tools that fulfil your orders. It usually covers three kinds of system:

• Couriers and carriers such as DHL Express, DPD and Royal Mail, plus tracking services such as DD Track+
• Multi-carrier shipping software such as ShipStation and Shiptheory, which let you choose services and print labels for many carriers from one place
• Warehouse, 3PL and fulfilment systems such as Mintsoft, Peoplevox, ProSKU and DHL Supply Chain, along with order management tools such as Linnworks, StoreFeeder and Brightpearl

On the other side sit your sales channels, such as Shopify, WooCommerce and Magento, and your accounting or ERP system, such as Sage 50, Sage 200, Xero, QuickBooks or NetSuite.

Why manual despatch holds you back

Copying orders into carrier and warehouse systems by hand works for a handful of parcels a day. As volumes grow, it starts to hurt:

• Slow despatch. Orders wait for someone to key them in, so cut-off times are missed and deliveries slip.
• Address and service errors. Every manual copy is a chance to mistype a postcode or pick the wrong delivery service.
• No tracking for customers. Tracking numbers stay in the carrier portal instead of reaching your store, CRM or customer emails.
• Disconnected 3PLs. Your outsourced warehouse can't see new orders or products until someone sends a spreadsheet, and you can't see what it has shipped or received.
• Invoices out of step. Finance can't invoice or close an order until despatch is confirmed, so the ledger lags behind the warehouse.

How shipping integration works with Zynk

Zynk connects your shipping and fulfilment systems to the rest of your business without custom code. A typical setup works like this:

1. Orders go to fulfilment. New orders from your store, marketplace or ERP are sent to your shipping software, carrier or 3PL as soon as they're ready to ship.
2. Services are mapped. Delivery services, package sizes and shipping methods are matched to your orders, so the right label is produced for every parcel.
3. Shipments are confirmed. When an order is despatched, the shipment and tracking number are passed back automatically.
4. Everyone is updated. Orders are marked as shipped on the sales channel, despatch is recorded in Sage or your ERP, and tracking can be added to your CRM so customers are kept informed.
5. The warehouse stays in step. Products, purchase orders and ASNs go to your 3PL, and goods in, stock levels and returns come back, which ties in closely with inventory sync.

Every transfer is logged, and any errors are flagged so a stuck order never goes unnoticed. Because the same platform also handles orders, stock and accounts, shipping usually sits within wider order processing automation and ecommerce integration rather than as a separate tool.

What to look for in shipping integration software

When comparing options, check that the software can:

• Connect to the carriers, shipping software and 3PLs you use now, and let you switch or add providers later
• Send tracking and despatch details back to every sales channel and into your accounts
• Handle multiple warehouses, partial shipments and returns, not just simple single-parcel orders
• Map delivery services and shipping methods with rules you control
• Keep products, ASNs and stock in step with outsourced fulfilment partners
• Alert you to errors with clear logs, especially at peak times

If your 3PL or trading partners exchange documents in a fixed format, see EDI integration as well.

Get started with a template

If your systems are already on our list, a ready-made template is the quickest route. Shipping and fulfilment templates include ShipStation to Sage 200, Shiptheory to Sage 200, Shiptheory to Sage 50, Mintsoft to Sage 50 and Linnworks to Sage 200.

See all integrations to check the systems you use, or browse templates for a pre-built starting point.