Introduction

The Shipmate plugin for Shopify allows quick and easy integration between your Shipmate and Shopify accounts, giving access to all the carriers and delivery services Shipmate provides, directly inside your Shopify account.

This guide explains how to set up the Shipmate Shopify plugin and configure your accounts to start despatching your orders in Shopify using delivery labels generated by Shipmate.

Requirements

Before you are able to start printing shipping labels using Shipmate with Shopify, you will need the following:

• A Shopify account
• A Shipmate account
• At least one active Carrier and Delivery Service
• A compatible printer

In order to print labels directly within Shopify using the Shipmate Desktop App; you will also need to download the Shipmate Desktop Application.

If you wish to use Shipmate’s routing rules, you will also need to ensure your inventory inside Shopify has accurate and up-to-date weights and dimensions.

If you send parcels outside the UK, you will also need to ensure your product data in Shopify contains all customs details, including harmonised codes and country of origin.

If you need any assistance ensuring you have everything you need to link your Shopify and Shipmate accounts, please contact support@shipmate.co.uk.

Accessing Shopify Settings

To amend your Shopify Channel settings inside Shipmate, you need to be logged in as an administrative user on your account, then simply click the Settings icon in the lower-left corner.

From the Settings menu select Sales Channels. This will open a page listing all of the available channels on your account. Simply click the blue ‘Settings’ link next to the Shopify logo. This will open the Shopify Channel Settings page.

Install Plugin

Installing the Shipmate Shopify Plugin is simple - click the Enable button next to the Shopify channel inside Channel Settings, provide the URL to your Shopify store and click Connect.

Shopify will then take you through an authorisation process to link your Shopify store to your Shipmate account.

Tracking References

Shipmate is able to return either the carrier’s tracking reference, or the Shipmate Unified Tracking Reference, which you can use to notify your customers so they are able to track the progress of their orders.

If you opt for the Carrier’s tracking reference, customers will have the direct tracking reference for the carrier however if you subsequently make any changes to their delivery, they might not be informed automatically.

If you use the Shipmate Tracking Portal, it’s most likely that you should opt for the Shipmate Unified Tracking Reference, as this will provide you with the Unified Tracking Reference needed to link to the Tracking Portal.

To choose which tracking reference you’d like to use with Shopify, simply select the relevant option from the Tracking Reference section of the Channel Settings, then click ‘Update Settings’.

Set Parcel Mapping

The Shipmate Shopify plugin handles two types of parcel mapping for your Shopify orders: one parcel per order or one parcel per item.

You can change which option you wish Shipmate to use from the Shopify Channel Settings screen. Simply select the option of your choice, then click ‘Update Settings’.

Parcel References

Shipmate is able to use either the Shopify Order Number or Shopify Order ID. By default new installations use the Shopify Order Number - this is the same as the order number you see inside Shopify. In most circumstances this does not need to be changed.

To choose which reference you wish to use, simply select the relevant option from the Parcel Reference section of the Channel Settings, then click ‘Update Settings’.

Fufilment Status

You can choose whether Shipmate marks your orders as Fulfilled or Fulfilment in Progress, according to your operational requirements. If you tend to despatch your parcels the same day as you generate your labels, we recommend that you leave the default option of Set Order as Fulfilled on label creation selected. If you like to batch up your label printing ahead of schedule, you may wish to opt for the Set Order as Fulfilment in Progress on label creation option, as this will allow you to return to Shopify at a later time to mark the orders as despatched and notify your customers.

In both cases tracking numbers and links are sent over to Shopify automatically upon label creation, so you do not need to add these in manually later. If you use the Fulfilment in Progress option, Shopify will still give you the opportunity to add a tracking number - simply leave this blank and Shopify will use the tracking details provided by Shipmate.

To choose which reference you wish to use, simply select the relevant option from the Fulfilment Status section of the Channel Settings, then click ‘Update Settings’.

Set Location

Shopify requires plugins affecting despatching of orders to select the location from which orders are processed. Select the correct location from the drop-down list and click ‘Update Settings’.

Set Default Packaging Type

To speed up processing of your orders, Shipmate offers default packaging types to automatically populate packaging dimensions when creating shipments. Select the default packaging type you use for most of your orders for pre-selection on the order import screen when using the Shopify plugin.

You can change which packaging type you wish Shipmate to use by default on the Shopify Channel Settings screen. Simply select the option of your choice, then click ‘Update Settings’.

Shipmate Desktop App

In order to print shipping labels directly using Shipmate with Shopify, you must download the Shipmate Desktop App and configure the app to use your label printer.

You can find out more about installing and configuring the Shipmate Desktop App for Windows or macOS in these user guides.

Removing Shopify

If you no longer wish to use Shopify with your Shipmate account, simply click the 'Disable Channel' button from the Shopify Channel settings page. A pop-up dialogue box will ask you to confirm whether you wish to disable the integration.

Simply click the red ‘Disable Channel’ button to confirm that you wish to disable the integration. You will then be returned to the Channels page, where you can view, enable or re-enable your Channels.

Introduction

The Shipmate Shopify plugin works by adding a 'Print Shipping Labels' option inside the 'More actions' drop-down menu inside Shopify.

Wherever you see the More actions menu, you can print shipping labels through Shipmate. The selected order(s) will be sent over to Shipmate securely for onward processing in a window within the Shopify admin area.

Shipping a Single Order

From the Order screen inside Shopify admin, simply click the 'More actions' button then click 'Print Shipping Labels'. A new screen will load showing the Shipmate interface within Shopify, complete with your imported order ready for processing.

Simply confirm the parcels and metrics, carrier and delivery service along with any further consignment details then select ‘Generate Labels’.

The labels will then be generated and be available for downloading or printing, and the tracking number(s) and tracking URL(s) will have been added to the order in Shopify automatically.

If you are using the Shipmate Desktop App, the 'Print Labels' button will be available and you can click this to send the label(s) straight to your configured printer. Alternatively, you may leave the process at this stage then print the label(s) when you need them by keying or scanning in the order number in the Scan & Print feature on the Shipmate Desktop App.

Shipping Multiple Orders

From the Orders screen inside Shopify admin, simply select the orders you wish to fulfil, click the 'More actions' button then click 'Print Shipping Labels'. A new screen will load showing the Shipmate interface within Shopify, complete with your imported orders ready for processing, in the same way as processing a single order.

Bulk Change Operations

You can easily perform the same operation for multiple orders using the Bulk Change feature.

Simply select the orders you wish to apply a change to by clicking the tick-boxes at the beginning of each order row, or use the tick-box in the table heading to select all orders, then click the Bulk Change menu button and select the operation you wish to perform from the drop-down menu.

You can perform each of the following operations in bulk:

• Parcels & Metrics - Updates Number of Parcels and Size & Weight Metrics
• Consignment Details Updates details such as Despatch Date and Delivery Service
• Include Includes selected Orders in Import
• Exclude Excludes selected Orders from Import

Selecting the desired option will perform the operation in bulk for all of your selected orders. Each of the individual operations are described in detail separately in this guide.

Some aspects of features are disabled when performing a bulk action - for instance, it isn't possible to update delivery addresses for multiple orders, as this would likely lead to error. There are also some other preventative measures in place to help avoid making mistakes when applying operations over multiple orders.

Excluding Orders from Import

If you wish to exclude orders from your import, simply select the tick-box for each unwanted order, then click the Bulk Change menu and select the Exclude option.

Shipmate will then ignore the selected order(s) when you generate your labels.

Including Orders in Import

If you have previously excluded orders from your import that you wish to reinstate, simply select the tick-box for each excluded order, then click the Bulk Change menu and select the Include option.

Shipmate will then reinstate the selected order(s) for further processing and generating labels.

Choosing Number of Parcels

Shipmate will automatically start your order with the number of parcels configured in the Parcel Mapping Channel Setting - one per item or one per order.

You can edit the number of parcels for an individual order by clicking the Parcels & Metrics icon on the order row, or perform this as a bulk change by selecting the orders you wish to update, clicking the Bulk Change menu and selecting the Parcels & Metrics option.

This opens a pop-up window where you can provide the details of each of the parcels required for your order. Use the 'Add Parcel' button on the left-hand side of the pop-up to add more parcels, or the trash bin icon on the row of each parcel you wish to discard.

You may either choose a Packaging Type from the list you may have configured on your Shipmate account, or enter the metrics directly.

Once you are happy with the number of parcels you want to generate and their individual metrics, click the Confirm button.

You will then be returned to the Generate Shipping Labels screen where you can review the updated number of parcels, with each row being updated with the new number of parcels and cost, together with the New Parcels Summary reflecting the total number of parcels you are going to be generating.

Updating Delivery Address

Sometimes Shopify formats addresses in ways that carriers cannot process, or perhaps you have noticed a mistake in the delivery address.

To update the delivery address for an individual order, click the Consignment Details icon on the row of the order you wish to change. The Consignment Details pop-up box will allow you to edit the address.

Once you are happy with the new address, click the Save Changes button.

Changing Delivery Service

You can amend the Delivery Service for an individual order by clicking the Consignment Details icon on the order row, or perform this as a bulk change by selecting the orders you wish to update, clicking the Bulk Change menu and selecting the Consignment Details option.

Choose the carrier and delivery service from the two drop-down menus at the top of the Consignment Details pop-up box.

Once you are happy with your new selection, click the Save Changes button.

Any changes to the delivery cost will be updated and the newly selected carrier and delivery service will now be shown next to the order(s) you have changed, ready for generating labels.

Changing Despatch Date

It is easy to generate your shipping labels in advance of despatch using the Shipmate Shopify plugin.

You can amend the Despatch Date for an individual order by clicking the Consignment Details icon on the order row, or perform this as a bulk change by selecting the orders you wish to update, clicking the Bulk Change menu and selecting the Consignment Details option.

The Shipmate Shopify plugin always opens with today's date as the Despatch Date. To change this, simply click on the date from the Despatch Date area of the Consignment Details pop-up box and choose a date in the future.

Once you are happy with your new selection, click the Save Changes button.

Setting Parcel Attributes

You can add further details about your consignment, such as statutory properties or any Custom Parcel Attributes you may have configured. You can do this for an individual order by clicking the Consignment Details icon on the order row, or perform this as a bulk change by selecting the orders you wish to update, clicking the Bulk Change menu and selecting the Consignment Details option.

To add these details, simply make your selections from the Contents Properties and Custom Parcel Attributes areas of the Consignment Details pop-up box.

Once you are happy with your new selection, click the Save Changes button.

Label Printing

There are two methods of printing labels with Shopify using the Shipmate Desktop App.

If you are ready to print your labels straight away, simply click the Print Labels button once you have generated your labels. This will send the labels directly to the Shipmate Desktop App and to your printer.

If you wish to print your labels later, you can enter the Shopify order number in the Scan & Print area of the Shipmate Desktop App and all the labels you originally created for that order will be printed.

Version History

Version 2.0.0 - April 2021

Following customer feedback we have completely overhauled the Shipmate Shopify plugin to integrate more seamlessly with the Shopify user experience, while offering simpler despatch operations through improved data validation, a clearer layout and bulk change operations.

Updates include:

• New Unified User Interface that closely matches the Shopify user experience
• Simplified despatch operations with improved data validation
• Bulk change operations
• Ability to choose Fulfilment Status option on label creation

Version 1.2.0 - October 2020

Updates include:

• Ability to edit the number of parcels for each individual order
• Ability to choose whether to use the Shopify Order Number or ID within Shipmate

Version 1.1.0 - November 2019

Updates include:

• Ability to choose whether to return Carrier's tracking reference or the Shipmate Unified Tracking Reference

Version 1.0.0 - November 2018

Initial version facilitates integration between Shipmate and Shopify. Features include:

• Single and Bulk order importing
• Saves tracking reference and URL into Shopify
• Print labels using Shipmate WebPrint™
• Select between one label per order or item
• Multi-User Label Printing
• Sets order status to "Fulfilled" when label is generated