Managing shipping costs and rules in WooCommerce can feel like juggling puzzles—complex, time-consuming, and prone to errors. But with the latest updates to Flexible Shipping PRO, you can take control like never before.
Whether you need to fine-tune costs based on custom product fields, inventory levels, or dynamic shipping costs, these new features are here to make your life easier.
In this article, we’ll break down the enhancements in the simplest terms, so you can unlock their potential without the headache. Ready to revolutionize your shipping? Let’s dive in!
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Shipping needs often go beyond the basics, and that’s where custom fields step in to save the day. Flexible Shipping PRO now lets you leverage custom fields to create shipping rules tailored precisely to your products and business needs.
Whether it’s using specific product attributes, custom dimensions, or unique values defined in your store, these conditions allow for unprecedented control and flexibility.
In this section, we’ll dive into the two new conditions—Field Value and Field Range—and show you how they can help you fine-tune your shipping strategy like never before.
The Field Value Condition allows you to base your shipping rules on custom fields tied to your products. This feature is perfect for scenarios where specific product attributes or custom values need to influence shipping costs. By referencing the meta key of a custom field (e.g., _custom_field_name), you can create rules that trigger shipping adjustments based on exact values.
For example, you might set a rule where a custom field value of “fragile” adds an extra handling fee, or a value of “local_pickup” eliminates the shipping cost entirely. The flexibility of this condition extends to any type of custom field—whether it holds text, numbers, or logical values like “yes/no.”
With the Field Value Condition, you gain the ability to align shipping logic with unique product data, ensuring your shipping strategy is as customized as your store’s offerings.
The Field Range Condition takes customization to the next level by allowing you to define shipping rules based on ranges of values in custom fields. This is particularly useful for scenarios where the shipping cost needs to vary dynamically based on product attributes, such as weight, volume, or any other numerical custom field.
For instance, you can set a rule that adds a specific shipping cost for products with a custom field value (e.g., _product_weight) between 1 and 5 kg, and a higher cost for values between 6 and 10 kg. This flexibility ensures that you can accommodate unique shipping requirements without manual intervention.
What’s more, the Field Range Condition isn’t limited to custom fields added by plugins like ACF—it can also use meta fields from other sources, as long as they follow WooCommerce’s naming conventions (e.g., fields prefixed with an underscore, such as _custom_meta_key). This makes it an invaluable tool for businesses handling diverse product types and shipping complexities.
Custom fields unlock a world of possibilities for tailoring your shipping rules to meet unique business needs. Here are three practical use cases that demonstrate the versatility of this feature:
For products marked as “fragile” in a custom field, you can create a rule to automatically add a handling fee. This ensures that extra care during shipping is covered, without requiring manual adjustments for each order.
Use a custom field for dimensions or volume to define ranges for oversized items. For example, products with a volume between 1 and 5 cubic meters could have a specific shipping cost, while larger items incur higher fees.
If a product has a custom field value like “local_pickup,” you can create a rule that eliminates shipping costs entirely, streamlining the checkout process for customers opting to pick up their orders in person.
Efficient inventory management is critical for ensuring smooth shipping processes and meeting customer expectations. With the new stock-based conditions in Flexible Shipping PRO, you can create shipping rules that adapt to your product availability.
Whether you want to adjust costs for low-stock items or restrict certain shipping methods for backordered products, these features offer the flexibility you need to align shipping with your inventory strategy.
The Stock Quantity Condition allows you to define shipping rules based on the number of items available in stock. This feature is particularly useful for managing inventory-dependent costs or offering incentives for products with limited availability.
For example, you can add an extra fee for products with fewer than 5 units in stock to account for restocking or handling costs. Alternatively, you might waive shipping fees for high-stock items to encourage faster sales. With this condition, you can align shipping costs with inventory levels to optimize both logistics and revenue.
The Stock Status Condition enables you to adjust shipping rules based on whether a product is in stock, out of stock, or available for backorder. This gives you greater control over how shipping options are presented to customers, depending on product availability.
For example, if a product is on backorder, you can restrict express shipping options or add a surcharge to cover additional handling or supplier costs. Alternatively, for out-of-stock items, you can configure shipping to reflect longer lead times or limit shipping entirely. This condition ensures that your shipping rules adapt dynamically to stock status, improving operational efficiency and customer satisfaction.
Stock-based conditions allow you to dynamically adjust shipping rules depending on inventory levels and product availability. Here are three practical examples that demonstrate how these conditions can improve your shipping strategy:
For items with fewer than 5 units in stock, add a surcharge to cover the extra handling and potential restocking expenses. This encourages timely inventory management and ensures low-stock items are handled profitably.
Restrict express shipping options for products on backorder, as they may not be fulfilled immediately. You can also add a backorder surcharge to account for the extra time or costs associated with sourcing these products.
Automatically hide certain shipping methods for out-of-stock products. For example, next-day delivery might not be available for such items, ensuring customers have realistic expectations during checkout.
Managing shipping costs effectively can make or break the customer experience. With the new shipping cost adjustment features in Flexible Shipping PRO, you can dynamically modify costs to offer better deals, cover operational expenses, or incentivize larger orders.
If you’re applying discounts for high shipping fees or adding surcharges for specific scenarios, these tools give you the flexibility to fine-tune your shipping strategy while keeping it customer-friendly.
The Shipping Cost Ranges feature allows you to define rules based on pre-calculated shipping cost thresholds. This functionality is ideal for dynamically adjusting costs, providing discounts, or setting limits based on the total shipping cost.
For example, you can apply a rule that offers free shipping when the cost exceeds $50, encouraging larger orders. Alternatively, you can set higher rates for costs under $10 to account for minimum order processing fees. By using cost ranges, you ensure your shipping fees are fair, strategic, and aligned with your business goals.
The Additional Costs per Shipping Cost feature enables you to fine-tune shipping charges by adding or subtracting a fixed or percentage-based adjustment to the calculated shipping cost. This flexibility helps you manage operational expenses or reward customers with discounts dynamically.
For instance, you can add a 5% surcharge to shipping costs above $100 to cover additional handling fees or apply a 10% discount for orders with high shipping costs to encourage conversions. This feature ensures your shipping costs remain adaptable and optimized for both your business and your customers.
Shipping cost adjustments provide the flexibility to tailor your pricing strategy and offer customers the best possible deals. Here are three practical examples of how you can use this feature effectively:
Set up a rule to offer free shipping when the calculated shipping cost exceeds $50. This encourages customers to add more items to their cart, increasing your average order value while still covering operational costs.
Apply a flat fee or percentage-based surcharge for shipping costs below $10 to ensure small orders remain profitable. This is particularly useful for businesses with low-margin products or high processing costs.
Offer a discount, such as 15% off shipping, for orders where the shipping cost exceeds $100. This not only incentivizes larger purchases but also improves customer satisfaction by reducing perceived shipping expenses.
The new features in Flexible Shipping PRO offer powerful ways to customize your shipping rules, but proper setup is key to leveraging their full potential. From custom fields to stock conditions and shipping cost adjustments, these tips will help you configure and optimize these tools effectively while avoiding common pitfalls.
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