How to provide a shipping tracking number to customers in WooCommerce?

Shipment tracking can be essential to running a WooCommerce store and is now even required by customers. In this article, I will show you how to provide a shipping tracking number to your customers. I’ll go through both manual and automatic ways to achieve this.

Importance of Shipping Tracking in WooCommerce

Shipping tracking is a method e-commerce businesses use to keep tabs on the whereabouts of shipped goods until they reach the customer. For the customer, a tracking number is a tool to estimate the arrival of their purchase and the ability to monitor its journey. Providing shipping tracking numbers benefits businesses by enhancing customer satisfaction and increasing transparency. It also streamlines potential disputes by providing clear evidence of shipment and delivery.

Meeting Customer Expectations

The modern online shopper is well-informed and expects a seamless shopping experience. This includes not just browsing and purchasing but also post-purchase processes. By integrating the WooCommerce track order shortcode, online stores can effortlessly meet these expectations, ensuring customers are always in the loop about their order status.

Cost Savings and Efficiency

Investing in a free courier tracking plugin for WordPress can lead to significant cost savings in the long run. When customers can independently track their orders, it reduces the burden on customer support, leading to fewer inquiries and complaints. This not only saves money but also enhances operational efficiency.

Enhancing the Shopping Experience and Boosting Revenue

Effective WooCommerce shipping and advanced shipment tracking for WooCommerce can elevate the overall shopping experience. When customers feel valued and informed, they are more likely to become repeat customers, leading to increased revenue and brand loyalty.

How to provide a shipping tracking number to customers in WooCommerce?

There are several ways to provide a shipping tracking number to customers in WooCommerce. I will describe both manual shipping and automatic setup. For automatic shipping tracking number, I will show two examples using reliable plugins.

Manual Method of Providing Tracking Numbers

WooCommerce allows manually adding tracking numbers. After fulfilling an order, you can add a note to the order with the tracking number and mark it as customer-visible. Then, manually email this information to the customer. Some stores do it in such a way that after manually creating a shipment in the courier company’s application, they send an email to their customer with information about the shipment creation and a link to track the shipment.

However, that solution has several significant drawbacks:

• lack of automation – the need to manually create shipments and, in addition, send an email with tracking information takes a lot of time and thus increases the cost of handling each order.
• creating anxiety in the customer – these days, customers want the fastest possible delivery and all the information about the shipment as soon as possible. Because of this, receiving information about the shipment together with the tracking number a long time after the order can cause them anxiety about their package and reduce trust in your store. Reduced trust can reflect in a lower chance of a customer returning to your store and a reduction in LTV.
• possibility of mistake – when creating manually, there is a chance of making a mistake and sending the wrong link or shipment information. While not common, such mistakes can significantly increase the cost of order processing due to the need to communicate with the customer and explain any problems. This can also significantly negatively affect trust and feedback about your store.

However, all this can be reduced – by integrating your WooCommerce store with a courier company. This way, you can create shipments automatically or manually, but directly from your WooCommerce panel, and automatically add a tracking link to your order email. I’ll show how to do it using the examples of two very popular courier companies: UPS and DPD UK.

Automatic Method of Providing Tracking Numbers

The best way to provide a shipping tracking number to your customers in WooCommerce is by using a reliable plugin. You will find many such solutions on the market. In most cases, you will find them under the name shipping integration for a specific courier company. In this article, I will show you how to do it using our reliable plugins: DPD UK & DPD Local WooCommerce and UPS WooCommerce Labels and Tracking.

WooCommerce UPS Shipment Tracking

To provide UPS tracking number to your clients automatically, you’ll need a proper plugin like UPS WooCommerce Labels and Tracking. This plugin does exactly what its name implies – it allows you to create UPS shipping labels directly from the WooCommerce admin panel and WooCommerce UPS shipment tracking by the store admin and their customers. One of the most amazing features of this plugin is the shipment tracking. You can share live UPS shipment tracking updates with your customers via email.

If you have the UPS WooCommerce Labels and Tracking plugin installed and active, let’s move on. I will try to walk you through the process step by step. 

Connect UPS with WooCommerce via API

Before you can enable a WooCommerce UPS shipment tracking, you must properly configure the plugin. In the case of UPS WooCommerce Labels and Tracking plugin, it is effortless. You have to provide your UPS API credentials. To reach the plugin General settings, go to WooCommerce → Settings → Shipping → UPS Labels. To connect your WooCommerce store with the UPS API, you have to enter UPS User ID, UPS Password, UPS Access Key and UPS Account Number in the appropriate fields.  

Once you have completed all fields, save your changes. If all the entered data is correct, you will get the message Connected in the API connection status field, as shown in the image above. 

Now the most important thing. As I promised, to enable UPS Shipment Tracking in WooCommerce you only need one click, basically checking one checkbox. Under the API Setting, you’ll find the Advanced Options. There, you have the Tracking number checkbox. Just check it to add UPS parcel number with tracking link to WooCommerce transactional emails and order details. Remember to save the changes!

Once the plugin is configured, we can proceed to create UPS shipments. I described exactly how to do this in an article on how to create and print UPS Shipping Labels in WooCommerce. 

These settings will ensure that the parcel tracking link will be added to the WooCommerce transactional emails sent to your customers once their order is shipped. This should have a positive impact on the customer experience in your WooCommerce store. I hope this small element will boost your sales.

WooCommerce DPD UK Shipment Tracking

To provide DPD UK tracking number to your clients automatically, you’ll need a proper shipping plugin like WooCommerce DPD UK & DPD Local shipping plugin. It’s the easiest and fastest solution.

This WooCommerce shipping plugin allows you to create the shipments, generate the printable DPD UK shipping labels for the placed orders and track the parcels directly from your WooCommerce shop. Basically, this is one complete solution for DPD UK & DPD Local fulfillment in your WooCommerce store.

DPD Parcel Tracking for customers

First, go to plugin settings: WooCommerce > Settings > Shipping > DPD UK.

Then activate tracking numbers in customer emails in the WooCommerce DPD settings and save changes.

When you create a shipment and change the order status, WooCommerce will send an email notification to the customer, and he will see his tracking number below the order details table.

In this way, he will be able to check the status of his DPD shipment very easily.

Best Practices for Providing Shipping Tracking Numbers

Effective shipment tracking goes beyond just providing a number. It’s about enhancing the post-purchase experience. Ensure that tracking numbers are prominently displayed in confirmation emails, integrate the WooCommerce order tracker on the customer’s account page for easy access, and always provide real-time data through WooCommerce shipping tracking. These practices can significantly improve customer satisfaction.

WooCommerce Shipment Tracking Questions & Answers

How Do I Add a Tracking Code in WooCommerce?

Integrating a tracking code in WooCommerce is straightforward with the right plugin. Once you’ve installed a WooCommerce shipment tracking plugin like UPS WooCommerce Labels and Tracking, you’ll be provided with options to input or auto-generate tracking codes for each order. 

How Do I Add a Tracking Number to WooCommerce Email?

The beauty of the WooCommerce order tracking feature is its seamless integration with email notifications. Once set up, tracking numbers are automatically embedded into confirmation emails, ensuring customers always have access to their shipment details.

How Do I Create a Tracking Number in WooCommerce?

Depending on your chosen shipping method and plugin, the WooCommerce tracking number can either be auto-generated or manually inputted. The key is to ensure that each order has a unique tracking number for accurate monitoring.

Summary

In conclusion, in the competitive landscape of WooCommerce, it’s the small details that often make the most significant difference. Providing reliable shipment tracking is one such detail that can greatly enhance customer trust and satisfaction. By leveraging the power of WooCommerce and its suite of tracking tools, store owners can offer an unparalleled shopping experience, ensuring customer loyalty and repeat business.