Enable Live Shipping Rates at checkout with Interparcel

If you run an eCommerce business, you'll want to make your online store as accessible as possible for your customers.

One way to do this, is by offering real-time store checkout shipping quotes for various courier delivery services like Same Day, Next Day, Economy or Express so your customers can choose the one that suits them best.

Eager to find out more? Continue reading our blog below:

What does 'Enable Live Shipping Rates' mean?

Enabling live shipping rates allows your buyers to see the real-time delivery costs from your selected couriers at checkout. It provides an accurate, up-to-date shipping cost based on the collection address, delivery address, parcel dimensions, parcel weight and the type of service selected.

Can I activate the 'Enable Live Shipping Rates' feature on all web platforms?

Currently, our free 'Cart Quoting' feature is available to all Interparcel customers who have integrated their Shopify or WooCommerce store with our Shipping Manager. Both platforms require a different set-up method for live quoting.

Why should my store display real-time delivery rates?

More choice for customers

Consumers will have the decision-making power as they can choose their preferred delivery service, whether that be Next Day or Economy.

Better transparency with the buyer

Displaying real-time delivery rates means the buyer can see exactly what they are paying, so there are no unexpected delivery costs later down the line!

Shows delivery timeframes

Transit times can help the buyer decide their preferred delivery service. In peak sales season, this can be helpful for both you and the customer as you could offer faster services so they'll get their purchases sooner.

Avoid overpaying or underpaying for delivery

Calculating live costs at checkout means you won't have to worry about charging too much or too little for delivery. Knowing the exact amount for shipping can help maximise your online store's profit margins, give you better control over expenses, and strengthen the trust between you and your consumers.

How do I set up 'Cart Quoting' for Shopify with Interparcel?

You can easily set up the live quoting on Shopify from your Interparcel Account. Follow these four simple steps below:

1) Request access to 'Third-Party Calculated Shipping Rates' in Shopify

You will need an 'Advanced Shopify' or 'Shopify Plus' plan to enable third-party shipping rates to function. It can also be added to any plan for a monthly fee by logging into your Shopify store and upgrading the plan in Settings.

2) Upload product measurements to your Interparcel Account

In your Interparcel Shopify settings, you need to click the products table, action and refresh products. Product measurements will come through as 0, so you must go into each product and manually input the item dimensions. Alternatively, you can input measurements via CSV by exporting the data and reimporting the file once complete.

3) Activate 'Cart Services' in your Interparcel Account

Next, select the 'Cart Services' tab and toggle on the carriers you'd like to offer at checkout. We recommend choosing 2-3 different service options such as an Economy, Next Day and Timed service. You can rename the display name to your preferred descriptions. For example, Evri UK Economy could be called 'Standard Delivery.'

4) Turn on 'Enable Live Shipping Rates' in your Interparcel Account

To activate real-time shipping quotes, click on the Cart Quoting tab in your Interparcel settings and toggle on the 'Enable Live Shipping Rates' option.

Live shipping is now ready to use!

How do I activate 'Cart Quoting' for WooCommerce with Interparcel?

WooCommerce follows a slightly different set-up process to Shopify. Here's the step-by-step guide below:

1) Download the Interparcel WooCommerce plugin v1.2 from your Interparcel Account

Connect your WooCommerce store to our Shipping Manager if you haven't already.

In your Interparcel Account, go into your WooCommerce settings and select the 'Cart Quoting' tab. Here, you will need to download Plugin v1.2.

2) Install the Interparcel WooCommerce plugin in WordPress

Login to your WordPress account, select 'Plugins' from the sidebar and click 'Add New'. Upload the plugin you installed from your Interparcel Account and click 'Install Now' and 'Activate Plugin'.

3) Select Zone and enter the Interparcel Auth key

In your Interparcel Account, go into WooCommerce settings and select the 'Cart Quoting' tab. Here, you'll see a long 32-digit Authentication key. Copy this key, and go back to your WooCommerce dashboard in WordPress, select 'Plugins' and click on the 'Settings' tab below the Interparcel plugin.

Select 'Add Shipping Zone', and 'Add Shipping Method' and choose Interparcel from the drop-down menu. Name the Zone Interparcel, click on the edit button below your newly created Zone, and paste the Auth key into the required field. Make sure the region is set as Interparcel UK and save.

4) Indicate product measurements

Ensure your product measurements (cm and kg) are available for each listed product in your WooCommerce store.

5) Activate 'Cart Services' in your Interparcel Account

Like Shopify, go through the options in 'Cart Services' and toggle on the carriers you would like to offer. You can rename the display name to your preferred descriptions.

Live quoting is now set up and ready to use!

Grow your business with Interparcel

Interparcel wants to help businesses of all sizes thrive and keep up-to-date with industry news. We offer a range of free, time-saving shipping tools and features and low-cost parcel delivery options.

• Free to use: creating an account with us is free, including all our fantastic shipping tools and features
• Speedy sending: whether you send one parcel a week or a thousand parcels a month, our Shipping Manager is a quick and easy way of sending packages within the UK and abroad.
• eCommerce integrations: connect to multiple shopping platforms and web builders through our Shipping Manager.
• Access to a range of reputable couriers: we work with the best delivery firms in the business to give our customers discounted shipping rates
• Reduces risk of errors: our in-built address validation and correction minimises the risk of address errors meaning fewer mistakes or missed deliveries
• Simplifies the shipping process: having all your eCommerce orders in one place makes them easier to validate and dispatch
• Unlimited no-cost label printing options: print your 6x4 shipping labels and A4 documentation directly to your printer.

Create an Interparcel Account today and benefit from helpful features and shipping tools like our live 'Cart Quoting' feature. Send a parcel with us today!