ShipHawk
Development of Custom Extensions Using
ShipHawk's API for Magento 1, Magento 2,
Shopify, WooCommerce, and X-Cart
5
platforms
160
development hrs
300+
active clients
The Overview
ShipHawk is a leading transportation automation platform that unites retailers, B2B and B2C ecommerce businesses, manufacturers, and distributors with US shipping leaders (FedEx, UPS, USPS), as well as with about 200 smaller parcel, freight, blanket wrap, and white glove carrier services. Launched in 2012, today the startup provides thousands of businesses with a quick and easy real-time comparison of parameters, pricing and other conditions essential for choosing the best shipping/transportation solution, especially for cumbersome or custom sized items.
Understanding that one of the main pain points for most ecommerce businesses is usually a shipping issue, ShipHawk decided to develop specialized integrations for the most popular ecommerce platforms to deliver a simple solution to ecommerce business owners. With this in mind,ShipHawk reached out and tasked us with the development of extensions for Magento 1, Magento 2, Shopify, WooCommerce and X-Cart.
The Challenge
Researching the specifics and pain points of the shipping and transportation business, we found several major bottlenecks we had to contend with. The main challenge was the need to develop a shipping cost estimation logic, taking into account the following factors:
- 1.
Depending on the product characteristics, the shipping cost can be calculated
in different ways, on the basis of their linear dimensions or volumetric weight.
So, for example, the shipping cost for extra-long or heavy goods should be calculated differently. - 2.
Sometimes, the products listed in the same online store can be stored in different warehouses. As a result, when ordering several products, the shipping cost for
each of them should be calculated separately. These could often be completely different parcels with different costs and delivery time. - 3.
Standard shipping modules (UPS, USPS, FedEx) only calculate the shipping costs. Further parcel processing (initiation of the delivery on the side of a transportation company, dispatch confirmation, etc) is carried out by managers and online store administrators manually or by using third-party software. We had to make sure that all these processes, from the receipt of the delivery request to the
“shipping label” creation, are processed by the modules automatically or after the order confirmation.
The Solution
We carried out the development of ShipHawk’s extensions in two stages.
At the first stage, we developed a complex solution for Magento 1, Shopify, and WooCommerce. Here, the most time-consuming part of the work was the addition of attributes of the product’s linear dimensions and the logics of calculating the parcel size for further shipping cost estimation.
After a while, it became obvious that in the case of irregular-shaped items, it is cumbersome for ecommerce managers to submit needed product parameters manually for the calculation of the shipping cost of every new order. That’s why, in the second stage, we developed additional modules for Magento 2 and X-Cart. Their purpose was downloading all new orders from the ecommerce admin panel to ShipHawk’s side, and then returning the order dispatch confirmations and subsequent tracking information back to the CMS.
The Result
Now, with the released Shiphawk extensions, Magento 1, Magento 2, Shopify,
WooCommerce, and X-Cart storefronts can:
- Connect with hundreds of delivery carriers and shipping providers
- Set shipping policies at shipment or product level
- Import product info with a single click
- Easily sync orders, simplifying their fulfillment
- Automate all processes, from booking up to delivery
- Get every piece of shipping documentation, etc.
As a result, thousands of ecommerce merchants have an opportunity
to easily eliminate operational overhead, increase cart conversions,
decrease shipping costs, and significantly improve the post-purchase
customer experience!
ShipHawk Ranks No. 192
2018 Inc. 500
ShipHawk CEO, Jeremy Bodenhamer, named one of the 2018 Pros to Know
SDCE 2018 Pros to Know
ShipHawk Ranks No. 8
2017 Deloitte Fast 500
ShipHawk Wins Green Supply Chain Award
SDCE 2017 Green Supply Chain Awards
Top 50 Shipping Websites & Blogs For Shipping Industry Professionals
Feedspot 2016
2016 Hot Companies for Small Package Solutions
Parcel Logistics Leaders 2016
20 Most Promising Ecommerce Solution Providers
CIO Review 2016
Mark Viloria
ShipHawk
Product Manager
Even such a tricky task like the realization of a custom logic for shipping costs estimation didn’t put Whidegroup in a tough spot. As a result, all five extensions were delivered on time and without deviations from the initially estimated cost. "
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