How to Configure & Set up WooCommerce DHL Shipping Plugin – Rates, Label Printing & Tracking Covered

DHL operates in over 220 countries and territories, providing extensive international shipping and logistic solutions. DHL Shipping plugin is used by many as DHL is one of the shipping companies who has always been at par with technology and has brought about sustainable initiatives and innovative solutions.

This article works as an ultimate guide for you to gain a clear understanding about how you can set up DHL Shipping Plugin with your WooCommerce store and make use of its services.

Table of Contents

ELEX WooCommerce DHL Express / eCommerce / Paket / Parcel Shipping Plugin with Print Label

There are numerous plugins in the market that enable you to smoothly integrate your WooCommerce store with DHL when using them as your shipping carrier; to learn more about some of the top WooCommerce DHL Plugins, check this link.

ELEX WooCommerce DHL Shipping Plugin with Print Label allows you to integrate DHL shipping services into your WooCommerce store, enabling you to provide real-time rates, print shipping labels, and offer tracking options to your customers.

How does the plugin function?

How to SetUp the ‘ELEX WooCommerce DHL Express / eCommerce / Paket / Parcel Shipping Plugin with Print Label’ Plugin?

Purchase the Plugin

Go to the ELEXtensions website and locate the ‘ELEX WooCommerce DHL Express / eCommerce / Paket / Parcel Shipping Plugin with Print Label’ Plugin and purchase it. To know the process of purchasing you can refer to this article.

Download the Plugin

Go to the ELEXtensions website and log in to your ELEX account.
Navigate to ‘My Account’ and select ‘Download Products.’
In the ‘Premium Downloads’ section, locate the ‘ELEX WooCommerce DHL Express / eCommerce / Paket / Parcel Shipping Plugin with Print Label’ Plugin’ and click on ‘Download.’

Install the Plugin

Log in to your WordPress website. Go to ‘Plugins’ > ‘Add New’ > ‘Upload Plugin.’
Click on ‘Choose File’ and select the downloaded plugin file. Click ‘Install Now’ and then ‘Activate Plugin.’

Once these steps are completed, the plugin will be listed in your activated plugins list, ready for configuration and use.

Configure the ‘ELEX WooCommerce DHL Express / eCommerce / Paket / Parcel Shipping Plugin with Print Label’ Plugin

General Settings

DHL Account Information – Here you can use either the test mode or live mode. You need to enter the credentials for both, the Account Number, API key and API secret.

For API Key and API Secret outside the US (UK and worldwide), contact your DHL account manager to request integration via the DHL pre-sales department. In the US, email xmlrequests@dhl.com with your account details. In Australia, contact DHL Express at onlineshopping.au@dhl.com.

Enable/Disable – You need to enable the Real time rates and Shipping Label.
Enabling the ‘Insurance’ field will let you protect your packages incase of any damage, you can select your desired currency and conversion rate.
Enabling the ‘DHL Insurance checkout field’ will give your customers an option of adding insurance to their packages in the checkout page.
Enabling the ‘Receiver’s EORI and VAT number’ will provide space for your customer to add their EORI and VAT number in the checkout page.
The IRS assigns a unique nine-digit EIN (Exporter Identification Number) to each business, necessary for sending packages internationally from the US. This EIN will be included on the generated commercial invoice.
Enabling the ‘Developer Mode’ will allow you to debug errors.
Default Currency – This field shows the default currency of the country you have mentioned in your Shipper Address.

If your currency differs from that of DHL then a text box appears where you can type in the conversion rate.

Billing Company Name Format – According to DHL Express API version 10, the receiver’s company name is mandatory. Select “Mandatory” to require it on the checkout page or “Choose First Name” to send the receiver’s first name as the company name.
Shipper Address – This field allows you to enter the details of the Shipper such as Shipper name, Company name, Phone number, Email address, Address line 1 and 2, City, State, Country, Account Payment Country and Postal Code.

Rates and Services

Show delivery time – Enabling this field displays the delivery time for each DHL service.
Show DHL Account rates – Enabling this field makes the plugin fetch DHL account-specific rates.
Show Breakdown charges – Enabling this field will allow the customers to see the breakdown charges on the cart and checkout page.
Show Insurance charges – Enabling this field will show the Insurance charges separately in the Breakdown charges.
Show Remote Area surcharge – Enabling this field will show the Remote Area surcharge separately in the Breakdown charges.
Show Cheapest rates only – Enabling this field will show only the cheapest rates from the DHL services in the cart and checkout page.
Is dutiable – Enable this field for International non EU shipments.
Exclude DHL tax – Enable this field to exclude DHL tax from its returned services.
UTF-8 support – Enable this field to support UTF-8 character sets, useful for printing labels in languages like Chinese and Japanese.
Method Config – This field allows you to set a custom DHL method name and even specify the countries where you would wish to provide DHL services.
Insurance for Specific Countries – This field allows you to specify the countries where you would want to show the insurance options to the customers on the checkout page.
Working Days – You can choose the working days.
Cut-off Time – This field allows you to set a cut-off time. The following working day will be selected as the shipping date in the request to DHL API if an order is placed after the cutoff time.
Lead Time(Days) – This field allows you to set a lead time for shipments if you expect delays due to inventory shortages or delivery issues. The estimated delivery date will adjust based on the entered lead time.
Fallback Rate – This field allows you to enter a fallback rate if DHL cannot return shipping quotes due to technical issues.

This page also displays the shipping services provided by DHL and Price Adjustments.

Label and Tracking

Enable Paperless Trade(PLT) – Enabling this field activates DHL’s paperless trade service and a receipt will be generated for the commercial invoice to customers.
Enable Saturday Delivery(SD) – Enabling this field will provide deliveries on Saturdays.
Enable Default service for Label generation – Enabling this service will allow the same shipping service selected by the customer during the checkout to be printed on the labels.
Show only chosen services on Rate and Services section – Enabling this field will show only the services selected in the rates and services section during label generation.
Enable Direct download – Enabling this field will allow a single click download for labels and invoice.
Enable Customers to Print label – Enabling this field will allow the customers to print labels from their ‘My Account’ Page.
Shipping Label – This field allows you to set a specific size for your label. The formats available to print your labels are PDF output, ZPL2 output and EPL2 output.
Shipping Contents Description – This field will allow you to put up a description of the contents present in your package.
Shipper Comment – This field allows you to add in a default shipper comment.
Company Logo – This field allows you to set a custom logo for your shipment and return labels.
Duty Payment – This field allows you to select who will pay the duty amount. The available options are none, shipper or recipient.
Archive Air Waybill – Enabling this field will send a waybill with every shipment label generated with DHL express.
Bulk Shipment – This field allows you to select default domestic and default international service for bulk shipments.
Special Service – This field allows you to select default service if your products are restricted commodities.
Return Label – Enabling this field will allow return label generation.
Tracking – Enabling this field will allow tracking.
Commercial Invoice – This field gives you two options to generate invoice. They are classic invoice generators and DHL invoice generators.
Signature for Classic Invoice – This field allows you to add your signature for classic invoice.
DHL Email Service – This field allows you to append additional messages that will be part of the DHL email notification service.
Pickup – Enable this field to allow pickup.
Shipper registration details – Enable this option to include the shipper’s tax registration details.

Packaging

There are three ways in which you can pack your packages they are,

Package options

Pack items individually – Enables you to pack items into individual boxes. The options available to you are DHL box, Flyer and Your Pack.
Pack into boxes with weight and dimensions – Enables you to pack items in custom boxes. That is you can enter the dimensions of the boxes you need.
Weight based – Enables you to pack items according to their weight. You can also specify the process of packing i.e you can pack heavier items first, lighter items first.

DEMONSTRATION

Navigating the plugin is simple once it is configured. Your consumers can browse the available DHL services when they place an order and add products to their cart. They can access the Checkout Page by choosing their desired service and clicking “Proceed to Checkout.”

Customers must provide their contact details, shipping address, preferred method of delivery (which they can modify from the options they selected on the cart page), and method of payment on the checkout page. Finally, consumers can easily finish their purchase by selecting “Place Order.”

Once the order is placed the customer will be able to see their Order details.

To process an order for shipment and label creation, simply go to your WooCommerce site, navigate to ‘Orders,’ and choose the order you wish to process.
The ‘Edit Order’ screen will appear, and all you have to do is click ‘Generate Package‘. It really is that simple!

Now, you can also change the service chosen by the customer and click on ‘Create Shipment’. Here, you can also download the ‘Proforma Invoice’.

Here you can print the Shipment label by selecting ‘Shipment Label’ and download the Commercial Invoice. If you wish to return the Shipment you can click on ‘Process Return Shipment’. For Tracking, under ‘Order notes’ you will find a DHL tracking pin, clicking on it, will redirect you to the DHL page where you will get the tracking information of your package.

DHL LABEL

COMMERCIAL INVOICE

If you want to return the package click on ‘Process Return Shipment’ then you will have to click on ‘Generate return package’.

Click on ‘Create Return Shipment’.

Click on ‘Return Label’ and you will be able to print the return label.

DHL RETURN LABEL

The ELEX WooCommerce DHL Shipping Plugin makes integrating DHL shipping services into your WooCommerce store a straightforward and efficient process. From installation to configuration, the steps are designed to be user-friendly, ensuring you can quickly set up real-time shipping rates, label printing, and shipment tracking.

LAST SHOT

The ELEX WooCommerce DHL Shipping Plugin is a powerful tool that streamlines shipping processes for WooCommerce store owners. By integrating DHL’s extensive shipping services, the plugin offers real-time rates, efficient label printing, and reliable shipment tracking. By making use of its exceptional features, it ensures a seamless and flexible shipping experience for both store owners and customers.
For more detailed information and to purchase the plugin, visit the ELEX WooCommerce DHL Shipping Plugin page.

FAQs

What DHL services are supported by the ELEX DHL Shipping plugin?
The plugin supports various DHL services including DHL Express, DHL eCommerce, DHL Paket and DHL Parcel.
Can I customize shipping rates and services for different zones or products?
Yes, the plugin allows customization of shipping rates and services by setting up shipping zones and classes in WooCommerce. This enables you to apply different rates and services based on the destination or product type.
What features does the ELEX DHL Shipping Plugin offer for bulk shipments?
The plugin supports bulk label printing and shipment processing, making it easier to handle large volumes of orders efficiently. You can manage bulk shipments directly from the WooCommerce order management page.
Does the ELEX DHL Shipping plugin support international shipping?
Yes, the plugin supports international shipping. Ensure your shipping zones include international destinations and configure the appropriate DHL services for those zones.
Can I provide estimated delivery dates to my customers?
Yes, the plugin can provide estimated delivery dates based on the selected DHL service and destination. Ensure this feature is enabled in the plugin settings.