Have you ever wondered how complicated the logistical systems are when it comes to eCommerce businesses?
On the front end, the customer places an order and sits back, waiting for their order to be delivered.
However, behind the scenes, the store goes through a complex workflow that includes payment methods, product stocks, a warehouse, quality control, packing, shipment tracking, delivery, returns, and customer service.
The shipment management procedure was done manually before the advent of shipping application programming interfaces (APIs).
Following the placement of an order, the shipping information was manually input into the system. When you handle orders in bulk, it is almost impossible to complete this process manually. It was difficult to keep track of everything, and mistakes were common.
When it comes to eCommerce platforms, the manual process is expensive and eats into profits. This is where APIs, or Application Programming Interfaces, come in handy.
In this article, we will list the best shipping APIs for your business. But before we get into that, let’s take a look at what a shipping API is and how it may benefit e-commerce companies. Let’s get started.
Shipping APIs in eCommerce: A Brief Overview
You place an online order and immediately receive a confirmation SMS and email stating that your order has been received, that it will be shipped to you within 2 days, and that you may track it by clicking the provided link. In order to provide this update to the customer by SMS, several API requests were made.
Firstly, a suitable shipping carrier was selected, the stocks were checked, the warehouse was informed, the package was created, shipping labels were generated and printed, and the tracking information was generated and sent to the end customers.
The use of a shipping application programming interface (API) helps coordinate all of these steps. APIs are highly versatile and can be used for a number of different purposes, including data processing, data exchange, and the execution of a variety of different tasks. A shipping API establishes a two-way connection between an eCommerce store and multiple shipping carriers.
Everyone involved in the logistics development process, from developers to customers, can profit from this extremely effective approach. Shipment APIs enable e-commerce businesses to automate their shipping processes by integrating their logistical partners’ features directly into their own.
What are the most important functions that shipping APIs perform?
The main purpose of shipping APIs is to send and receive data to and from the shipping carriers and the store. Other than that, here are some of the most important functions that shipping APIs perform.
- Enable multi-carrier shipping
- Generate shipping labels automatically
- Tracking shipments and sending regular updates
- Delivery address verification
Popular Shipping APIs for Your Business
Let’s have a look at a few of the most popular shipping APIs for your business now that we have a good grasp of what shipping APIs are.
ReachShip API
ReachShip’s Multi-Carrier Shipping API provides access to shipping rates from numerous industry leaders, including DHL, UPS, USPS, FedEx, and Australia Post’s MyPost Business, with many other shipping carriers to be added soon. It has several features to help you organize your shipping processes more efficiently.
This powerful API administers your entire shipping workflow, from ensuring that the addresses that consumers provide are correct using address validation, comparing shipping rates, creating shipping labels, and sending tracking updates to customers, to ensuring that their items are delivered to the correct location.
When compared to other solutions, this is one of the most effective ways to improve your shipping process because it only requires you to pay the shipping fees that are specific to direct shipping providers.
Shippo API
Shippo provides a versatile and user-friendly shipping API that helps you with comparing shipping costs, printing shipping labels, the verification of delivery addresses, and tracking shipments.
This API interface enables you to provide a top-tier shipping service without the need for constant maintenance and upkeep on your end.
Over 85 of the world’s leading shipping companies, including UPS, FedEx, DHL, Canada Post, and USPS, are all accessible to developers via the API.
You only need to set up a single integration to obtain everything you need, from shipping labels and declarations to shipment tracking and returns.
EasyPost API
EasyPost’s Shipping API is both versatile and simple, making it easy to compare rates offered by different shipping carriers, purchase and create shipping labels, validate addresses, track deliveries, and add insurance if needed.
Just like any other shipping API, it reduces the complexity of your shipping processes and increases customer satisfaction.
Through a single integration, you will be able to compare pricing and purchase labels across dozens of different shipping providers, including USPS, UPS, FedEx, and DHL, among others.
Additionally, it gives you the ability to trigger real-time shipping updates via webhook notifications that you may customize. Instead of spending time on shipping, you can put your attention on your business because of the streamlined integration process.
ShipEngine API
ShipEngine gives you the ability to integrate with more than 30 different shipping carriers, and its API is designed to assist you in managing small to large-scale shipment management processes as well as the complete order fulfillment process.
With ShipEngine’s API, you can integrate your eCommerce website with a wide variety of shipping providers, create labels, track shipments, and handle returns from a single location.
You can take care of all of your shipping requirements with this simple REST API, without having to learn the ins and outs of a variety of single carrier APIs and interfaces. It is easy to configure and will easily integrate with the process you already have in place.
ShippyPro API
ShippyPro offers an advanced shipping API that streamlines shipping operations for eCommerce websites. It enables businesses to integrate with various shipping carriers, compare prices, generate labels, and track packages in real-time.
With the API, all aspects of shipping and return processing may be managed from a single location. Shipping details from all of your orders are imported directly from your sales channel, allowing you to quickly and easily pick the most cost-effective shipping provider.
With the help of the ShippyPro API, shipping can be easily integrated into any eCommerce website. This enables business owners to optimize and automate their processes and concentrate on growing their businesses.
With ShippyPro, you can easily manage your shipments, track their deliveries, issue refunds, and expand your business to new markets.
Pitney Bowes API
Pitney Bowes Parcel Services API allows you to quickly integrate USPS and other shipping services into your website, generate regular shipping manifests to streamline the workflow, handle returns and cancellations, and much more.
The API is capable of validating shipping addresses and searching the USPS database of addresses. If the API fails to detect the entered address, it will offer possible alternatives.
The available shipping rates and the estimated time of delivery are updated in real-time for you to compare and go ahead with the most suitable one.
Using the Tracking API, you can track the delivery status of packages from the time they leave the warehouse all the way until they arrive at their delivery point.
The Cancel Pitney Bowes Parcel Services API cancels and refunds shipments. It is an all-encompassing shipping API designed to optimize and accelerate your shipping workflow.
Shiprocket API
The Shiprocket API serves as a bridge between your business and Shiprocket’s shipping and order management systems. You can now handle all of your orders and shipments from a centralized location, saving time and effort.
By syncing your catalog every 15 minutes, you can monitor all incoming orders and ensure that they are processed quickly. Shiprocket’s API is intuitive and compatible with all eCommerce platforms.
After successfully integrating the API with your business, you will be able to begin managing your orders and shipping from within the Shiprocket platform.
Shiprocket’s API helps you integrate with multiple shipping companies, so you can compare their rates and pick the best one for your company. With this integration, you can arrange your operations while also keeping track of your shipments.
To Wrap Up
This concludes our list of the top 7 shipping APIs for your business. We hope that this article helps you find the right match for your business needs. eCommerce businesses can benefit greatly from the many features offered by shipping APIs.
Incorporating shipping APIs into your business’s workflow will improve your stores’ performance. By integrating shipping APIs, you can give your buyers a great post-sale service and increase the likelihood that they will return for future purchases.
If you have any questions about integrating shipping APIs into your business, please let us know in the comments section below.
