How to Find the Best Shipping API For Your Business

Due to the continuous development of e-commerce businesses, many entrepreneurs are seeking practical ways to improve their businesses and provide their customers with excellent service. This includes the shipping process.

The shipping process is actually one of the most important factors that attract and retain customers. After all, it assures that the purchased items will be delivered to the customers securely without any damages or problems.

Because of this, it is important to choose a reliable shipping Application Programming Interface (API) that will enhance and simplify your shipping process. Unlike the traditional shipping management workflow, the innovative features of an API allow data to flow seamlessly between your business and your shipping partners, offering your customers the best shipping option.

Not all shipping APIs have the same features and functionalities, though, so finding the best shipping API for your business can be difficult. ShipEngine sets itself apart by offering essential tools for different types of businesses. This will help you manage your business efficiently while saving time and money at the same time.

What to Consider When Looking For a Reliable Shipping API

Whether you're a newcomer or a professional in the e-commerce business, you might be struggling to find the right shipping API for your business. With so many shipping APIs emerging around the globe, it's important to carefully consider the following factors to ensure that your business ends up with a smooth shipping process.

Shipping Labels

The shipping label contains all the necessary information about your customers and supply chain, including the return and destination addresses, electronic tracking number, shipping barcode, shipping class, and package weight. It informs the carrier where to deliver the package or item and provides the recipient's contact details.

ShipEngine makes it easier to create shipping labels for any carrier. You can even customize labels with your own messages and images and download them in different file formats. This reduces the chance of committing errors and prevents unsuccessful or wrong deliveries.

Address Validation

Address validation and verification are some of the trickier parts of the shipping process. A simple mistake or typographical error in an address can instantly affect the shipping period and cause delays. Because of this, you should look for a shipping API that can automatically validate addresses to avoid additional charges, rescheduling deliveries, printing new labels, and lost or wrong items.

ShipEngine's address verification API builds customer trust and increases customer satisfaction. Through it, you can smoothly validate global addresses and guarantee that every package arrives at the right destination as needed.

Low Shipping Cost

Customers love discounted or affordable shipping rates. Shipping APIs can compare shipping rates for specific packages from various carriers, allowing you to see all the available options and provide your customers with the most suitable ones for them.

ShipEngine has more than 30 carrier connections, with which you can view real-time carrier rates and pick the best option for each shipment depending on shipping costs, delivery time, and carrier capacities. Many customers will most likely purchase from your business again once they see the discounted shipping costs.

Shipment Tracking

Assuring your customers that their packages will arrive safely and keeping them updated about the whereabouts of their packages will easily boost consumer trust. Shipping APIs offer real-time tracking updates that can be accessed through an app, email, or SMS, making it more convenient for both sellers and customers to track shipments.

With ShipEngine, your customers can get the current status of their package or subscribe to real-time tracking updates through webhooks. You can also create customized tracking pages with your own branding so your customers will stay updated on the exact location of their packages.

Why Choose ShipEngine

ShipEngine is easy to use and set up. Even if you're unfamiliar with technology or if it's your first time using a shipping API, you won't have a difficult time learning its features. They also have technical support available to attend to your questions or concerns about your shipping API or account. In a nutshell, it lets you manage all of your shipping needs without worrying about the complexities of different carrier APIs and protocols.

ShipEngine will give you more time to focus on improving your business as well. It helps you get discounted rates from hundreds of shipping carriers, validate addresses, process orders, track shipments, and manage return orders. You'll be able to provide your customers with an excellent shipping experience that will build a good seller and customer relationship and business reputation.

If you're worried about your finances, you can choose from four plans - Start-Up, Growth, Scale, and Enterprise - that suit your budget and business type. New users will get a free API key without recurring fees or getting locked into pricing. ShipEngine can also help you figure out which shipping API best suits your business by waiving the fees for your first 250 label generations, 250 address validations, 250 tracked packages, and 500 rate quotes.

Invest in a trusted shipping API to advance your business. Invest in ShipEngine.