How to Do API Integration With Shipping Partners

Of all the different acronyms you encounter in the world of e-commerce, like RTO, NPS, WMS, and ERP, perhaps one of the most important ones is API. There are typically 4 types of shipping APIs, used for order tracking, waybill generation, cancellation of orders and determining delivery dates.

How to Do API Integration With Shipping Partners- List of Useful Steps

API stands for application programming interface and it is essentially a code that allows online platforms to make use of existing functionalities and features built into certain other platforms. Facebook makes use of marketing APIs that let businesses advertise on popular social media platform. Similarly YouTube has Data APIs that allow businesses, webpages, and different platforms to host select YouTube videos directly on their platform or device.

So today we’ll be discussing the different shipping APIs and how your e-commerce business can benefit from them when integrating with reliable eCommerce shipping partners and solutions providers.

Main API Integrations

Not all shipping partners make use of all of the same API integrations for e-commerce shipping. That being said, there are a few that you will find common to most shipping partners, particularly those that tie up frequently with online enterprises. These are the 4 must-have API integrations for e-commerce shipping partners.

Manifestation and shipping label generation API:

First things first, all shipping partners need an API that can take care of order manifestation. This process includes the creation of the order on the shipping partner platform, followed by AWB (airway bill) generation, shipping label creation (which contains AWB information) and finally, auto-assigning the pick-up of the order to a delivery agent.

Track Shipment API:

The AWB typically contains a full description of the contents of the order along with all requisite information on both the shipper and receiver of the order (i.e, the e-commerce business and the customer respectively). Track shipment API makes use of the AWB to stay updated on the status of the order as listed on the shipping partner platform, and track the shipment at all stages, from pick-up to final delivery. This enables you to give customers regular tracking updates.

Cancellation API:

When an order is cancelled, the same has to be communicated to the shipping partner to ensure the shipment is returned to its point of origin safely and quickly. Cancellation APIs push information regarding canceled orders to the shipping partners platform so carriers are immediately notified when a shipment has been cancelled. They can accordingly initiate returns faster and prior to the order being delivered.

EDD API:

You can pull information from the shipping partner platform to determine approximately how long a particular order will take to be shipped to certain locations, depending on the point of origin and destination of the order. Accordingly this API allows you to show that Estimated Delivery Date, or EDD, for a said shipment to the customer on the order checkout page.

Other Shipping APIs available

There are many other uses that different APIs can have when it comes to shipping, in addition to the above four major functions.

APIs can be used for validating address information input by customers at the time of order creation.

They can be used by e-commerce companies to compare shipping rates of multiple carriers and select one according to the delivery estimate.

There are APIs, like those employed by ClickPost, including NDR (Non-Delivery Reports) Action Updates, that allow you to proactively deal with NDRs, and Return webhooks that help you track returning shipments via the shipping partner platform and the waybill.

Challenges to API Integration

There are typically 4 major challenges that e-commerce businesses face when it comes to API integrations with shipping partners. These are:-

Limited Tech Knowledge

Most e-commerce companies, especially smaller ones, are unlikely to have the skills and the resources to understand the technological complexities of APIs and how to complete the integration process. Personnel would have to be hired solely for that purpose or the task would have to be outsourced.

High Cost

The person you would need to hire to help you integrate with a shipping partner's APIs would be a professional developer. They typically charge high fees, especially with complex tasks like integrating with APIs. In addition to that, any upgrades your existing system may need would also cost you.

Extreme Time Consumption

APIs are extremely complex and have their own unique structure and architecture. A professional hired to integrate you with a shipping partner's APIs would need to first understand the structure of the API and make the integration accordingly, which can take anywhere between 4 to 12 weeks.

Regular Maintenance

Even after your APIs are fully integrated, they can face all kinds of technical issues which can negatively impact user experience. In addition to that, APIs also need to be constantly upgraded in accordance with the shipping partner’s requirements. This adds to the need for a team or at least one personnel whose main duty is simply to keep maintaining and upgrading the APIs.

Final Note

The process of integrating, maintaining and upgrading APIs is long and cumbersome, not to mention expensive. However, shipping APIs are vital to the functionality and success of any e-commerce business. They ensure customers are kept informed about their delivery dates and tracking updates, and that the processes of manifestation, pick-up and even reverse logistics all function smoothly. Intelligence platforms like ClickPost can help you to easily integrate with shipping partners, stay integrated and make the most use of available shipping APIs, without having to hire any extra personnel for integrating and maintenance.