As demand for online shopping continues to grow, small businesses (SMBs) must cater to an increasingly demanding customer base. Over 45% of consumers want online retailers to notify them when items are delivered, and 68% want to know when an order is shipped.
That means SMBs need shipping management software that integrates seamlessly with their marketplace and existing tech stack to meet these growing business needs. The best shipping software can also offer features like :
- Real-time carrier pricing
- Label creation
- Order tracking
- Rapid refunds
- Streamlined workflows for faster fulfillment
The benefits of a good shipping management system can include easier admin, faster shipping time, and better customer experience — leading to better reviews!
In this article we’ll review the best shipping software for small business owners, especially those who sell on platforms like Shopify, Etsy, eBay, and other marketplaces. First, we’ll look at exactly what shipping software is, and how it can help grow your business.
What is shipping software?
Shipping software helps streamline shipping and post-shipment management. You can use these apps and services to:
- Analyze rates
- Select carriers
- Print labels
- Manage returns
- Track shipments
- Automate key shipping processes
You can often set automation rules for label creation, and select carriers based on the best rates or fastest shipping times. Notification systems alert customers when their order has shipped and when it has been delivered.
5 top benefits of e-commerce shipping software
Businesses benefit from shipping software in a few key ways:
- Automate processes: Set up rule-based workflows to offer shipping options based on distance, price, delivery time, weight, value, and other rules.
- Easily track and manage inventory: Inventory management and forecasting help SMBs better manage operations, know when to order new products, and fulfill more orders.
- Reduce shipping costs: Integration with the leading shipping solutions, such as USPS and FedEx, allows for fast price comparison. Platforms often offer shipping rate discounts that further help small businesses reduce costs.
- Cater to growing customer expectations: Faster shipping, better pricing, and advanced tracking improve the customer experience.
- Integrate with existing tech stacks and solutions: Many solutions offer integration into leading platforms, such as WooCommerce, BigCommerce, QuickBooks, and dozens of others to automate multiple areas of your operations.
How to choose shipping software for your small business
You know the benefits of shipping software, but how do you find the right solution? There are several things to consider:
1. Your goals
Knowing your goals is the first step to an effective e-commerce shipping strategy. So, what do you want your software to help you achieve? Do you want to:
- Improve your inventory management?
- Streamline your purchase orders?
- Enhance your inventory tracking?
- Reduce your shipping costs?
- Improve your customer experience?
Identify your most significant shipping challenges and look for solutions to help resolve those issues.
2. Smart integrations
Ideally, your shipping software will integrate with your current platform and workflow to make your transition seamless. Look for solutions that offer real-time integration and will automatically:
- Import orders from multiple sales channels
- Update stock levels
- Communicate with your inventory management and warehousing systems
- Communicate with your ERPS or accounting solutions like Quickbooks
Some solutions offer integration with their shipping API, which allows for more flexibility and customization.
In-depth reporting features can enhance inventory management and help you make smarter, data-backed decisions.
3. Simplified label printing and shipping workflows
If you’re handling order fulfillment and shipping on your own (or with a small team), you want a shipping solution that will save you time and simplify your workflow.
Consider software that offers:
- Batch label printing
- Integrations with scales and printers
- Streamlined shipping workflows
- Tracking on the dashboard
These features will save you time, allowing you to fulfill orders faster while reducing the risk of errors. Spending less time on shipping and order fulfillment will allow you to focus on customer service and offering the best products to shoppers.
4. Discounted shipping rates
Shipping costs can eat into your bottom line. The right shipping software can help resolve this problem. Many providers offer pre-negotiated shipping discounts to help merchants save on costs.
Along with discounts, look for solutions that provide transparent rate comparisons and recommend more affordable alternatives that don’t compromise on delivery quality.
5. Returns management
Shipping management doesn’t end when packages leave your doorstep. Much can happen between pickup and delivery. Shipments may be delayed, packages may get lost, or a customer may decide to return their purchase. It’s helpful to have a shipping solution that can handle these”reverse logistics” post-shipment issues.
Look for solutions that can help you resolve non-delivery reports and returns with ease. Many platforms have integrated return portals, return label generation, and automated status updates to improve the customer experience.
6. In-depth reporting features
Shipping software can do more than just help you find the best shipping rates and print labels. Many providers also offer detailed reporting features to make your life easier, like:
- Inventory reports
- Multi-channel sales reports
- Inventory forecasts
Best shipping software for SMBs in 2024
1. ShipStation
Key Features
- Discounted shipping from DHL, USPS, UPS, and GlobalPost
- Integrations with 300+ platforms, including Amazon, FedEx, Etsy, WooCommerce, and others
- Order management with 70+ direct integrations
- Inventory management
- Branded tracking pages and shipping labels
ShipStation offers pricing tiers that small businesses at all stages can rely on to ship anywhere from 25 to 7,500+ packages per month. Order management features allow business owners to combine, split, or filter orders.
Shipping rates are visible in real-time on the dashboard, allowing users to compare and select the best rates.
Customer service and dedicated representatives are willing to learn about your business and help you manage all of your orders and shipments from one central hub.
Pricing
Small businesses can choose from multiple plans:
- Free (Up to 25 shipments/mo)
- Starter ($9.99/m)
- Bronze ($29.99/m)
- Silver ($59.99/m)
- Gold ($99.99/m)
- Platinum ($149.99/mo)
- Enterprise ($229.99/mo)
- High-Volume (Quoted)
2. Shippo
Key Features
- Unlimited store connections
- International shipping
- Shipment tracking
- Analytics and reporting
- Branded labels, packing slips, and tracking emails
- Schedule pickups
- Automation
Shippo’s shipping app offers 40+ carrier network options, making it easy to select the best rates and reduce shipping costs. Users can automate label creation by setting shipping rules. You can also create custom forms and invoices to expand to international customers.
Over 100,000 online businesses rely on Shippo to reach broader audiences and manage shipments from scheduling pick-ups to delivery.
Users appreciate the intuitive design and helpful customer support.
Pricing
Shippo offers multiple non-API options including:
- Free
- Pro ($19/mo)
- Premier (contact for details)
3. ShippingEasy
Key Features
- Shopify Seller Suite with seamless shipping integration
- Shipping carrier rate discounts
- Automated label printing and recipient notifications
- Workflow automation to streamline shipping, tracking, and returns
- Marketplace, shopping cart, and major platform integration
- Automate shipping with rule-setting
ShippingEasy offers extensive functionality to streamline the shipping process. You can manage orders in one central location, create custom order views, combine orders or split them to save on costs, create shipping reports, and more.
Integration with many e-commerce platforms, easy order cancellation and refund options, and helpful support are perks customers recommend. One downside is that the interface is said to be cumbersome to use.
Pricing
- Free (25 shipments/mo)
- Growth ($19.99/mo)
- Basic ($29.99/mo)
- Plus ($49.99/mo)
- Select ($69.99/mo)
- Premium ($99.99/mo)
- Enterprise ($159.99/mo)
4. AfterShip
Key Features
- Branded tracking pages
- Notification customization
- AI product recommendations
- Estimated delivery date options
- Seamless integration with 1,151 carriers and 70 platforms
- Return management solutions
AfterShip’s platform keeps customers informed with updates and tracking for their shipments. Estimated delivery date predictions use AI to increase accuracy and improve the post-purchase process.
Real-time tracking and returns automation reduce small business responsibilities while increasing customer satisfaction. You can offer SMS notifications for an upcharge to keep customers informed on SMS, or stick to the email notification option.
Pricing
- Essentials ($11/mo)
- Pro ($119/moPremium ($239/mo)
- Multiple pricing tier options, based on shipments per month, are also available.
5. Ordoro
Key Features
- Pick-and-pack workflows, barcode scanning, and order verification
- Access to carrier discounts
- Bulk printing of packing slips and automation features
- First-class customer support
- Integrations with popular shipping carriers like USPS, FedEx, Amazon SFP, Canada Post, Australia Post, and more
Ordoro is a small, independent shipping software solution based in Austin, TX, that aims to help small sellers simplify and streamline their shipping. Their shipping app provides all the tools you need for order management and fulfillment, including ordering filtering, splitting, merging, and cloning. Standout features include Amazon FBA order routing, shipping insurance, and automated order routing options. To create a seamless customer experience, Ordoro offers branded packing lists, shipping labels, and emails.
For sellers who want to manage other aspects of their business, Ordoro also offers inventory and dropshipping solutions.
Pricing
- Shipping (Free)
- Advanced ($59/m)
- Premium ($149/m)
6. Easyship
Key Features
- Automate shipping operations with custom shipping rules
- Generate and print shipping labels
- Connect your online store with smart integrations
- Discounted rates of up to 91% off retail
- Tracking updates and returns management
- Branded checkout and order fulfillment options
EasyShip is a robust shipping platform that integrates with various sales channels and offers merchants access to pre-negotiated shipping rates. Choose from over 250 couriers worldwide and find the best rates from one platform.
Small e-commerce businesses that want to expand and offer international shipping will benefit from EasyShip’s convenient global shipping tools. The platform calculates tax and duty costs while preparing the proper paperwork to facilitate customs clearance.
Customer-facing features, like branded tracking pages and customized packing slips, create a more positive customer experience.
Pricing
- Free (up to 50 shipments per month)
- Plus ($29/m)
- Premier ($69/m)
- Scale ($99/m)
7. OrderCup
Key Features
- Integrates with e-commerce platforms and marketplaces, including Amazon, Etsy, eBay, Shopify, Magento, Bigcommerce, Woocommerce, and more
- Multi-carrier shipping options: USPS, UPS, FedEx, DHL, Purolator, Canada Post, and UK Mail
- Built-in shipping discounts with popular carriers
- Automate shipping with pre-defined package types, shipping profiles, shipping rules, and more
- Manage returns and refunds
OrderCup is a web-based e-commerce shipping platform designed to help retailers automate their order management and shipments. Its features, such as shipping rules, intelligent defaults, and discounted shipping rates, save time and money.
The platform also integrates with leading e-commerce solutions and platforms, including Etsy, Shopify, Woocommerce, and more. These integrations, combined with multi-carrier support, streamline shipping.
Because OrderCup is a fully web-based platform, you can access all of its features from any Internet-connected device.
Pricing
- Short ($29.99/m)
- Tall ($49.99/m)
- Grande ($69.99/m)
- Venti ($99.99/m)
- Trenta ($189.99/m)
8. 2Ship
Key Features
- Real-time rate comparison
- Email labels
- Returns management
- Customized reports
- Request carrier pickups
- Integrations through the InteGr8 app and 2Ship’s API
- International shipping management
2Ship has been in the business since 2009 and is headquartered in Canada. The platform aims to simplify shipping by helping you compare carrier rates in real-time and all from one dashboard. Live charts and graphs keep you in the know, and the One Rate table shows you all the shipping services available from all of your carriers.
The real selling point of 2Ship is being able to view, compare, and select carriers and prices from one centralized location. With 2Ship’s ONE Ship button, you can generate carrier-compliant labels for everything you ship. 2Ship will also keep track of your shipments and flag them if they’re late.
If you’re just getting started with 2Ship, the Shipping Assistant mode will walk you through each step of the shipping process.
Pricing
- Starter ($23/m)
- Basic ($35/m)
- Enhanced ($60/m)
- Ultimate ($109/m)
- Ultimate 2 ($149)
Conclusion
Shipping software uncomplicates the shipping process, which can often feel overwhelming for independent e-commerce shops. These shipping software options integrate with popular e-commerce platforms and carriers to streamline your workflows. Most will give you access to shipping discounts and help you find the best rate all from one convenient dashboard.
Many of these solutions offer free trials or free account options, so you can take them for a test drive to find the right one for your business.
Rene Emery is a B2B/Finance/SaaS writer who focuses on clear, concise, and optimized content. Leveraging 12+ years of experience, she relies on her work with hundreds of companies worldwide to create content that speaks to readers and makes difficult topics easy to understand.
