Get Live Checkout Shipping Rates With ShipBlink and EasyPost
by EasyPost
With live shipping rates, ecommerce shoppers can see the exact shipping cost for their order before they finalize their purchase–as opposed to a flat, static shipping rate. If you’re an ecommerce business, offering live shipping rates at checkout can be a great way to convert customers with a more seamless and accurate shopping experience. And with ShipBlinkopens in new tab and EasyPost, it’s easier than ever to get started.
What are live shipping rates?
Live shipping rates are based on real-time data from carriers, meaning that the shipping cost for an order is calculated when the customer checks out. This is in contrast to a flat rate, which is a set price that does not change based on the weight or destination of an order.
Offering live shipping rates can be beneficial for both customers and ecommerce businesses. Customers appreciate seeing the final cost of their order before they complete their purchase, which can lead to a more transparent shopping experience. And for businesses, live shipping rates can help reduce shipping costs by accurately calculating the cost of an order based on its weight and destination.
ShipBlink is a live checkout shipping solution that integrates with EasyPost to provide live shipping rates at checkout. With ShipBlink, you can display live shipping rates from multiple carriers on your checkout page, so customers can choose the option that best meets their needs. And because ShipBlink is integrated with EasyPost, you can take advantage of our Shipping API to get real-time rates from over 100 carriers.
How do live shipping rates work?
Live shipping rates are calculated based on the dimensional weight of items in a customer’s cart and the shipping destination. Then, you’re connected to the carriers of your choice, who return a variety of rates for different transit times.
Once you have live shipping rates, you can choose to display them at checkout or use them to calculate the shipping cost for an order. Showing live shipping rates at checkout can be a great way to provide customers with a more accurate estimate of the cost of their order. And using live shipping rates to calculate the shipping cost for an order can help businesses save money on shipping by ensuring that you’re only paying for the exact cost of shipping an order.
This may sound technically complicated on the surface, but ShipBlink and EasyPost work together seamlessly to simplify this process for Shopify and BigCommerce users. Here’s how it works–on one end you have carriers with a variety of rates, and on the other end you have ShipBlink ready to connect with your online storefront. EasyPost is the middleman, acting as a bridge between both platforms to provide live shipping rates at checkout.
Once selected, ShipBlink automatically assigns boxes to order items based on their dimensional weight–enabling you to split orders into multi-box shipments with a single click. Once the order is on its way, customers can view a custom-branded tracking page to get real-time updates on their shipment.
How to get live shipping rates
If you’re using Shopify or BigCommerce, you can get live shipping rates powered by ShipBlink and EasyPost. First, connect your store from either BigCommerceopens in new tab or Shopifyopens in new tab to Shipblink. Create an EasyPost account and add your API key to your Shipblink dashboard. Once all checkout settings are configured to your liking, you can start displaying live shipping rates at checkout and start using all that ShipBlink and EasyPost have to offer.
It’s really that easy. And you don’t just have to take our word for it. Here’s an actual review from one of our users at RJWC Wholesale.
This one actually delivers, for real. We use it for FedEx, DHL Express and UPS - It ticks all, ALL boxes. Commercial invoices are correct, packaging, labels, everything works as it should. It's a big scale product in a small scale package. And outstanding support and roadmap. We've been using it for BigCommerce and we will continue using it now that we migrate to Shopify Plus.
What are the benefits of live shipping rates at checkout?
Live shipping rates offer several benefits for both customers and ecommerce businesses. Here are a few ways live shipping rates can help improve the checkout experience.
Real-time rates
One of the main benefits of live shipping rates is that they are based on real-time data, which means that the shipping cost for an order is accurate. If you’re not using these dynamic rates, you risk customers being over or underpaying for shipping. By offering live shipping rates at checkout, you can provide customers with a more accurate estimate of the cost of their order without having to worry about taking a loss on shipping. Shipblink shows live shipping rates on the cart checkout page. With Smartbox Allocation, you can have real and accurate shipping rates, by automatically determining the best set of boxes required to quote rates.
Multi-carrier opportunities
Another benefit of live shipping rates is that they open up the opportunity to use multiple carriers. If you combine multi-carrier shipping with live shipping rates, you can compare prices from different carriers in real-time and choose the best option for your customers and your business. This allows you to get the most competitive rates with the most reliable carriers and find the carrier that offers the best transit time for your customers.
Increased automation
Offering live shipping rates at checkout can also help increase automation across your business. For example, you no longer have to manually calculate the shipping cost for each order when using live shipping rates. This can free up time for you and your team to focus on other aspects of your business. In addition, an increase in automated technology helps reduce errors and makes it easier for you to keep track of shipping costs. How to get live shipping rates.
Why choose ShipBlink and EasyPost?
ShipBlink and EasyPost offer many advantages to ecommerce businesses that want access to live shipping rates. Here are a few reasons why you should consider using ShipBlink and EasyPost for your live shipping needs:
- Integrate with 100+ shipping carriers
- Shopify and BigCommerce integrations
- Automatically assign boxes based on dim weight
- Branded tracking pages with real-time updates
To learn more about how ShipBlink and EasyPost can help your ecommerce business get live shipping rates at checkout, get in touch with one of EasyPost’s shipping experts or sign up for a demoopens in new tab with ShipBlink.