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The Ultimate Guide to E-commerce Shipping on WooCommerce, Shopify and Magento

Q: What Does Woocommerce Shipping Offer for Your E-commerce?

WooCommerce has very limited functionality in terms of shipping, features are very basic. The WooCommerce default shipping includes integration with DHL and USPS: it is possible to get live rates, generate shipping labels, and track orders. You will have access to simplified shipping zones and shipping options such as flat rates, free shipping, and local pickup. Table rates are not offered by WooCommerce out of the box. The good thing is that WooCommerce shipping is free to use for any e-commerce store owner. To solve more complex shipping scenarios, WooCommerce recommends getting additional shipping plugins from its large extensions marketplace.

Q: What Are the Strong Features Of Woocommerce Shipping?

1. easy to use 2. label generation 3. order tracking 4. the default shipping functionality is for free

Q: What Are The Limitations Of Woocommerce Shipping?

Ecommerce owners are limited to very simple and basic shipping functionality when it comes to WooCommerce. There is a limited choice of shipping options and shipping carriers, as well as there is a lack of shipping flexibility at the checkout. You might be satisfied with these shipping options if you ship in small and do not have a diverse product portfolio where different shipping rules would be applied. There is no Table Rates shipping option available in the WooCommerce admin panel. Each shipping option can be assigned to different shipping zones, however, they are not flexible enough. You can create as many Shipping Zones as you like. Understand that the shipping zone according to WooCommerce is any geographical area. Can be specified right down to zip code or a specific region. Also, WooCommerce shipping does not support multi-carrier integration. You can get real-time rates and generate labels only from DHL and USPS. For more advanced shipping features like Multi-Origin Shipping, Delivery Days, Dimensional Shipping, Landed Cost, you will need to visit the WooCommerce Marketplace to find the right plugins.

Q: What Does Shopify Shipping Offer for Your E-Commerce?

Shopify Shipping is available for e-commerce owners that have fulfillment centers within the USA, Canada, or Australia. Shipping carriers that are supported within the US are USPS, UPS, and DHL, however, only for the continental US. Canada Post operates within Canada, and in Australia, you can use Sendle as a supported carrier. You can obtain discounted Shopify shipping rates directly from the admin panel. Carrier rates can be calculated based on cart weight, package size, and the shipping services you would like to offer to your customers. The only available Shopify shipping options are free shipping and shipping rates from carriers. If you are based within the US, you can schedule pick up as a delivery option for your customers and also generate return shipping labels. Additionally to the carriers integration, Shopify shipping offers shipping labels generation and order tracking.

Q: What Are The Strong Shipping Features Of Shopify?

Advanced dimensional weight packaging discounted shipping rates, return shipping labels, more carriers available than in WooCommerce or Magento

Q: What Are the Limitations of Default Shopify Shipping?

Shipping functionality offered by the default Shopify is minimal. For shipping within Australia, flat rates will be added to your account by default. For shipping within the US and Canada, shipping rates from the corresponding carriers will be added. That is it. If you want to apply some shipping rules, or custom shipping scenarios, you will need to install a 3rd party shipping app to help you manage your Shopify shipping storefront. Shipping zones are technically offered within Shopify shipping. The user can set a shipping zone based on countries to where the same shipping rate applies. For shipping to specific addresses or zip codes, you will need to find an additional app.

Q: What Does Magento (Adobe Commerce) Offer for Your E-commerce Shipping?

Currently, Magento offers such shipping features as flat rate shipping, table rates shipping, free shipping, in-store pickup. Plus integrations with USPS, UPS, FedEx, and DHL carriers. Flat rates shipping can be calculated based on several conditions, per order, or per item. Also, you will be able to assign some basic shipping rules to your flat rates shipping based on the destination.

Q: What Are the Strong Shipping Features of Magento 2?

As for other e-commerce platforms, also for Magento, you will need a 3rd party shipping extension to help you optimize your shipping. The advantage of Magento is that it offers a Table Rates feature unlike its competitors Shopify and WooCommerce. Additionally, you can connect FedEx to your Magento which is an additional carrier to USP, USPS, and DHL. The current version of Magento 2 supports a renewed feature called Multi-source Inventory Management. This is a huge leap for any Magento 2 user. Multi-source Inventory Management allows users to manage and control their inventory for single or multiple sources. A source is a place where the product is physically located, this can be a store or warehouse. The algorithm links the separate sources to one store and selects the best shipping method to ship the products.

Q: What Are the Limitations of Default Magento 2 Shipping?

There are many limitations when it comes to shipping with Magento. First, Magento does not offer any advanced shipping features such as dimensional weight shipping, delivery dates or multi-origin shipping. There are more carriers offered by default Magento than by WooCommerce or Shopify but it is still missing major and local European, Canadian, and Australian carriers.

Q: What Is the Best Shipping E-Commerce Platform for My Business?

When we talk about the default shipping features of Woocommerce vs Shopify vs Magento, we see that they are all limited to some extent. Mainly, they are all missing enough carrier integrations. There is also a lack of flexibility as shipping options are very basic and without any applicable use of shipping rules and restrictions. Being able to restrict shipping based on geographical location, product attributes or customer segment should be a really basic feature to offer. Unfortunately, it is offered neither by WooCommerce, Shopify nor Magento. Look at how shipping rules and restrictions can make your shipping so much flexible with these exemplary case studies.

Nov 2021

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The Ultimate Guide to E-commerce Shipping on WooCommerce, Shopify and Magento

Nikolay Pasholok

Product Owner, Calcurates

WooCommerce
- How Does WooCommerce Shipping Work?
- What Are the Strong Features Of WooCommerce Shipping?
- What Are The Limitations Of Default Woocommerce Shipping?
Shopify
- What Does Shopify Shipping Offer for E-Commerce?
- What Are The Strong Shipping Features Of Shopify?
- What Are the Limitations of Default Shopify Shipping?
Magento 2
- What Does Magento 2 Shipping Offer for E-commerce?
- What Are the Strong Shipping Features of Magento 2?
- What Are the Limitations of Default Magento 2 Shipping?
Shipping with Calcurates for WooCommerce, Shopify, and Magento
What Is the Best Shipping E-Commerce Platform for My Business?
WooCommerce vs Shopify vs Magento
FAQ

Magento ("Adobe E-Commerce" since April 2021) is a powerful e-commerce platform for bigger e-commerce companies with lots of flexibility and space for customization. Shopify can be great for small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) looking to grow their online presence. WooCommerce is a good fit for SMEs looking to scale up.

It is hard to choose the best e-commerce platform for your future online store. When selecting a specific e-commerce platform one should look at the shipping functionality as well. Shipping affects your sales significantly: according to eMarketer more than 86% of cart abandonment is related to high shipping costs and inconvenience.

Do you know which e-commerce platform offers the best shipping experience for your customers?
Let's have a look at this ultimate guide on Shopify vs Woocommerce vs Magento shipping to see which one fits best your requirements.

Image of E-commerce Shipping on WooCommerce, Shopify and Magento

How Does WooCommerce Shipping Work?

What it Offers for E-commerce Stores?

WooCommerce shipping functionality

WooCommerce Shipping has limited functionality, but its default version is able to solve some basic scenarios. WooCommerce Shipping includes integration with DHL and USPS: live rates, generate shipping labels and track orders. You will have access to simplified shipping zones and shipping options such as flat rates, free shipping, and local pickup. There is no Woocommerce table rate shipping.

To solve more complex shipping scenarios, WooCommerce recommends getting a third-party shipping plugin.

What Are the Strong Features Of WooCommerce Shipping?

WooCommerce Shipping is very easy to use. You can create as many WooCommerce shipping zones as you like. It can be specified right down to zip code or a specific region. With WooCommerce shipping you can choose to generate shipping labels in bulk or print them as you process the orders individually. In general, it can be said that WooCommerce is suitable for businesses of all sizes and budgets.

1
Shipping zones
2
DHL and USPS live rates
3
DHL and USPS label generation
4
DHL and USPS order tracking
5
Flat Rate, Free Shipping, In-Store Pickup

What Are The Limitations Of Default Woocommerce Shipping?

There is a limited choice of WooCommerce shipping options, shipping carriers, and no WooCommerce Table Rates shipping is available. Each shipping option can be assigned to different shipping zones, however, they are not flexible enough. Also, WooCommerce shipping does not support multi-carrier integration. You can get real-time rates and generate labels only from DHL and USPS.

For more advanced shipping features like Multi-Origin Shipping, Delivery Days, Dimensional Shipping, and Landed Cost, you will need to add a third-party shipping plugin.

1
No integration with other major carriers
2
Non-flexible shipping zones
3
No Table Rates
4
No weight-based shipping

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What Does Shopify Shipping Offer for E-Commerce?

Shopify Shipping Features

Shopify shipping functionality

Shopify Shipping is available for e-commerce stores that have fulfillment centers within the USA, Canada, or Australia. Shopify supported carriers are UPS, USPS, and DHL within the US, however, only for the continental US. Canada Post operates within Canada, while in Australia you can use Sendle as a supported carrier. You can obtain discounted Shopify shipping rates directly from the admin panel. Carrier shipping rates can be calculated based on cart weight, package size, and the shipping service.

Shopify shipping options are free shipping and carrier live rates. If you are based within the US, you can schedule pick up as a delivery option for your customers and also generate return shipping labels.

Additionally, Shopify shipping offers shipping label generation and order tracking.

What Are The Strong Shipping Features Of Shopify?

Shopify shipping calculates shipping costs based on the product weight and the package dimensions. This feature is very similar to smart packaging that is offered by Calcurates, and it helps retailers to obtain the most accurate dimensional shipping rates.

1
Dimensional shipping
2
Discounted shipping rates
3
Shipping labels, including return
4
More carriers available

What Are the Limitations of Default Shopify Shipping?

The shipping functionality offered by Shopify has limitations. For shipping within Australia, flat rates will be added to your account by default. For shipping within the US and Canada, shipping rates from the corresponding carriers will be added. That is it. If you want to apply some shipping rules or custom shipping scenarios, you will need to install a 3rd party shipping Shopify app.

Shipping zones are technically offered within Shopify Shipping. The user can set a shipping zone based on countries to where the same shipping rate applies.

1
Limited variety of carriers
2
Non-flexible shipping zones
3
No Table Rates
No Multi-vendor Shipping
4
No Custom Shipping Scenarios

Calcurates Related Features

International Shipping

Display international methods and rates including duties & taxes (landed costs) from major carriers at the checkout.

Table Rates

Configure the most flexible and conditional custom shipping option for your store.

Smart Packaging

Turn on our Smart Packaging algorithms to get the most accurate real-time rates from major carriers on the checkout.

Estimated Delivery Dates

Manage and display Estimated Delivery Dates for your shipping methods on the checkout.

Multi-Carrier Shipping Software

Calcurates seamlessly integrates with UPS, FedEx, USPS, Canada Post and many more carriers! Benefit from all the advanced shipping features with Calcurates, shipping solution for Magento 2, WooCommerce and Shopify.

Shipping Zones

Configure shipping zones (areas) served by your shipping methods and carriers.

What Does Magento 2 Shipping Offer for E-commerce?

Magento 2 Shipping Features

Magento 2 shipping functionality

Currently, Magento 2 offers shipping features such as flat rate shipping, table rates shipping, free shipping, and in-store pickup. Plus integrations with USPS, UPS, FedEx, and DHL carriers.

Flat rates shipping can be calculated based on several conditions, per order, or per item. Also, businesses can assign some basic shipping rules to flat rate shipping based on the destination.

What Are the Strong Shipping Features of Magento 2?

Magento 2 Shipping offers table rate shipping, flexible flat rate calculations, in-store pickup, and basic shipping rules unlike its competitors Shopify and WooCommerce.
You can connect FedEx, USP, USPS, and DHL to your Magento store.

The current 2.4 version of Magento supports Multi-source Inventory Management. This is a huge leap for any Magento 2 e-commerce. Multi-source Inventory Management allows users to manage and control their inventory for single or multiple sources. The algorithm links the separate sources to one store and selects the best shipping method to ship the products.

1
More carriers available, own account connection
2
Table Rates, In-Store Pickup, flexible Flat Rate
3
Basic shipping rules
4
Multi-source Inventory Management

What Are the Limitations of Default Magento 2 Shipping?

There are some limitations when it comes to shipping with Magento. First, Magento 2 Shipping does not offer any advanced shipping features such as volumetric (dimensional) shipping or delivery dates. There are more carriers offered by default Magento 2 than by WooCommerce or Shopify but it is still missing major and local European, Canadian, and Australian carriers.

As for other e-commerce platforms, also for Magento 2, you will need a 3rd party shipping extension in order to achieve shipping flexibility.

1
Still limited variety of carriers
2
No shipping zones
3
No Dimensional Shipping and Delivery Dates
4
Lack of other advanced features

Shipping with Calcurates for WooCommerce, Shopify, and Magento

Calcurates is multi-carrier shipping software that helps you to set up custom shipping scenarios and cost-effective shipping at checkout on WooCommerce, Magento 2, and Shopify. It seamlessly integrates with major carriers worldwide and provides with many advanced shipping features that can help you calculate and display the right shipping methods and rates to your customers.

Shipping Zones
You may target your shipping methods and rates to specific geo-locations and make them available for certain countries, states, regions, postal codes, and addresses. Shipping Zones allow you to achieve geo-flexibility by creating location-based rules.
Smart Packaging
You may reach the highest accuracy of shipping rates from carriers by using a set of custom packages and product dimensions. Smart Packaging virtually prepacks the order and requests live rates from carriers in real time.
Volumetric Weight
By enabling and calculating dimensional weight you increase the accuracy of real-time shipping rates instead of setting up rates based on regular weight.
Custom Shipping Options
In no time you may set up advanced Flat Rates, In-store pickup, or Free Shipping, power them with additional features like Shipping Rules or Estimated Delivery Dates and display them at checkout.
Table Rates
This shipping option enables the highest level of shipping flexibility by setting specific rates for multiple shipping methods based on various attributes and conditions. Use mixed cart calculation algorithms to apply rates to different types of products.
Estimated Delivery Dates
Estimated delivery dates take the stress out and make your shipping more predictable for the customers. With this feature, you can get delivery days from the carrier, manage your own delivery days for every shipping method you have and schedule available time slots.
In-store Pickup
This shipping option helps you configure multiple pickup locations and allow orders to be received at stores or drop-off points. You will be able to set curbside pickup as well if your e-commerce has the capacity for it.
Shipping Rules and Restrictions
Shipping rules add flexibility enabling conditional shipping and bringing to live custom shipping scenarios. You may restrict, surcharge, discount, and replace your shipping rates and methods according to your unique condition sets.
Multi-Carrier Support
You may connect your own carriers’ accounts (UPS, FedEx, USPS, DHL, and more) in order to get real-time rates, shipping labels, and tracking status.
Rate Shopping
Rate shopping compares real-time rates from multiple carriers in real-time, picks the cheapest or the fastest one, and displays the best option at checkout. This is a smart and automatic way that helps you offer the best shipping rates to your customers.
Multi-Origin Support
Your origins (warehouses) might be served by different shipping methods. With this feature, you may set up your multi-origin shipping algorithms and make your warehouses work as a single system. Additionally, this feature will allow you to bake multiple shipping rates into one unified single shipping rate. It is also possible to split checkout displaying individual shipping methods per origin.
Shipping on Product Pages
Displaying shipping estimates directly on the product page can dramatically increase your conversion rates.

What Is the Best Shipping E-Commerce Platform for My Business?

Each e-commerce platform Woocommerce, Shopify, and Magento is limited to some extent. Mainly, they are all missing enough carrier integrations. Shipping options can be combined with shipping rules and restrictions. E-commerce stores are not able to restrict shipping based on geolocation, product attributes, or customer segment. Look at how shipping rules and restrictions can make your shipping more flexible with these exemplary case studies.

WooCommerce vs Shopify vs Magento

Which One Is the Best for Shipping?

Shipping Zones

Limited

Limitied

Basic Shipping Options: Free Shipping, Flat Rate

Table Rates

Shipping Rules and Restrictions

Limited

Dimensional Weight Shipping

Estimated Delivery Dates

Integration with Multiple Carriers

Limited

Multi-Origin or Multi-Vendor Shipping

In-Store Pickup

Shipping on Product Pages

Rate Shopping

Landed Cost

Shipping Labels

Order Tracking

FAQ

WooCommerce shipping works very easily, you can obtain real-time shipping rates from only two carriers, DHL and USPS. Flat rates shipping is based on basic condition and that is the order size.
After your order is ready you print and generate labels directly from the WooCommerce backend. To add more flexibility to your WooCommerce shipping have a look here.