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Shipping Overview

You use the Shipping section in IRP Admin to define the Shipping Countries, Methods, Zones, Rules and Restrictions that will be used in your IRP:

  • Countries: Define individual Countries to which products can be shipped.
  • Zones: Collect one or more countries into Shipping Zones.
  • Methods: Configure the Shipping Services provided by Couriers.
  • Rules: Combine Shipping Methods and Zones, with Price and Weight restrictions.
  • Restrictions: Restrict the delivery of particular brands or categories to customers in specific countries.

Managing Shipping in the IRP involves all of the following processes:

  1. Ensure that the corresponding Shipping Countries are present in the IRP. All current Shipping Countries will be present in your IRP as standard. You will rarely have to set up a new shipping country, if at all, so you can generally skip this step.
  2. Create Shipping Zones. These are usually defined by couriers and consist of a number of countries. For example, Parcelforce Zone 8 consists of Italy, Spain, Portugal and Greece.
  3. Create a Shipping Method for the courier. For example, Parcelforce 24hr, Parcelforce EuroPriority, Royal Mail 1st Class and so forth. The IRP also provides integrations via Intersoft for many carriers.
  4. Create a Shipping Rule to pair Shipping Methods with Shipping Zones. For example, Pair the ‘Parcelforce EuroPriority’ Shipping Method with the ‘Parcelforce Zone 8’ Shipping Zone. You can then define the various price and weight values set by the courier. For example, Shipping to this Zone, via this Method costs £4 up to a weight of 2Kg, from 2.01Kg to 4Kg the cost is £8, 4.01 Kg is set at £12 and so forth.
  5. If necessary, you can define Shipping Restrictions for specific brands or categories. You can choose to show the restricted products to your customers, or to hide them.

When you have created a shipping rule and set it to ‘active’ it will appear on your site as long as the Country, Weight and Price restrictions are met.

You can also use the Shipping section in IRP Admin to create Ad-Hoc Labels (Shipping Labels for any situation other than orders) and manage Postage Exceptions (orders that have not met the criteria set in the Shipping Rules in your IRP).

Please review the Knowledge Base help topics in the Shipping section for information about managing all of these Shipping features using IRP Admin.

IRP Shipping Integrations

Intersoft

IRP Commerce has partnered with Intersoft, a complete multi-carrier shipping integration solution, to enable the full and complete integration of Royal Mail, FedEx, DHL and other multiple carriers into the IRP order flow. Using Intersoft will allow all shipping actions to be implemented without leaving the IRP and provide substantial efficiency savings for all in-house dispatch operations where dispatch teams previously had to enter order data, print labels and pay for them from a separate system.

We are confident that this integration will help IRP clients to save money in real terms by introducing efficiency into their order processing via the IRP. It should allow teams to put any current time wasted on manual input and logging into different systems to better use.

For more details, see the How to Set Up the Intersoft Shipping Integration on the IRP help topic.

Parcelforce

Currently, IRP Commerce also provides a standalone Parcelforce integration. This is available for use, Free of Charge, for as long as it is supported by Parcelforce. If a time arrives in the future where Parcelforce require a change to this integration for it to continue to function, the Parcelforce Label solution will be migrated into the IRP Intersoft Shipping Gateway Licence and provided as a service from within this gateway along with the other carriers mentioned above.

For more details, see the How To Set Up Parcelforce Shipping Integration help topic.

Royal Mail Click and Drop

We have set up a Dropbox file exchange integration with Royal Mail Click and Drop (formerly Despatch Manager Online or ‘DMO’). This is a free service that, whilst not allowing full label printing from the IRP, does have the convenience that ecommerce teams do not have to manually enter customer addresses into the Royal Click and Drop interface.

For more details, see the How To Set Up Royal Mail Click and Drop 'Dropbox' Integration article in this section.

Shipping Application Settings

You can configure several Application Settings for Shipping. Most of these are located in the ‘Shipping’ grouping on the ApplicationSettings.aspx page or on the Shipping Settings page. The following Application Settings are worthy of specific mention:

  • Enable Shipping By Delivery Date: If enabled, shipping will be by delivery date and not the standard shipping rules. Note that this should only be enabled for sites where the actual day of delivery is important and can be guaranteed.
  • Same Day AM Cut Off: If the Enable Shipping By Delivery Date Application Setting is enabled, this date-time value will determine when is the latest time for an order to be placed so that the customer can choose same-day delivery. Any orders placed after this time will fall into the category of next-day delivery at the earliest. The 'date' part of the date-time value is irrelevant but should be set for validation purposes. The format of this value should be: dd/MM/yyyy HH:mm:ss.
  • Shipping Cost Calculate Excluding Gift Voucher Discount: When this is enabled, gift voucher discounts which drop the basket total below shipping rule thresholds will be ignored, i.e. gift vouchers will be excluded from the shipping cost calculation. For more information about gift vouchers, see the Vouchers and How to Set Up Automated eGift Vouchers help topics.
  • Shipping Cost Calculate From Sub Total: (This is also called ‘Item Total to Calculate Shipping Cost From’ under Application Settings > Shipping). This setting determines whether the shipping cost is calculated from the basket sub total or the basket total. If enabled, the shipping cost will be calculated from the summation of the items in the basket before discounts (including any price matches) have been applied. If disabled, the shipping cost will be calculated from the basket total, i.e. the summation of the items in the basket and the application of discounts (including any price matches).
  • Shipping Max Delivery Days In Future: This determines the maximum number of days in the future a customer can select for delivery when the Enable Shipping By Delivery Date Applications Setting is enabled.
  • Shipping Return Address: You can enter this address against stock locations or enter the address here to govern the return address that needs to be printed on Royal Mail labels. Note that you should add the country code to this address instead of the country name, for example, enter 'GB' instead of ‘United Kingdom.

Shipping Alerts bar

You can see at-a-glance information about your Shipping using the Shipping Alerts Bar at the top of your IRP Admin screen. To see this bar, click your account icon at the top-right corner of IRP Admin, select Enable Alert Bar and choose the 'Shipping' option from the drop-down menu. You will then see the following details in your top nav:

Shipping alert bar

The Shipping bar shows the following details:

  • Postage Exceptions: This shows the number of postage exceptions in your system. Click this button to take you to the PostageExceptions.aspx page in IRP Admin. On this page you can view and modify the postage exceptions that you have configured in your system. For more information, see the Postage Exceptions help topic.
  • Shipping Restrictions: This shows the number of shipping restrictions in your system. Click this button to take you to the ShippingRestrictions.aspx page in IRP Admin. On this page you can view and modify the shipping restrictions that you have configured in your system. For more information, see the Shipping Restrictions help topic.
  • Shipping Methods: This shows the number of shipping methods in your system. Click this button to take you to the ShippingMethods.aspx page in IRP Admin. On this page you can view and modify the shipping methods that you have configured in your system. For more information, see the Shipping Methods help topic.
  • Shipping Rules: This shows the number of shipping rules in your system. Click this button to take you to the ShippingRules.aspx page in IRP Admin. On this page you can view and modify the shipping rules that you have configured in your system. For more information, see the Shipping Rules help topic.
  • Shipping Zones: This shows the number of shipping zones in your system. Click this button to take you to the ShippingZones.aspx page in IRP Admin. On this page you can view and modify the shipping zones that you have configured in your system. For more information, see the Shipping Zones help topic.
  • Shipping Countries: This shows the number of shipping countries in your system. Click this button to take you to the ShippingCountries.aspx page in IRP Admin. On this page you can view and modify the shipping countries that you have configured in your system. For more information, see the Shipping Countries help topic.

Postage Information page

The front-end PostageInformation.aspx page shown to customers is made of separate elements.

The top part of the PostageInformation.aspx page is comprised of the following pieces of information:

  • Small Translation 341: This constitutes the Page Title, Title and History Menu text on the front-end PostageInformation.aspx page. By default the English version is 'Postage Information'.
  • Small Translation 1135: This is the text shown beside the country drop-down list at the top of the front-end PostageInformation.aspx page. By default the English version is 'General Shipping Information To'.
  • Small Translation 342: This is used as a pretext on the front-end PostageInformation.aspx page. By default the English version is 'Specific Postage Information For'.
  • Message/Image: This shows the country-specific message (including any images) that you have uploaded to the 'Message (Postage Info Page)' section of the ShippingCountryEdit.aspx.
  • LARGE Translation 32: This is used for further messaging on the front-end PostageInformation.aspx page. By default the English version is 'Dispatch Times are approximate. All 'In Stock' orders that are received by before 2pm GMT, placed online or ordered by telephone will be dispatched the same day. Any orders received after 2pm GMT or during the weekend will be dispatched the following working day. Delivery times vary depending on where the goods are being sent to and the type of service that has been selected'.

The lower part of the PostageInformation.aspx page is comprised of the following pieces of information:

  • Small Translation 1137: This is the section header at the bottom of the PostageInformation.aspx page and by default the English version is 'Specific Postage Methods'.
  • Small Translation 644: This is the introductory sentence to the postage methods that are listed beneath the sentence and by default the English version is 'Based on your current basket total and an approximate basket weight of'.
  • Appropriate Shipping Methods: The Shipping Methods and the messages that you have configured in the 'Front-End Display' section of the ShippingMethodEdit.aspx page will be listed.
  • Small Translation 1496: This is used when no Shipping Methods are available for the country. By default the English version is 'We don't currently have any shipping methods for your selected country and as such, the shipping cost we have provided is an estimation. We'll contact you after the order is placed to confirm the cost and ask you if you would like to proceed'.
  • Small Translation 2374: This is used when the Shipping Method selected by the customer is no longer available. By default the English version is 'Your selected shipping method is no longer available. We have updated it to the cheapest one available for your basket'.

To alter the display properties of any aspect of the front-end PostageInformation.aspx page, edit the relevant CSS.

How To Guides (1)

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How To Set Up Royal Mail Click and Drop 'Dropbox' Integration

There are a number of steps required to set up a Royal Mail Click and Drop 'Dropbox' integration with your IRP.

1. Create your Royal Mail Click and Drop account

Go here to create your Click and Drop account and link it with your Royal Mail business account.

2. Set up Royal Mail shipping methods in your IRP

If you do not have any Royal Mail Shipping Methods currently set up, you need to create these now.

Update or create your Shipping Methods and ensure that the Carrier is set to NONE (Note: the Royal Mail Carrier is reserved for COSSv1 and COSSv2 solutions) and that the Manifest Name is set to match the Royal Mail Service Codes available on your account.

Standard practice would be for your Royal Mail Shipping Method Display Name to detail the exact Royal Mail service used. This is not essential but it is required if you would like the integration report to automatically inform Click and Drop which service your customer has chosen. In this case you should ensure that the Manifest Names on your Shipping Methods match the Royal Mail Service Codes available in your account. For example:

Service CodeService
OLP1 Royal Mail 1st Class
OLP1SF Royal Mail Signed For 1st Class
OLP2 Royal Mail 2nd Class
OLP2SF Royal Mail Signed For 2nd Class
TOLP24 Tracked 24
TOLP24SF Tracked 24 - Signed For
Etc. — as per your account

If you do not wish to automatically match and send Service Codes though to Click and Drop, please notify your IRP Account Manager and request that the 'Service Code' be removed from the Click and Drop report. Otherwise, this report will throw an error on import, as the Service Code will not match the expected Royal Mail values.

3. Add in Click and Drop report to IRP

Contact your IRP Account Manager who will be able to configure the report for you using the following steps:

  • Add report: Royal Mail – Click & Drop Download
  • Configure the report to be available on a downloadable URL.
  • The Dispatch Team should bookmark this URL.

By default, the report is configured to include all orders that are currently in the 'Dispatching' status (note that this can be changed within the report upon request).

Ensure that you have orders in a 'Dispatching' status and download the report to verify that it contains the correct data.

4. Configure Click and Drop

Within Click and Drop, you have two options for importing your orders:

a) Manually import order files.

To do this, follow this setup guide.

b) Use Dropbox to automatically import orders.

To do this, follow this setup guide.

Please note that before you can drop your spreadsheets containing your orders into the 'Click & Drop' folder in your Dropbox, you must first map your spreadsheet fields in Click & Drop. To do so, you must perform a one-off manual order import of at least one order. The order can be deleted later, it does not have to be paid for or processed.

The advantage of Dropbox is that it saves you manual uploading. You simply have to save the downloaded file to your Dropbox and the orders will automatically appear within your Click and Drop interface. Depending on the options you choose, the Dropbox will also be automatically populated with labels and/or tracking number reports. These tracking numbers can then be uploaded back into the IRP to sync Tracking Numbers on the order. (This requires an additional integration to be set up on your IRP. Please contact your IRP Account Manager for more assistance with this).

In both of the above cases, you should ensure that all fields, including SKU, are mapped. This means that your products will be created in the Royal Mail Interface, making it easier in the future if you need to manually create custom labels based off previously-ordered products (and their weights).

Once you have completed the above, in your Click and Drop account you should also go to Settings > Templates to update your default Label settings (e.g. A4, 6”x4”) and select appropriate options for Label Size, Customs Declaration Forms, etc.

Finally, test your integration, ensure that the orders are importing, and then you're ready to build Click and Drop into your order processing function.

FAQs (6)

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In the 'Shipping Countries' section, what does the 'Default Shipping Cost' refer to?
The default shipping cost is used if the country in question has not been included with a Shipping Rule. Set to a negative value if shipping to this country is not possible. If Shipping Rules have been set up correctly, there is no need for this to be used.
In the 'Shipping Countries' section, where does the shipping image show on site?
The image will appear in the Settings Box at the top of the page, the Models page and the Postage Information page.
Where does the method information and description show?
This shows on the delivery page of your site depending on your country settings.
In the 'Shipping Rules' section, what is the difference between using 'Set Shipping Cost' (flat rate) and 'Price Tables'?
For flat rate, there is a minimum and maximum order total (Value) and/or a minimum and maximum order weight total and then a flat price will be set for this. Price tables rely on restrictions but you don’t have an actual flat rate.
What is the default shipping message?
This is a large translation ID 32.
In the 'Shipping Countries' section, what is the Message (Models Page) setting?
This is a message, in text format, that appears on the front end Models page for a Shipping Country. The message appears directly under the ‘Add to Basket’ Stock Option selector.
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