AfterShip Reviews- Features, Pros, Cons, Price

What is AfterShip? 

AfterShip is an order tracking and multicarrier integration software (i.e., shipping software) used by innumerable ecommerce companies across the globe.

It’s known for providing a thoroughly effective package tracking system that helps companies keep an eye on their orders as they traverse long distances to reach customers.

Its most notable features are related to automation of the shipment tracking process and improving post-purchase customer experience via tracking. 

AfterShip offers a multi-user system to integrate with both carriers and other important ecommerce platforms. It currently boasts a client-base of over 10,000+ retailers.

Our analysis of various reviews of Aftership will give you some insight into what this client-base has experienced.

Everything You Need to Know About AfterShip’s Features

We know what Aftership is and what it offers. So let’s get down to the nitty gritty and look at each of the major features offered by this major player in the logistics game with a magnifying glass. All information listed below is supported by the expert opinions and Aftership Reviews listed above. 

1) Multi-carrier Integration (4 Stars)

Aftership provides a Multi-Carrier Integration service which is used to connect your ecommerce business with all your respective carriers. Through this integration, order information and tracking details are passed. 

Pros

• Number of Carriers [Our Score: 4.5 out of 5]
  Aftership is tied up with over 900 different carriers across the globe. This makes it significantly easier to select a carrier and integrate with one, even if it's a niche carrier.

• Carrier recommendation [Our Score: 3 out of 5]
  Using a simplified courier recommendation engine, Aftership helps businesses easily and automatically select the right carriers for each order. More advanced courier recommendation engines are available though.

Cons

• New Integrations [Our Score: 1 out of 5]
  While Aftership ties up with a lot of carriers, it still struggles to integrate with new systems and carriers. One review spoke of difficulties integrating with carriers tied to the hosting platform Wish.com
• Shipping label creation [Our Score: 2 out of 5]
  Aftership has been known to face bugs and system crashes during the process of order creation. Many Aftership competitors, like Metapack, have automated shipping label creation capabilities as well as bulk shipping label creation. Like many Aftership Reviews, this one below speaks of “bugs” in the app leading to “lags” while booking shipments. 

2) Onboarding (3 Stars)

A few commonly asked questions about this shipping software are “How do I install Aftership?”, and “How long does it take to install the Aftership app?”. We’ve sought to answer these questions with the help of real-world inputs provided by users and multiple reviews of Aftership. 

Pros

• Implementation [Our Score: 3 out of 5]
  The process of implementing the software with your system is relatively easy, as it can be done via simple app installation. Adequate assistance is provided so that your effort during the installation process is minimal.
• Interface [Our Score: 4 out of 5]
  Aftership has an easy-to-use and customer friendly interface that requires no technical know-how. It makes adding orders and monitoring them easier. 

Con

• Onboarding speed [Our Score: 2.5 out of 5] 
  In case you were wondering how long installation takes, the answer is: at least 1-2 weeks for implementation, which can delay fulfillment. 
• Documentation [Our Score: 1.5 out of 5]
  At the time of onboarding, minimal credentials are provided by Aftership which can affect your clarity of the process in the long run. These are only provided if specifically requested. 

3) Display of Estimated Delivery Date (EDD) [2 Stars] 

Aftership provides basic delivery date prediction for orders. Since this is important to customers both prior to purchase and post shipping, what we sought out to determine was When Aftership shows the Delivery Date and how useful that data is. 

Pros

• Accuracy [Our Score: 4 out of 5]
  Aftership’s system uses past performance data of your shipping process and other anchored metrics to provide an extremely accurate promised delivery date. 
• Frequency of Updates [Our Score: 3 out of 5]
  Aftership is known for providing estimated or promised delivery dates even when the carrier has not been able to update the same.

Cons 

• No Prior Delivery Date [Our Score: 1 out of 5]

  Unlike other shipping software like Shippo, Aftership does not always provide a delivery date to customers prior to their placing an order. It is largely only provided for tracking purposes.

• Display [Our Score: 2 out of 5]

  The Predicted Delivery Date is only displayed on the various tracking communications if the same has been enabled by the customer. This feature has also been known to glitch frequently and fail to display the delivery date in the required locations. Here’s one review of Aftership from a user who reportedly was not given the requisite orders details or informed of the ETA at all.

4) Order Tracking [3 Stars]

Aftership’s main selling point is its parcel-tracking facilities which are connected to a global network of carriers. The efficiency of this tracking system is of major concern to most users.

Pros 

• Integrated Tracking Dashboard [Our Score: 4.5 out of 5]

  Aftership provides a dashboard where all order tracking statuses are updated along with the order tracking ID. 

• Automation [Our Score: 3 out of 5]

  Aftership automates the process of updating tracking statuses on the dashboard as well as sending notifications to customers.

Cons

• Real-Time Tracking [Our Score: 2 out of 5] 

  There are numerous occasions on which updating the tracking status is delayed. After pickup of an order, tracking slows down significantly, as evidenced by the Aftership review given below. 

• Adaptability [Our Score: 2 out of 5]

  Once an order is placed, no changes can be made to the carrier. Further, you will be required to manually enter data in case an integration is incomplete or glitchy.

5) Cross Selling and Customer Notifications [3 Stars]

One major selling point of Aftership is that it automates the process of notifying your customers of their order statuses. This can go a long way in helping reduce WISMO calls when executed correctly.  

• Automation [Our Score: 4 out of 5]

  Since Aftership automates the process of sending customer notifications, tracking updates are immediately sent to customers. 

• Branded Tracking page [Our Score: 3 out of 5]

  The branded tracking page provided by Aftership shows the progress of the order as it moves. It also directs customers to your social media handles. This is more advanced than branded tracking pages offered by Shipstation and its alternatives. 

Cons

• Speed of Notification [Our Score: 1 out of 5]

  Since tracking updates to the dashboard are delayed, tracking notifications sent to customers may also be delayed which is quite problematic. Plus, shipping software like ParcelPerform provide tracking notifications on multiple channels without extra charge. 

• Product Recommendation [Our Score: 2 out of 5]

  Aftership uses the branded tracking page to display and recommend other products for purchase. However, it typically displays new arrivals, discounts and promotional offers, rather than AI-deducted relevant product recommendations. 

6) Shipping Delay Detection [3 Stars]

Ensuring orders reach on time is a major part of the post purchase customer experience. So naturally, Aftership maintains a system to keep customers informed of delays in their order. 

Pros

• Predictive tracking [Our Score: 3 out of 5]

  Aftership uses data on existing deliveries to determine when an order should be delivered and note quickly if a delay has occurred. That being said, Convey and its alternatives are known for providing better predictive analysis on delivery issues. 

• Preemptive Notifications [Our Score: 4 out of 5]
  As soon as a delay is updated on your dashboard, Aftership also sends a notification to your customers to make them aware of the delay before they need to make any enquiries about the same. 

• Analytics [Our Score: 3 out of 5]

  Aftership provides a basic analytical report to keep you informed of the on-time delivery rate of various carriers. Software like ClickPost take into consideration factors like causes of delivery delays.

• Actionable Insights [Our Score: 1 out of 5]

  Without taking into consideration the multitude of other factors involved in shipping delays, Aftership provides you with minimum insights on how to reduce delays. 

7) Management of Undelivered Orders [2 stars]

When it comes to undelivered orders, having a set workflow is very important. It helps you ensure that failed deliveries are dealt with in a timely manner. Aftership has its own mechanism for dealing with failed deliveries. 

• Automated notifications [Our Score: 4 out of 5]

  Aftership ensures that any undelivered orders are updated to your dashboard quickly so you can resolve the issue faster and receive customer responses. 

Cons 

• NDR Updates [Our Score: 3 out of 5]

  Aftership is known for at times providing slow tracking updates, even when it comes to NDRs. This can be problematic given the need for speed with NDRs. 

• Customer Response Mechanism [Our Score: 1 out of 5]

  Aftership does not have an automated response system like ClickPost and Shipway do. This essentially means that you have to manually deal with failed deliveries to ensure they are successful. 

8) Returns Management [4 stars] 

Post-purchase customer experience doesn’t always end when an order is delivered. Returns are another part of delivery operations that need to be carefully handled. That’s why Aftership has the Aftership Returns Center. 

Pros 

• Returns Portal [Our Score: 4 out of 5]

  Aftership provides you with a branded customizable returns portal that makes it easier for customers to place return requests. 

• Visibility [Our Score: 4 out of 5]

  You also get access to a separate returns dashboard that monitors and tracks your return orders as they journey to the origin warehouse. 

• Customizations [Our Score: 3 out of 5]

  Your Aftership returns portal can be customized to a certain extent. However, it does not have the necessary configurations to fit different brand aesthetics. Alternatives like WeSupplyLabs, for example, gives customers the option to choose the location for pickups. 

• Automation [Our Score: 2 out of 5]

  Aftership lets you automate only certain processes, like accepting and requesting return requests, still leaving quite a bit to be done manually by you.

9) Analytics [3 Stars]

No reviews of Aftership would be complete without taking a look at the analytics services provided by the shipping software. 

Pros

• Marketing Analytics [Our Score: 4 out of 5]

  Aftership provides you with regular reports regarding number of clicks for links sent and notifications which can help you create targeted marketing strategies.

• Raw Data Collection [Our Score: 3 out of 5]

  Raw data is collected by Aftership at an enterprise-level, which can be fed to your systems for wide-scale analysis. 

Cons

• Delivery Analytics [Our Score: 3 out of 5]

  Aftership’s system monitors and stores data pertaining to shipments and tracking. However, separate analytics for returns, NDR management, stuck shipments and other delivery exceptions is limited. 

• Customer Feedback [Our Score: 1 out of 5]

  Aftership does not provide any analytics on customers responses to queries and feedback submitted by customers, which limits improvements of post purchase customer experience. 

10) Customer Support [2 Stars]

Pros

• Onboarding [Our Score: 3.5 out of 5]

  At the time of integrating with Aftership, they offer a lot of support, especially when onboarding with Aftership Returns Center.

Cons

• Communication Channels [Our Score: 2 out of 5]

  Reaching Aftership’s Customer Support is a little difficult as they only offer email support. They do not have a contact number. In case you opt for paid plans, you can get access to 24/7 email or chat support.

• Responsiveness [Our Score: 2 out of 5]

  In case you are able to actually get in touch with their customer support, you’ll likely need to keep following up with them to resolve your issue. Below is an excerpt from one of the many Aftership Reviews that speaks of the slow response times of Aftership Customer Support. 

11) System Downtime [4 Stars]

System Downtime is an important factor when it comes to order fulfillment so no Aftership reviews could be complete without taking a look at it. 

Pros 

• Downtime Guarantee [Our Score: 4 out of 5]

  Aftership offers a 10% refund in case downtime exceeds a specified limit, promising 99.9% working capacity.

Cons

• Frequency [Our Score: 3 out of 5]

  Despite the above offer, Aftership does experience short periods of downtime at least 2-5 times a month. 

12) Pricing [4 Stars]

The final thing we need to look at, to complete what I hope has been one of the most comprehensive Aftership Reviews you’ve read, is the cost of using this multi-carrier integration software. 

Aftership offers 4 pricing plans, 1 free and 3 paid. All plans include integrations with 30+ major ecommerce apps, requisite compliances and certifications, and multiorganizational protocols. 

Free Plan - This plan is good for 50 shipments a month. It comes with the above mentioned as well as access to a tracking dashboard, 900+ carriers, a branded tracking page, and a tracking widget for easy order lookup. An alternative to Aftership that also offers a free plan is Stamps.com. 

Essentials Plan - This plan costs $9/month and handles 1200 shipments a year, with extra charges for shipments beyond this. In addition to all features in the free plan, it also provides access to email and chargeable sms notifications. You’ll also be able to utilize more analytics reports and 24/7 email support. 

Pro Plan - This plan is the most popular and costs $199/month, covering up to 60,000 shipments annually beyond which shipments cost extra.

Alongside all features offered in the essential plan, this plan also comes with dynamic multilingual tracking pages, product recommendations for cross-selling, access to more advanced integrations and webhooks, and customized email workflows. An added bonus is 24/7 live chat support. 

Enterprise Plan - This plan is for enterprise-grade companies with 300000+ shipments a year and available at custom prices. Above and beyond everything provided in the Pro Plan, this plan also includes SLA monitoring, custom integration and API rate limits, account reviews every quarter and an independent account manager for their system. 

Conclusion 

Aftership is an extremely popular shipping software and the above analysis of Aftership Reviews gives us some insight into why. Aftership provides fast integration with a huge range of carriers that is well-supported. Order managing, monitoring and tracking is definitely made easier through Aftership. 

That being said, both small and large companies have experienced a multitude of difficulties when it comes to using Aftership, making it ideal for medium-sized businesses.

For larger companies, these difficulties include minimalistic automation in processes like NDR and Returns management, which again puts the burden of labor on you. 

There are also certain aspects of post purchase customer experience that are not being sufficiently targeted by Aftership. For both large and small companies, delays in tracking and glitches in the system are incredibly problematic. 

Final Scores

With an overall score of 3.5 out of 5, Aftership With an overall score of 3.5 out of 5, Aftership is a great software for integration and tracking. However, this does not necessarily mean that it's the right fit for every company.

That’s why it’s absolutely necessary to take a look at some of the best Aftership alternatives available. We’ve found that there are 5 excellent alternatives to Aftership, namely: ClickPost, Narvar, Convey, Shippo, and Shipway.

Clickpost is known for fast implementation, real-time tracking updates, and automated workflows for NDR and Returns Management. It works to optimize your end-to-end delivery process and improve your post-purchase customer experience. However, ClickPost is not suitable for all types of SMBs, specializing in enterprise-grade companies. 

Overall Score: 4.5 out of 5

Narvar is largely a post-purchase customer experience software that helps immensely with tracking orders and notifying customers. It enables you to streamline the shipping experience for both forward and return orders. The major downside with Narvar is that onboarding can be a little difficult as can navigating the user interface. Still, companies like Narvar can be a welcome change for long-term AfterShip users. 

Overall Score: 4 out of 5 

Convey focuses on providing predictive data on your supply chain to improve visibility and delivery speeds. It collects and analyzes data on your shipping and transportation services to help you optimize operational efficiency. Convey, unfortunately, provides minimal solutions for returns management and post-purchase customer experience.

Overall Score: 3.5 out of 5 

Shippo is a multi-carrier shipping software that helps you integrate with a multitude of carriers and get access to the best shipping rates. Through this service, you get access to discounted shipping labels with global carriers along with a means to track orders and notify customers. Shippo is, however, not recommended for large and medium companies. 

Overall Score: 3.5 out of 5

ShipWay provides an ecommerce automation platform that enables you to use built in workflows for improving order fulfillment and delivery experience. Along with automated tracking and customer notifications, it also measures customer satisfaction and carrier performance. It does not provide any protocols for dealing with delivery exceptions, NDR or returns management. 

Overall Score: 3.5 out of 5

FAQs

1) What is Aftership? 

Aftership is a package and shipment tracking software that is available across the globe. It provides ecommerce businesses with automated solutions to improve delivery operations. These include automated carrier selection, order status updates and failed delivery tracking, among others.

2) How should I use Aftership?

Aftership is relatively easy to use as it is available in the form of a mobile App. This is highly effective for SMBs. Larger companies can sign up with Aftership for enterprise-grade integrations with the software. 

3) Is Aftership free?

Free versions of Aftership are available for small ecommerce businesses with less than 50 orders a month that require minimal services. More effective plans are available are varying prices, starting at $9 and going beyond $199 to custom prices for larger companies. 

4) Is Aftership Safe?

A wide range of Aftership reviews largely purport this software to be safe and reliable for order tracking. It is known for its highly commendable order tracking system that, despite occasional delays, keeps customers effectively informed.

That being said, experiences can differ and Aftership has been known to face issues when it comes to creation of shipping labels.