AfterShip Vs Shippo

1) Introduction

AfterShip vs. Shippo is a frequent query concerning any brand owner looking to combine shipping management and returns. We were also curious about the two giant shipping management platforms, so we studied them. If you are one of them, you have landed in the right place. 

To dispel this common concern, we have curated all the essential information you need to decide whether to go with AfterShip or Shippo. Let’s take a detailed look at their services, features, pros, cons, and comparisons below.

2) About AfterShip

AfterShip is a post-purchase software platform that allows businesses to automate and track their shipments. It works with over 10,000 brands worldwide and processes over 6 billion packages annually. It was founded in 2012 and is headquartered in Austin, Texas.

AfterShip is integrated with more than 30 applications and eCommerce storefronts, including Shopify and Magento. It has associations with over 900 courier companies across the globe. AfterShip’s strength relies on its post-purchase engagement services like shipment tracking, notifications, and returns management. 

3) Top Services Offered by AfterShip

AfterShip’s prowess in shipment visibility is one of its core strengths. However, it has also ventured into automated shipping management for forward logistics. Most of AfterShip’s features can be divided into pre- and post-purchase.

Here are some of its most demanded services:

3.1) Shipment Tracking

AfterShip supports automated tracking with 33 statuses and parameters for easy categorization and search. It also enables bulk shipment imports and exports and analysis of tracking data. 

Additionally, it presents an immersive customer experience with branded tracking pages, allowing customers to track orders with a single click. The tracking pages have an AI-driven product recommendation engine and personalized marketing tools. 

3.2) Returns Center 

AfterShip’s returns management is designed to enhance operational efficiency giving retailers complete control of all returns requests. They can automate returns approval and rejection with pre-defined return statuses. They can track all return orders in a single portal and complete full/partial returns.

Furthermore, retailers can easily sync shipment details with carriers to monitor delivery exceptions. It also facilitates streamlined returns with different tags and keeps track of products returning to warehouses. 

3.3) Postmen

Postmen is an order management portal that helps retailers manage all their orders in a single dashboard. Retailers can create shipping labels, manage orders with in-built status, and have tracking numbers when an order is placed with a courier. 

Postmen also support international shipping, including preparing customs documents and invoices and comparing carrier rates. Postmen is integrated with 88 carriers. 

3.4) Marketing

AfterShip has many marketing tools, including web-push notifications, newsletters, email marketing, and social proof pop-ups. Its simple email drag-and-drop editor lets retailers customize emails and filter recipients based on engagement level. 

3.5) Personalization

AfterShip's personalization tools amplify your personalization efforts with behavioral and transactional data. Retailers can display relevant product recommendations strategically to increase cart order value. This includes the pre-and-post-checkout phases.

4) Features of AfterShip

5) About Shippo

Shippo is a shipping management platform that assists eCommerce companies in managing multiple courier companies through a single dashboard. It provides online businesses with integrations that help them manage and automate their shipping operations. It was established in 2013 in Dallas, Texas, where it is currently headquartered. 

Shippo works with more than 100,000 brands throughout the world. The merchandise value generated through Shippo’s is more than $5.2 billion annually. The platform processes 100 million+ shipments each year. 

With Shippo, eCommerce retailers and store owners can connect their sales channels and create discounted shipping labels. They can automize delivery notifications and streamline returns.

6) Top Services Offered by Shippo

Shippo offers courier integration services and shipping management capacity to numerous brands as a multi-carrier shipping software. Here are some of the most demanded shipping services provided by Shippo:

6.1) Shipment Management 

Shippo provides multiple solutions to systematize shipment management. It simplifies the processes of comparing real-time carrier rates and configuring business rules to automate label generation.

Shippo’s in-built address validation helps brands to auto-correct and verify addresses globally. Additionally, Shippo offers discounts on carrier charges. It also schedules carrier pickups with USPS and DHL Express.

6.2) Order Tracking

Shippo facilitates real-time order tracking with webhooks with detailed information about a shipment, including carrier information and addresses. It also allows retailers and customers to track a shipment’s history based on time, location, and delivery status. 

Shippo also presents timely estimated delivery dates and monitors the original estimated arrival time to caution retailers against late deliveries. With Shippo, retailers can also track packages created outside its platform.

6.3) Customizations

Retailers can create a unique brand experience and layout with Shippo’s customization features. It has a vast collection of formats and templates for shipping labels and packing slips. It also enables customizations to branded pages and emails sent to customers. 

6.4) Global Shipping 

Shippo facilitates a brand’s expansion to international markets and marketplaces. Retailers can choose from their array of globally-operating carriers and mix-match shipping methods per customer preferences. 

Shippo aids brands in pre-filling customs forms and generating shipping labels and paperless commercial invoices. With imported order value, retailers can pre-fill the insurance amount and package weight.

6.5) Shipping API

Shippo has created APIs with various functionalities. A shipping API simplifies and standardizes carrier processes and shipping complexities. Shippo enables one-click integrations with carriers, creating order manifests, shipping labels, order tracking, and returns. It also supports multiple client libraries such as Ruby, Python, Java, PHP, C#, and NodeJS.

7) Features of Shippo

8) A Salient Comparison Between AfterShip and Shippo

A thorough understanding of AfterShip vs. Shippo requires comparing their features to determine which one prevails over the other.

8.1) Order Tracking

Both AfterShip and Shippo have a stronghold on order tracking. However, AfterShip’s 1000+ carrier network gives it a better advantage in order tracking, where retailers can track upto 50 packages at once. In comparison, Shippo has 85+ carriers. 

While Shippo offers estimated delivery and arrival times, AfterShip presents dynamic EDD. It analyzes past tracking data and carrier delivery rules and considers other factors like routes and holiday seasons for the EDDs. 

8.2) Integrations and API Support

AfterShip’s API infrastructure primarily supports in-depth order tracking, EDDs, last checkpoints, and notifications. It also features some APIs for returns, label generation, and insurance. 

In comparison, Shippo’s API library has multiple functionalities. These involve order creation, address validation, international shipping, tracking, and refunds. It also hosts advanced APIs for returns, pickups, batch label generation, manifests, SCAN forms, and more. 

AfterShip boats a more extensive library of eCommerce platforms, carriers, and add-ons than Shippo.

8.3) Shipping Insurance 

Both AfterShip and Shippo offer shipping insurance. AfterShip collaborates with Insureshield to insure packages specifically against theft, loss, and damage. Shippo collaborates with Shipsurance and protects packages against damages.

Both claim to provide easy and fast redressal. While Shippo also presents white-glove services from third-party insurance providers, AfterShip offers 24/7 visibility to resolution status. 

8.4) Manage Returns 

AfterShip’s return center proactively manages and streamlines returns. It boasts features like branded returns portal, shipment routing, refunds and exchanges, manage carriers and warehouses. Shippo primarily focuses on allocating carriers and generating return labels. In terms of returns management, AfterShip takes the lead. 

8.5) Pricing 

AfterShip has flexible plans based on shipment volume, with an “Essential” plan starting at $11 per month for 100 shipments. This includes core functionalities like eCommerce integrations and tracking. 

It has plans with an advanced version with essential features starting at $119 for 2000 monthly shipments. The premium version with AI predictions and more benefits begins at $230 for 2000 monthly shipments. AfterShip also provides custom plans.

Shippo has a free “starter” version, with discounts from certain carriers and $5 cents for shipping labels. After that, it charges $10 per month for high-volume shippers requiring batch shipping and automation workflows.  This version also comes with a 30-day free trial. It also provides a premium plan depending on business requirements. 

8.6) Cross-Border Shipping 

Shippo’s cross-border shipping includes integrations with global carriers and marketplaces and pre-filling customs forms and invoices. AfterShip also provides similar services involving customs documentation, shipping labels from 88 carriers, and automated shipping rules.

9) Alternative and Competitor of Both AfterShip and Shippo

Shippo and AfterShip are excellent shipping platforms, and they have mastery over different aspects of shipping and logistics. However, if you are more curious about alternatives and competitors to AfterShip and Shippo, you may consider ClickPost.

ClickPost, as a logistics and multi-carrier shipping management platform, combines the core areas of Shippo and AfterShip. It has an extensive 300+ carrier network and can integrate with any carrier within a day. 

ClickPost emphasizes automating and streamlining an array of shipping processes, including carrier allocation, returns, and tracking. It automates shipping label generation, calculates shipping rates, and provides real-time order tracking with API polling and webhooks. It offers a multi-functional dashboard for order creation and tracking. 

Its comprehensive NDR (non-delivery report) management system is lacking in both AfterShip and Shippo. With this feature, retailers can prompt OTP-based order cancellations to prevent carrier fraud and initiate query-based communications to customers for scheduling successful delivery re-attempts. 

ClickPost streamlines return management with features like automated returns approval or rejection based on a brand’s returns policy. It also presents automated airway bill and returns label generation, automated pick-up exception resolution, and tracking. It also helps in product exchanges and COD (cash-on-delivery) order reconciliation.

10) Conclusion 

Every retailer requires an intelligent solution that successfully amps up their logistics and last-mile delivery. Pair them with post-purchase intelligence and returns management, and you get all the crucial factors needed for scaling up your business. 

In this regard, AfterShip and Shippo have their uniqueness and delivery mechanisms. Our detailed investigation into the AfterShip vs. Shippo query will help you make an informed decision on choosing either.