If you're running your business through Shopify, that usually means you've got the front end of your business taken care of. However, the backend of your business needs care too, especially when it comes down to order tracking and order management.
This is why the Shopify apps store makes a multitude of systems available for just these purposes. These software comes in the form of private integrations, extensions, and plugins.
Some offer a wide range of features, but the common purpose each of these Shopify shipping apps serves is to enable you to track your orders.
For larger eCommerce businesses that use multi-carrier shipping to deliver a high volume of orders (1000+ per month), tracking orders is absolutely vital.
Without these apps and integrations, tracking orders has to be performed manually for each order by entering the order tracking number in the respective shipping partner's platform.
This is an extremely slow process and just plain inefficient, especially when you're dealing with 10,000 or even 5000 orders a month. Shopify order tracking apps automate certain processes to ensure you can effectively manage your orders.
How do Shopify Order Tracking Apps Beneficial for Your Online Store
Order management for eCommerce businesses is an unavoidable activity if you want your business to continue on an upward trajectory of growth.
Managing your orders requires you to be aware of where your orders are at any given time and easily view their statuses to determine if any action must be taken.
This is where Shopify order status and tracking apps can come in handy. For starters, all of your orders can be found on a single platform, removing the need for you to jump between shipping partner platforms.
In the case of some order management software, this feature is just the tip of the iceberg.
A good order management software will automate and streamline the more exhausting and tedious tasks like order processing and updating customers.
And a truly exemplary order management software will be one that helps you scale up your business, providing you with tech-enabled solutions for multiple growth-related challenges.
The goal of order management is to be able to monitor all your orders, including management of NDRs or failed deliveries, cancellations and returns, and address obstacles to successful delivery. With the help of leading order management software, you will be able to continually maximise your order fulfillment and reduce RTOs.
Top 10 Best Shopify Order Status and Tracking Apps on eCommerce App Store [2024 Updated List]
You may think you're not familiar with order management software, but chances are high that you've come across one or two at some point in your searches.
Every time you open the Shopify app store, a few order tracking apps are likely to make their way to your screen. After all, these shipment status systems are vital to maintaining order among your orders with different shipping partners.
There are numerous order tracking apps and tools available, both on the eCommerce Shopify app store and as private installations.
They can be distinguished based on their features and serviceability, with a few reaching the highest ranks of favoritism among eCommerce enterprises.
To help jog your memory, here's a comprehensive list of the top 10 order status tracking apps and order management software for eCommerce businesses.
1) ClickPost
ClickPost is an order management shipping software with 130+ integrated carriers that enables you to receive real-time tracking updates with the help of push and pull API integrations.
These updates are immediately sent to customers via SMS, email and WhatsApp, in addition to standardised milestones being displayed on an order status tracking page. Order manifestation is automated entirely through API integrations.
ClickPost also provides a recommendation engine driven by an AI configured to process fixed rules like shipment information and business-specific metrics.
ClickPost also uses AI-enabled systems to detect delivery exceptions and address them. This also aids in NDR management, coupled with automated issue-specific customer queries. Carrier performance can be better monitored with the help of customisable analytic reports.
2) ShippingEasy
ShippingEasy is an order management and order tracking app available in the Shopify App Store. Through this app, e-commerce enterprises can view all of their orders across multiple carriers.
Orders are automatically created through API integrations and shipping labels printed, removing the need for added labour.
Shipping labels can also be printed in batches which saves time and costs. Customized packing slips can also be created through the use of this app.
You can also receive order updates directly on your storefronts and selling channels. In addition to this, ShippingEasy also sends out promotional emails on behalf of your business.
3) Tracktor
Tracktor Order Tracking is a favourite for e-commerce enterprises in the Shopify App store.
This system enables you receive order and package tracking updates from every integrated carrier and provides a customised tracker for customers on your various storefronts, including Shopify. Automated emails are regularly sent to eCommerce businesses with order status updates.
Through this order tracking system, you can create custom statuses for orders to correlate to each possible location. Customers do not need to have an account on your platform to view the Tracktor order tracking page.
Tracktor Order Tracking is also known for providing exceptional support services when it comes to resolving customer queries.
4) AfterShip Shopify Order Tracking App
AfterShip is available as both an app in the Shopify app store as well as as a private integration that offers more features than the app, albeit at a higher cost.
This delivery and order management app has gained immense popularity among global eCommerce brands for its package tracking feature.
Order statuses and tracking updates are instantly added to your integrated dashboard as soon as any carrier receives the update from the delivery agent.
Those updates are then displayed to customers on a branded tracking page and then shared with them via email. This software also provides regular reports of collected data analytics over specified periods. Although immensely successful, AfterShip's pricing leads many Shopify merchants to look for Competitors to AfterShip Software with similar features.
5) ShipStation App for Shopify Order Tracking
ShipStation is a delivery management platform and order tracking software that can be easily purchased from the Shopify App Store. It is equipped to handle a limited volume of shipments, only up to 10,000 per month.
With this app, you can synchronize your orders across multiple sales platforms and automate the process of creating orders and printing shipping labels.
ShipStation also enables shipping labels to be printed in batches to eliminate wastage of time and effort. In addition to order management, ShipStation helps you keep costs low by enabling you to compare estimated delivery dates and shipping charges of different carriers prior to selecting one for any order.
6) ParcelPanel
This app can be found in the Shopify app store under the name ParcelPanel Order Tracking Pro. Its core function is to reduce customer queries through order tracking and improve the tracking experience through a branded tracking page.
It supports 800+ carriers and simplifies the process of dropshipping. ParcelPanel seeks to ease the process of responding to customer queries. Its interface is adaptive to enable greater brand-based designs for the tracking page on your store.
7) Shippo
Shippo is another order tracking and management software that is available both as an app in the Shopify store and as a separate integration. It focuses on the automation of shipping functions and streamlining delivery.
This system enables Ecommerce enterprises to synchronize their orders across Shopify and other selling channels, as well as across shipping partners.
Integrations can be carried out with 85+ shipping partners. Using automated order creation functions, shipping labels can be printed in large quantities for bulk orders. Shippo is also cost-effective as it offers shipments at discounted rates. Costs can also be reduced by splitting shipments.
8) ShipMonk
ShipMonk is an app available on the Shopify app store for free and focuses solely on order fulfillment. It is exclusively for Shopify and enables direct integration with Shopify storefront. This enables synchronized management of your inventory as orders are delivered.
This delivery management app also allows you to view shipping rates from different carriers in real-time, so you can choose the most viable rate. Order tracking and shipment mapping is also a major service provided by this system, even for bundled shipments. Data is collected regularly to provide analytic reports on orders.
9) Parcellab
Parcellab is a shipping and delivery management software that enables ecommerce companies to track orders with their integrated carriers.
Through this system, customers can gain access to 150+ different shipping companies that deliver domestically and globally. Parcellab is a private integration that can sync your orders across Shopify and other sales channels.
Order tracking is carried out with the help of Parcellab's Operations Experience Platform. Through this platform, you are given fast updates and your customers are as well through email.
Your Ecommerce platform will also be provided an Order Status page, customised to your brand, on which order statuses will be displayed to customers as tracking updates are received. These brand-based customisations have made Parcellab extremely popular.
10) Easyship
Easyship is available for free in the Shopify App Store as a shipping and order management app. This software offers a multitude of simple tech-enabled solutions that help improve both order fulfillment and customer query resolution.
Over 250+ carriers are tied up with Easyship. It can also be downloaded on a mobile, which makes it a great Shopify mobile app.
This partnership entitles integrated e-commerce enterprises to discounted shipping charges. These are based on a variety of metrics, including taxes, customs fees and duties, and the contents of a customer's shopping cart.
Finally, all order information and tracking updates can be viewed from a unified dashboard to enable customer queries to be answered with ease.
What is the Need for Shopify Order Status and Tracking Apps for Your Online eCommerce Store
We've established that the purpose of order management software is to ensure order fulfillment is maxed out.
We've also given you a clear perspective of the different features you can avail depending on the order status and tracking app you choose to integrate with. You may still be unsure of what exact benefits you will reap from the deployment of this app.
To determine if an order management app is truly adding something tangible to the trajectory of growth for your business, keep an eye out for these key areas of improvement you should see shortly after tying up with an order management software.
1) Automate Delivery Tracking
Automation is the major benefit offered by e-commerce solutions that traditional retailers miss out on.
Using AI and API integrations, you can automate the entire process of order creation and order tracking, so tracking updates are pinged back to you as soon as a new milestone is updated with your shipping partner.
Removing the need for manual communications here saves an immense amount of time. A shipping management software or app can truly help you here.
2) Real-time Delivery Updates
The reason why time-saving endeavors are so important is that your customers are waiting on their orders.
Unlike with traditional stores, where people can walk out with their products, your customers require a modicum of patience which you cannot afford to test.
An order tracking software that utilizes the latest in tech advancements will have a system that pushes real-time updates not just to you but also to your customers, reducing the occurrence of WISMO calls.
3) Proactive Customer Communications
Order tracking statuses are usually updated on a tracking page or communicated to customers through various channels.
Most customers are preoccupied, though their anxiety over their purchase will usually push them to check the tracking page.
Sending added communications via email, SMS and WhatsApp let's them know that you are going out of your way to make sure they are informed. This is an excellent way to build trust.
4) Better Inventory Management
There is, perhaps, nothing more mortifying for an eCommerce business than when an order is placed for an item that is shortly thereafter notified as out of stock. A disappointed customer is not a returning customer.
Being able to monitor your orders from end-to-end not only lets you know what inventory has been sold but also enables you to keep track of returning orders that can be restocked and resold.
This is made doubly viable with the help of an order tracking app that also enables returns management or offers functions similar to a Shopify inventory management app.
5) Enhanced Delivery Experience
Your final goal aside from all order business-related functions is simply to give customers a good experience. And this experience can change at any point of time with the right actions. For example, a failed delivery is typically a disappointing circumstance for a customer.
But if you act quickly and immediately reach out to the customer to ensure the order is delivered, the entire ordeal becomes an unexpected story of teamwork and success. Order management software can help you react quicker to delays, exceptions and customer concerns.
How to Choose the Best Shopify Order Status and Tracking Apps for eCommerce Business
By now, you should have gotten a gist of the importance of order management software and apps. You've also hopefully taken a cursory look at the order tracking apps available on the Shopify app store.
While listing out the specifics of the top 10 software may give you some context, it may not help you make your final decision. Especially when you see the sheer number of nearly indistinguishable order management and order tracking extensions available.
But we've got you covered there as well. You can determine which order tracking app is the veritable bed of perfection to your Goldilocks without all the trial and error drama of the folktale. These ten criteria will allow you to view each order management software from the perspective that is most beneficial to your business and in keeping with your requirements.
1) Features
The first thing you'll likely have noticed in the top 10 order tracking apps we listed above is their features. While some are similar, each software offers a different range of features.
Some focus on shipping label creation or distribution. Others like ClickPost focus on end-to-end automation of order fulfillment. These features play a major role in your final decision.
2) Serviceability
This term essentially tries to answer two important questions. Can the software you've selected handle the volume of orders you receive on a monthly basis?
Does it operate in the same area as your business? Some software operates solely in certain parts of the world that may not be relevant to your business. Some may also have limited bandwidth when it comes to orders and is best suited for SMBs.
3) Prices
With order tracking apps and order management software, it's not about getting the cheapest software. It's about getting the best deal for a wide range of intrinsically useful services.
There are free order tracking apps as well. However, they may not have the utility needed for a large business like yours. Paying slightly more for order management software for your online store can be worth the cost if it enables you to actively improve your profitability.
4) Installation and Use
Anyone that has installed a new program or update on their computer/laptop is familiar with the monotony involved in this process. You sit and twiddle your thumbs while your system reboots, coming back to life with the new program in place.
This seems fine when it's just your computer. However, it can be debilitating for an eCommerce enterprise if the process of installing shipping software takes too long or results in glitches.
A similar reboot of the system is required and if this process is delayed, you stand a high chance of losing many customers.
5) Support
Let's say installation does take slightly longer than expected. Or immediately after installation, you encounter difficulty with the software. Again, these result in more time wasted that could have been spent bringing in customers and securing inventory.
A good order management software will come with the necessary and easily accessible support you need to fix these problems with minimum effort and time so you can focus on your core business.
6) Reviews
Once you've got an idea of exactly what you need from an order tracking or order management tool, you can narrow the list down based on features and serviceability.
However, you may still find yourself choosing between one too many software. Reviews shared by past users of these software's can help determine which one is suited for your priority functions.
7) Business Priorities
Order management software can offer a long list of features or just a single feature dedicatedly. As you saw in the list we provided, the services can range from order tracking to monitoring carrier performances and even streamlining delivery.
Selecting a shipping software becomes an easy task when you know exactly what your business needs. In the early stages of growth, your priority may simply be keeping track of orders.
In the latest stages of growth, Non-Delivery Report (NDR) management and Shopify returns management may become your priorities thereby changing shipping software needs.
8) System Integration
Shopify is one of the leading online storefronts available for eCommerce businesses. But it is by no means the only one. There are a multitude of e-commerce selling channels that allow you to widen your customer base, like WooCommerce and Magento.
You may also make use of online marketplaces like eBay and Amazon. There are also warehouse management software, inventory management software and even accounting systems that may be supporting your operations. Accordingly, you would need order management software that can integrate with all your systems.
9) UX and UI
UX and UI are two of the most important things you will need to observe in any order status and tracking app or system. The User Interface (UI) refers to the ease with which the system can be navigated by you, the user.
The User Experience (UX) looks deeper at your overall ability to make use of the system for its intended purpose. A system can have all the right features for your business but still not be the right one for you if you cannot efficiently utilise it.
10) Tech Capabilities
The final thing you must consider is the technology that is being utilised by the software or app for various purposes. More advanced versions of the same tech-enabled solutions may be offered by some order management software, like the use of a more adaptive AI or multiple API integrations for a single purpose.
Another important aspect of this criteria is how innovatively utilized the tech is, like using AI for delivery exception detection or eCommerce NDR management, areas that were previously unaddressed by technology.
Final Conclusive Words
The first job of any eCommerce business is to get customers interested and give them something worth ordering. If you're reading this, it's because you've already succeeded in this job.
The next step in e-commerce growth is to make sure that every single one of those customers is satisfied, not just 50% or 60%. Using selling channels like Shopify, you give your customers the easiest possible way to view your products, select items and make payments.
You can even keep them updated on the latest discounts and promos, so customers never have to miss a sale. Shopify helps you take things to the next level by enabling integrations with order management software.
This software will be the key to unlocking maximum customer satisfaction and order fulfillment.
You will be able to track any order at any given point of time with minimal effort. The more advanced software, which may not be available on the Shopify app store, will even be able to help you deal with delivery exceptions, actively reduce RTOs and keep customers informed as if they'd been a part of the process from the start.
Managing your orders with the help of the right technology will send your order numbers and brand loyalty to all-time highs.
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