Squarespace Shipping - [Complete Guide]

Introduction

Getting confused about how you can set up shipping options and methods on your Squarespace store?  

Sure, with its easy interface, advanced built-in features, and affordable pricing plans, Squarespace has become one of the best eCommerce store-builders in the marketplace. 

But applying shipping options on Squarespace gets tricky - especially when you are a beginner. This guide will offer you a step-by-step guide on how to set up Squarespace shipping options.

Plus, we’ll also give you some expert tips so you can efficiently manage your shipping costs for a better customer experience. 

Let’s get started.

What are the shipping options Squarespace offers?

If you’re planning to launch your eCommerce store on Squarespace, you’ll benefit from a number of shipping options. These are:

1) Flat-rate Shipping

In flat-rate shipping, you can apply a fixed shipping rate for every order. It means customers will have to pay a fixed amount for shipping - no matter what the order size and weight is. 

So, if you sell high-value small merchandise like jewelry or items of the same weight & size, flat-rate shipping will be a profitable choice.

Also, it’s easier for customers to understand and offers a great selling point for advertising.

2) Depending on Weight Shipping

Here, you’ll have to set up a fee based on the total weight of all the ordered items. Calculating shipping costs in this option is a bit tricky since you need to measure the accurate weight of all the orders.

If you sell items of the same size but different weights, you can go for the Depending on Weight shipping option.

3) Real-time Rate Shipping

In this shipping option, you’ll be able to automatically figure out the shipping costs based on UPS, FedEx, and USPS shipping rates. To do it, you’ll have to enter the delivery destination, order weight, and dimension. 

As a result, it fetches the accurate shipping cost - keeping your profit margin intact. So, if you sell large, heavy products and offer long-distance delivery, choose the Carrier-calculated Shipping option. 

Note: This option is only accessible to those Squarespace merchants who are on its Commerce Advanced or Premium Pricing plans.

A Step-by-step Guide to Setting up Shipping Options on Squarespace Store

Since Squarespace is a user-friendly platform, it’ll just take a few minutes to set up the shipping options. All you have to do is to follow the below-mentioned steps:

Step 1: After visiting the shipping panel, choose “Add shipping options”. 

Step 2: Click on the shipping option as per your choice. For example, if you go for Flat-rate shipping, you’ll get a dedicated dashboard.

There, you have to enter the shipping option name (Standard shipping/Overnight shipping), Per Order Fee, and Per Item Fee. Once you fill out these details, enter the shipping zones and hit “SAVE.”

Likewise, if you choose the “depending on weight” shipping option, you’ll have to determine the order weight and shipping cost depending on that determined weight.

For example, you can set up a shipping rate of $7 for orders up to 10.00 lbs. Once done, click the “+” icons to add different weights and costs. Next, save them all.

Now, if you choose Real-time Rate shipping, select any option from FedEx, UPS, and USPS. Before that, ensure you have properly added the product weight and dimensions to the product page. 

Let’s say you have selected FedEx Real Time Rates. Under the formula tab, you’ll get different services like FedEx Priority Overnight, FedEx 2Day, etc.

Choose the services and enter a percentage or amount of markup. After that, add the zip code where you ship the order from. Here’s how the formula tab will look like:

Once added, go to the “FedEx Containers” tab and review the available containers. You can also choose custom containers. Lastly, click “SAVE”. 

Note: If you’re offering a free shipping option, ensure to keep both the Per Order Fee and Fee Per Item $0 for flat-rate shipping. 

Step 3:  That’s it! You have successfully added shipping options for your Squarespace store. Now, you can go live.

Lastly, one quick suggestion: once you set up all the shipping methods and options, perform a mock order fulfillment to eliminate future discrepancies.

How Will You Efficiently Manage the Squarespace Shipping Cost?

By now, you know how to set up shipping options on your Squarespace store. But, if you don’t manage the shipping cost properly, it’ll directly hamper your profit margin - ruining the whole customer experience.

So, here are some strategies to help you manage your Squarespace shipping cost: 

1) Define shipping zones

If you go for the flat rate or Depending on Weight shipping methods, you can enable the shipping zone option.

As shipping costs vary from one location to another, it will allow you to set up accurate, customized rates based on geographic location. 

Let’s say you want to provide the economy shipping option for U.S. customers and a standard shipping option for the rest of the countries.

Then, you can offer a flat-rate option for the U.S. and another flat-rate option for other countries.

Plus, you can set up different shipping costs based on regional and local areas (this option is only available for the U.S., U.K., Canada, and Australia). It’ll not only help you maintain your gross profit but also provide transparency to your customers. 

To create shipping zones, follow the step-by-step process:

1. Open the shipping panel and click the “Add Shipping Options” button. 
2. Choose the “flat-rate” or “Depending on Weight” option and create shipping rates. Then click on “Shipping Zones”. 

Here, note that, if you’re choosing the United States, the United Kingdom, Canada, and Australia for customized shipping rates, you can go a step further and apply customized shipping costs for local areas. 

Just click on the “Edit” button beside the country. 

Next, select the areas where you want to offer customized rates and hit “Done.” 

2) Offer multiple shipping methods

Data fetched from Statista shows that more than 41% of global shoppers want the product delivered within 24 hours after the order placement. What’s more interesting? Almost 24% of buyers say they want to receive their delivery within 2 hours. 

Considering all these statistics mentioned above, there’s no doubt that people want expedited shipping. In such a situation, adding different shipping methods is a smart move - no matter what shipping option you’ve chosen.

For instance, if you have chosen the flat-rate shipping option, you can create multiple choices like expedited shipping, two-day shipping, and overnight shipping by changing the option name and costs.

On the other hand, when you provide different shipping methods, it automatically decreases the cart abandonment rate. It further contributes to your business growth. 

3) Set up fulfillment profiles

Different products need different handling and fulfillment methods. For example, fragile objects like glass items or pottery require special packaging and careful handling throughout the shipping process. Likewise, perishable items like food or fresh flowers need express shipping. 

So, setting up fulfillment profiles based on product categories would be the best bet to manage shipping expenses. On Squarespace, you can set up this option within minutes. Simply go to the “Shipping” panel and click “Set Up Fulfillment Profiles.” 

Next, click the “Add Custom Profile” option. After that, add the item name and select the fulfillment option you created. Then, save the customization. 

4) Strategically Implement the Free Shipping Option

As per the latest study, in Q1 of 2022, almost 68% of online shoppers made purchasing decisions because they were offered free delivery.

So, it’s a no-brainer that if you want to win customers’ buy-ins, you need to offer free shipping frequently. 

However, offering free shipping can hamper your profitability if not implemented strategically. Some minor adoptions while offering free shipping will maintain your profit margin - leading you to more sales. That’s why, here are some of our pro tips:

• Set up a minimum order value to cover the shipping cost.
• Adjust the product pricing so it can compensate for the free shipping.
• Offer free shipping for high-value items in your store.
• Launch a subscription model where only the paid members will benefit from the free shipping.
• Keep the free shipping option for a limited time or special occasion. 

5) Activate carrier-calculated shipping 

When you enable real-time rate shipping, you can fetch accurate shipping costs from well-known shipping companies like USPS and FedEx based on product weight, dimension, and location. Consequently, it saves you from undercharging shipping costs. 

5 Tips to Optimize Squarespace Shipping for Better Customer Experience

When it comes to eCommerce, you can’t compromise with Customer Experience (CX). After all, almost 70% of brands can see the direct connection between customer service and business performance.

With this in mind, we’ve come up with 5 pro tips so you can successfully manage your Squarespace shipping for improved CX:

1) Create a clear shipping policy

First things first, ensure you offer a clear shipping policy to your customers. Ideally, a shipping policy includes information like order processing time, shipping methods, shipping rates, shipping restrictions, and return instructions.

This robust information boosts your customers’ confidence and helps them make the buying decision - maintaining clear communication and transparency. It, in turn, reduces your cart abandonment rate and enhances customer experience.

2) Show real-time shipping rates

Providing real-time shipping rates to your customers can help you improve CX to a great extent- and for good reasons. It shows accurate amounts to your customers for exactly how much they are charged for the delivery.

As a result, it eliminates unexpected surprises while checking out. Plus, it bridges the gap of confusion and helps you build a loyal brand authority. 

3) Enable shipment tracking and notification

Most of the time, customers experience anxiety about their product deliveries - considering the increased numbers of scammers. It gets even worse when they prepaid for the orders. 

In such a situation, what can set you and your brand apart from the crowd is providing time-t0-time notification for shipment status.

Not only does it help them get rid of overthinking, but it also helps them plan their day so they can be present at the delivery time. This subtle initiative increases CX, which further enriches your word-of-mouth marketing.

4) Offer an easy return process

Customers often make impulse buys. When the product doesn’t meet their requirements, they always prefer returning the items.

That’s why the main thing they consider while purchasing an item is whether or not the brand has an easy return process. 

In fact, almost 92% of customers will prefer to buy again if they find the return process easy. So, ensure you offer a single-click return process,  automate return approvals, and handle refunds instantly. 

5) Keep the checkout process mobile-friendly

Did you know almost 91% of online customers purchase via smartphones? It clearly indicates that making your Squarespace store mobile-responsive isn’t an option- it’s a necessity.

Keep an eye on the store design, offer a guest-checkout option, and ensure your customers can easily make the transaction through their smartphones. 

Streamline Your Squarespace Shipping with ClickPost

If you are still reading, we’re sure you are serious about optimizing the shipping process for your Squarespace store - not only for providing better CX but also for your long-term business growth. And exactly here, ClickPost takes center stage.

It partners with more than 350 carrier companies across the world. As per your shipping preferences, it’ll fetch you the most suitable carrier companies. It, in turn, will help you meet customers’ priority shipping needs.

Plus, with its robust shipping APIs, you can automate generating shipping labels, bring almost accurate estimated delivery dates (to improve CX), and manifest smooth forward logistics.

Its real-time tracking API will help you centralize all your shipment status on a single dashboard. It also notifies your customers from time to time on a branded tracking page so they can get relief from anxiety.

Plus, its NDR option has your back if you’re facing a huge RTO%. It’s committed to making every delivery a success - streamlining your communication between your delivery agent and customer.

Wrapping Up!

And that’s it! Setting up the shipping process on Squarespace and optimizing it to better meet customers’ demands is definitely not easy. But it’s simple. All you have to do is to adopt a few changes and strategies mentioned in this guide.

Now, if you want additional shipping help to build a long-lasting relationship with customers, click here to book a demo for ClickPost.

FAQ's

1) Does Squarespace offer shipping labels?

Yes! If you have the Squarespace mobile app, you can directly print Squarespace shipping labels from it. Plus, you can also buy USPS shipping labels if you are on its business or commerce plans.

2) What is advanced shipping on Squarespace? 

It’s a premium plan offered by Squarespace. Here, you’ll benefit from the real-time shipping calculation method based on the location, product weight & dimension, and well-known carrier companies’ (FedEx, USPS UPS) shipping rates.