How to provide a better package tracking experience for customers

Learn how to transform subpar order tracking into delightful customer experiences—and increased revenue.

Table of Contents

• The impact of negative tracking experiences on your business
• A better experience for both you and your customers
• The Shippo tracking API: an all-in-one order tracking solution
• How to set up order tracking with the Shippo Tracking API
• Start transforming your order tracking

Order tracking is a foundational part of e-commerce: It accompanies nearly every package, with customers looking at a package tracking page an average of 3.5 times per order. It’s no wonder that offering transparent and proactive tracking is now the standard when it comes to meeting consumer expectations.

The impact of negative tracking experiences on your business

While superior tracking experiences are clearly important to your customers, they’re also key to the success of your business. Negative tracking experiences impact your:

• Bottom line—Customers reaching out to customer service to track a package is a frustrating experience and a costly expense for your company.
• Post-purchase process—Customers are sick of dealing with confusing carrier tracking sites. They expect a seamless experience and one easy spot to check their delivery status.
• Customer satisfaction—If a customer feels unclear on the status of their delivery, they’re less willing to purchase again from you, decreasing their lifetime value and willingness to recommend you to friends and family.

A better experience for both you and your customers

Picking the right order tracking solution can help customers get what they want and provide the flexibility and control that your business needs. With a solution like Shippo’s tracking API, you can improve your post-purchase experience by:

• Reducing Where Is My Order (WISMO) calls—Use Shippo tracking and automatic real-time notifications to reduce WISMO calls and improve the delivery experience. 
• Retaining your customers—Proactive, transparent, easy to understand tracking builds trust with customers, who are then more likely to return.
• Increasing revenue—91% of customers actively track their packages. This is an opportunity to market to your customers even after their initial purchase.

The Shippo Tracking API: an all-in-one order tracking solution

Get order tracking both you and your customers will love. 

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Shippo’s tracking API includes:

• Flexibility—Choose based on your needs from our modular API: Integrate with our Tracking API and webhooks exclusively, or bundle it with our Shipping API.
• Accurate, normalized tracking data—Standardized carrier language and tracking events so you have a consistent and easy-to-understand experience.
• Customization—Brand your own tracking pages and turn them into valuable sales channels. Offer additional product recommendations or upcoming promotions.

• Real-time notifications—Use low-latency webhooks to send automatic updates to customers.
• Access to 60+ carriers—Connect with a vast global network of carriers for reliable and accurate tracking data.
• Enterprise readiness—Custom rate limits for high-volume shippers. Strategic partner management, solutions engineering, SLA guarantees and 24/7 support.
• Full tracking history—Get detailed data about the package’s journey from pre-transit to failure, to even more specific, like delivery_attempted, package_disposed, package_damaged, etc. 
• Data customization—Add your own metadata, a free-form field where any user-specific information can be added (e.g., order number).
• First- and third-party tracking—Track shipments from labels purchased via Shippo or track individual shipments created outside of Shippo. 

How to set up order tracking with the Shippo Tracking API

1. Create your account in our API Portal.
2. Go to API configuration>Webhooks to create a webhook to get instant notifications whenever there's a tracking update or go to API configuration>developer keys to get your live key in the portal.
3. Read our tracking API docs to learn more.

Start transforming your order tracking 

Package tracking is a valuable opportunity to deliver a great shopper experience, drive repeat business, reinforce your brand, and reduce support inquiries. Get up and running fast with our standalone tracking API—no label/rating integrations or multiple tracking systems needed. 

Not yet a Shippo customer?

Connect with an expert from our team for a personalized consultation. 

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Need an out-of-the-box order tracking solution? If you’re a small business without a team of developers to help you get set up with the Shippo Tracking API, the Shippo Web App has got you covered. From automated email notifications to seamless tracking pages, setting up tracking in the Web App is quick and easy. Get started delighting your customers by letting them know exactly where their orders are at all times. 

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Originally published 5/11/22; updated 8/4/24

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