5 Must-Have Parcel Delivery App Features

If you run an e-commerce business, you know how important it is to provide your customers with a great experience. One way to do this is by providing them with a parcel tracking app. This will allow them to track their orders in real-time and see when they will arrive at their doorstep. But what should you look for in parcel delivery app features? In this article, we’ll explore some of the must-have features of a parcel tracking app.

Support for the Carriers You Use

First and foremost, you should make sure that the parcel tracking app supports the carriers you use since it would be useless to you otherwise. Ideally, it should support all the major carriers, such as USPS, UPS, FedEx, DHL, etc. But if you only use one or two carriers, you can get away with using an app that supports only those carriers.

But sometimes you may need to switch carriers, so it’s better to have an app that supports all the major carriers. Also, it’s worth mentioning that some carriers have their own tracking apps, but if you use multiple carriers, it would be inconvenient to have to use multiple apps. So, it’s better to have one app that supports all the carriers you use.

Payment Methods

Also, sometimes multiple carriers handle one parcel, especially if it’s an international shipment. In such cases, if an app supports multiple carriers, it will be able to track the parcel throughout its entire journey and show the full tracking information to the customer in one place, which is great for customer experience. For example, in the case of EMS tracking, since it’s a global network, it’s very likely that the parcel will be handled by multiple carriers throughout different countries.

Carrier Autodetection

Another great feature to look for in a parcel tracking app is carrier autodetection. It’s a feature that automatically detects the carrier based on the tracking number. It’s very convenient since you don’t have to manually select the carrier every time you add a new parcel. It also helps avoid mistakes, since you don’t have to remember which carrier uses which tracking number format.

Also, it’s worth mentioning that some carriers have multiple tracking number formats, so it can be confusing sometimes. For example, a USPS tracking number can be either in a Universal Postal Union format, i.e. 2 letters, followed by 9 digits, followed by another 2 letters (“US” in this case), or it can be just digits with a variety of lengths.

Tracking Page Customization

It’s very useful to be able to customize the tracking page with your own branding since it helps you build brand awareness and increase customer loyalty. Also, it would not look great if your tracking page had a different design than the rest of your website. So you should look for an app that allows you to customize the color schemes, fonts, logos, etc. If you’re a bit tech-savvy, it can be very useful if the app allows you to customize the tracking page with your own CSS, which offers even more flexibility.

It’s also worth mentioning that some customers may not trust a third-party tracking page, or may not want to share their tracking information with a third-party app, so it’s better to have your own tracking page. This will also look much more professional, which will help you build trust with your customers.

And last but not least, it can help you with upselling and cross-selling. If a customer visits your tracking page, it means that they’ve already purchased some of your products, so you can use this opportunity to promote your other products. For example, you can show them a banner with a discount code for their next purchase, or you can show them a list of related products.

User Interface Translation

The majority of order tracking apps, such as those on the Shopify App Store, have English as their primary language. But if your store is in a non-English speaking country, it would obviously look strange if your tracking page was in English. So it’s a must to have an app that allows you to translate the user interface into your own language. It’s also worth mentioning that some apps allow you to translate the user interface into multiple languages, which is great if you have customers from different countries.

Additional Feature! Tracking Information Customization

You may ask how it is even possible to customize the tracking information since it’s provided by the carrier. That’s true, but sometimes you may want to filter the tracking information, especially if you run a dropshipping business. For example, if you dropship from AliExpress, you may want to replace the tracking statuses that indicate the parcel has been shipped from China with generic statuses like “In Transit” or “Out for Delivery.” This helps you avoid customer complaints, as some customers may get confused when they see their parcel has been shipped from China, even though they ordered it from your store.

It’s also possible to customize the tracking information by adding additional information to it. For example, when a customer has just placed an order, it will obviously not be trackable for some time, since you have to ship it first, receive the tracking number from the carrier, then assign it to the order, and also wait for the carrier to update the tracking information in their database. So, it would be great if you could add a custom message to the tracking page, such as “We have received your order, and it will be shipped soon. This will give your customers peace of mind since they will know that things are moving forward.

Conclusion

There are obviously more features that you would need in a parcel delivery app, such as detailed usage statistics or email notifications, but the ones mentioned above are the most important ones, so if you’re looking for a parcel tracking app, make sure that it has all these features. 

Also, it’s worth mentioning that some apps offer a free trial, so you can try them out before making a purchase decision. And last but not least, it’s important to check if the app is compatible with your e-commerce platform, since some apps are only available for Shopify, while others are only available for WooCommerce, etc.