Set up rates at checkout

Overview

• With live rates at checkout, you can display a range of shipping options to customers at the point of purchase.
• This feature allows you to customise how, when and what rates display based on your business and carrier requirements. 
• Learn more about rules for checkout rates here.

Table of Contents

• How it works
• Configuring rates at checkout
• How to add a new product & service
• Enabling fail over rates 
• Set up table rates 
• Testing your Live Rate configuration 

How it works

• By default, rates at checkout will be based on the weight, dimensions* and destination of the cart. 
• You can use our checkout rules engine to further configure your checkout rates settings. For example, you could set up rules to automatically cover your shipping surcharges, apply free shipping, or assign specific couriers to orders that contain dangerous goods.
• Starshipit supports rates at checkout whether it's the exact rate provided by the courier (live rate), or a rate that you determine (table rate).

Configuring rates at checkout 

1. Go to Settings > Checkout Rates > Settings.
2. From the Weight and Dimensions section, select how you would like your rates to be calculated:
   • Single Package using sum of integration item weights: The rate will be based on the total weight of all the items in the cart being sent in a single package .
   • Single Package using sum of integration item weights and dimensions*: The rate will be based on a singular package with the added dimensions and weight of all items in the cart.
     * Only supported for WooCommerce, Magento 1 and Magento 2
   • Single Package using default package weight and default dimensions: The rate will use the weight and dimensions of the package you have selected as your default.
   • Unique Package for each item using integration item weight and item dimensions*: The rate will be calculated with one package per item in the cart using both the item’s weight and dimensions.  
     *Only supported for WooCommerce and Magento2
3. Click Save.
   These rates will now be available on checkout.

How to add a new product & service

1. Navigate to Settings > Checkout Rates.
2. Navigate to the Courier Configuration tab.
3. Click Add New Shipping Option.
   
4. Select the Carrier & Product.
5. (Optional) Display Name
   • By default, when left empty, Starshipit uses the carrier’s service name (e.g., DHL Express Shipping).
   • However, if required, you can rename it to something more user-friendly (e.g., Express Shipping).
6. (Optional) Margin
   • Margins allow you to adjust the final shipping rate displayed to customers.
   • You can increase the rate (e.g., adding a handling fee) or decrease it (e.g., offering a discount).
   • Two margin types:
     • Flat Fee: Adds or subtracts a fixed amount (e.g., contract rate + $5.00).
     • Percentage: Adjusts the price by a percentage (e.g., contract rate + 5%).
   • This is useful for businesses looking to offset costs, apply handling fees, or offer competitive shipping rates.
7. (Optional) Estimated Transit Time
   • The estimated transit time provides an expected delivery timeframe for shipments using this service.
   • For DHL and Australia Post, transit times can be retrieved dynamically.
   • For other couriers, you can manually set transit times.
8. (Optional) Display Start & End Time
   • Display Time lets you control the visibility of shipping options based on time constraints.
   • Example: If your courier has a cutoff time, you can hide same-day delivery after 1 PM.
9. (Optional) Group
   • What is a Group?
     Group allow you to categorise similar shipping services from different carriers, helping to identify and organise them for a better user experience at checkout.
   • Why use a Group?
     • If multiple couriers offer the same type of service (e.g., express shipping), grouping ensures they are displayed under a single option.
     • Example: Instead of showing DHL Express and FedEx Priority separately, they can be grouped as Express Shipping.
     • This helps customers compare shipping rates and transit times for similar services from different carriers, making it easier to choose the best option.
   • How to use a Group?
     • Create a group by selecting "Add new group" in the Checkout Settings page.
     • Once created, services can be assigned to a group when adding a new shipping option.
10. Click Save to confirm the new shipping option.

Enabling fail over rates 

A Fail Over rate is a flat rate that you can enable which will be displayed on checkout in the case that the selected carrier does not return a rate for the address. This can be helpful when carriers experience a temporary outage or if the customer enters an invalid address that the courier does not recognise. 

1. Go to Settings > Checkout Rates > Courier Configuration.
2. Click Add New Shipping Option.
3. Select the carrier.
4. In the Product dropdown, select FAIL-OVER (Domestic or International).
   
5. Set the Margin Value to determine the fallback rate.
6. Click Save to enable the failover rate.

Set up table rates 

Table rate shipping allows you to manually set shipping costs based on the location and weight of an order, which you can display at checkout instead of real-time carrier rates.

It also provides the flexibility to choose between real-time carrier rates or table rates, determined by factors such as destination, weight, order value, or the number of items in an order through customisable checkout rules engine.

This helps you offer competitive and predictable shipping prices, enhancing the customer experience with clear, reliable, and cost-effective shipping options.

1. Navigate to Settings > Checkout Rates > Courier Configuration.
2. Click Add New Shipping Option.
3. Select the carrier.
4. In the Product dropdown, select Table Rate.
5. Configure Table Rates:
   • Starshipit allows you to set rates in a matrix format based on location & weight.
   • Click here for detailed table rate setup instructions.
6. (Optional) Tick Set Table Rates as Default to prioritise table rates over contract rates.
7. Click Save to finalise the setup.

Testing your Live Rate configuration 

Once you have configured your live rates you may want to test how the rates would display on checkout. Starshipit supplies a Checkout Rates tool where you can check what rates are returned based on a test address and specified item weight. To use this tool: 

1. Go to Settings > Checkout Rates > Tools.
2. From the toggle, select which eCommerce platform you are using.
3. Enter the Country you would like to test.
4. The rest of the address can be auto-completed when using the Street field.
5. Enter in the Weight of the cart taking note of the unit needed.  
6. Click Get Rates.
7. You will see what rates are returned based on the criteria provided. From here, you can tweak your configuration as needed.