Fulfilling customer orders takes a lot of precision, from the pricing you offer to the tracking itself; keeping information properly updated across all your systems can get complicated. ShipStation is one tool that can help, so if you already use it and want to connect it to the CRM, follow these steps.
Preparing ShipStation
To integrate ShipStation, you must have at least one "Ship From" location. If you haven't created one before, log in to your account, then click the gear icon to access your settings.
Use the left-side menu to switch to Ship From Locations within the Shipping options.
Click Add New Location.
Fill out the required details and save.
Navigate to the Packages tab and ensure the Package type is selected.
Navigate to the API Settings tab in the Account section and click Generate API Key.
Select the key expiration period, then click Generate.
Copy your API keys and paste them somewhere handy for the next step. Once you've noted them down, click Done.
Finally, verify that the currency in your business profile matches the one you selected when creating your ShipStation account.
Integrating ShipStation
Navigate to the Integrations tab of the Integration section inside your account Settings. Find the ShipStation icon and click Manage.
This will show you the app's details. Click Install to start the connection.
Enter your previously copied API keys.
Check the boxes next to each step of the setup list, then click Connect.
Adding Shipping Options
Once you've finished the connection, you can configure shipping options to enable live rates by clicking "+Add Shipping Option" under the API keys.
Add the shipping details, which will be:
- Shipping Option Name: For identification inside the CRM.
- Services: Use this dropdown menu to define the Mail Carriers included in this option.
- Fallback Value: This is the value that will be shown to customers if the live shipping rates can't be retrieved.
Once the details are filled, click "Create" to save it.
Your configured shipping methods will now appear during the checkout process. You can verify this by visiting any of your stores' checkout pages, adding a product to your cart, and proceeding to the shipping step. If everything is set up correctly, you'll see your newly configured Shipping Options.
Using this integration, your orders will automatically sync to your ShipStation Dashboard. This lets you generate and print labels, mark orders as shipped, and manage fulfilment directly in ShipStation, while tracking numbers sync back to the Platform and are shared with customers via branded notifications.