The Evolution of Shiptheory's Shipping Rules System

When we originally built Shiptheory we knew from our time spent building Magento and general ecommerce shipping label extensions in the past that we had to have the ability to automatically select shipping services for retailers.

Our original rules system was pretty basic. It allowed you to select the service and some basic criteria such as a weight range and a value range, along with a set of countries to which this rule applied.

We gradually evolved the rules interface and implemented additional criteria. Early on, we added the ability to add postcode regions so certain delivery options were only used for certain postcode areas. We then expanded this to zip codes worldwide.

When we created the original rules in Shiptheory we had no automatic printing features. Automatic printing is when a shipment is created and the corresponding label is automatically sent to the relevant printer. Shortly after adding automatic printing, we also added the ability to nominate a printer to which the label(s) from a rule should print.

We've recently been working on creating a returns page that allows retailers to offer  a simple, customisable and professional way for customers return goods.
Retailers using our returns portal can select returns labels to be printed alongside their outgoing post. This allows returns labels to be included with orders, meaning customers can return an item without the need for a printer.

We've also added the ability to schedule when a rule will be executed, allowing retailers to specify when a shipment should be booked in with a carrier using terms such as "2 days' time", or "next Monday".

Over the years we've consistently received indirect requests for certain information to be tweaked automatically when retailers book things in with carriers.

We've now added this feature to Shiptheory, allowing retailers to modify details of a shipment automatically.

Whilst over the last few years we've built a large selection of rule criteria, scheduling and returns, we don't intend to stop there.
Our aim is to constantly improve and add to our existing rules sets. So, if you have anything you'd like to see added then please let us know here.

Our great rules engine is testament to all our great customers who have provided us with feedback and suggestions, and so a big thank you to all our customers from us @ Shiptheory!