New Module: Magento 2 Shipping Table Rates

We’ve developed a new Shipping Table Rates extension, which lets you create a flexible shipment rates policy in your Magento 2 store. This module is the tool to better entice shoppers to buy from you by providing them with optimal shipping rates.

The flexibility of this extension allows you to leverage the power of table rate shipping by defining specific shipping rates for specific order characteristics and the shopper's shipping address. This article elaborates on the extension in detail:

1. What is table rate shipping

2. Business value of the module

3. What problems the module solves

4. Summary

What is table rate shipping

One of the most requested shipping methods for customers is flat rate shipping. With this method, a shopper can easily calculate the final value of his or her purchases in a particular shop since the shipping price is constant. It is a fixed sum that does not change based on the weight, shape, or size of the final order.

Often the flat rate shipping is not optimal for a store because the purchases can be of different weights and sizes, so they cost different amounts to ship. The shipping price also depends on the distance the purchase is being shipped.

For example, shipping a cell phone from a store in New York to a buyer in New York would cost significantly less that shipping the same phone to a customer in Australia.

The Table Rate Shipping method proposes an easy way to connect the properties of the purchase, like weight, size, shipping address, etc, to the shipping price by creating a table with purchase attributes and the shipping price.

Default Magento 2 Table Rates allows you to calculate shipping rates for the following conditions:

• Weight vs Destination
• Price vs Destination
• Number of Items vs Destination

The data for table rates calculation is uploaded into Magento in the format of an electronic table in a CSV file.

Business value of the module

Default Magento has limited flexibility on calculating the shipping table rates, thus resulting in suboptimal shipping fees for customers.

The limitations of the default Magento table rates function is that simultaneously only one set of table rate data can be active. Additionally, the destination point for table rate calculation cannot be specified conveniently: by country, by state, by zip-code.

The Table Rate shipping method can be fully customized accordingly to the business model and needs of your store.

The Shipping Table Rates extension can turn shipping rates into a powerful marketing instrument for your store.

Our module gives you flexibility when applying shipping rates to customers’ orders. Create shipping methods that can be applied depending on the cart attributes and shipping address. You can offer shipping discounts, adjust shipping rates for store views and customer groups, and much more.

What problems the module solves

With the default Magento setup, buyers who order in small quantities, or buy lightweight products may end up paying the same amount of money as shoppers who buy in bulk or heavy items. Additionally, you may offer your customer a faster shipping carrier, which services may cost more to use than a conventional one.

You can override limited default Magento capabilities and make shipment policy in your store much more flexible. Provide your customers with optimal shipping rates that are calculated in real time depending on the cart attributes and shipping address.

Our module overrides existing limitations of the default Magento table rating and proposes customers additional shipping methods with custom shipping rates on their orders. It allows you to create flexible rules for shipping rates based on optimal shipping rates for orders.

Optimal shipping rates

Charging too much on shipping costs may end up negating your competitive advantage. Alternatively, lowering shipping costs by using the funds from your profit margins to cover the difference isn’t sustainable in the long run, either.

The Shipping Table Rates extension allows you to create a sustainable shipping policy by adjusting shipping rates in a way that suits the interests of your customers and business.

Propose shipping costs for customers’ orders based on their location and cart attributes. Use this functionality to provide fair shipping rates for customers and increase their interest in buying from you in the future.

You get the ability to choose where in your store to apply shipping fees for providing the best shopping experience. Customized shipping methods can be made individually available for store views and customer groups.

A flexible table rate

A table rate shipping method is a convenient choice for shoppers since it grants them a custom shipping price on their order.

Customers who live closer to the warehouse of your store can save money on shipping by getting cheaper shipping. Additionally, shoppers who order lightweight items, which can be shipped with a cheaper shipping carrier's option, can benefit from table rates.

With the Shipping Table Rates extension, you can make table rates method even more flexible by setting up conditions that are applied to the shipping fee calculation in real-time during checkout.

Create a condition for the shipping rate to be applied for carts with a specific number of ordered items.

For example, you may propose special shipping rate for customers that buy in low quantity. Set a minimum and maximum number of items in the cart for this rate to be applied.

Use this cart attribute condition to propose individual shipping rates for shoppers who buy in single quantities and in large volumes.

Easily manage shipping locations

One of the main criteria for the table rate to be applied is shipping location. With the Shipping Table Rates extension, you can conveniently specify the location for any of the custom table rate shipping methods.

You can broadly specify the shipping location by country, or by state. Alternatively, you can narrow the region to which the particular shipping rate is applied to a city or a zip-code. Use a range of zip-codes if you need to cover a local district for the table rate to be applied to.

Scope of view for rates

Create shipping table rates methods once but offer these additional customized shipping methods for a specific store view or customer group.

Use this functionality of the store view to change the shipping rates for customers from different store views. Create shipping rates for different groups of your customers, for example, give wholesale customers an individual shipping rate offer.

Rates and Thresholds

Flexibly calculate the shipping table rate for the order by using one of the proposed rate calculation algorithms. The shipping fee can be determined as a fixed rate per order, a rate per product, rate per unit of weight, or percent of the product price.

Set thresholds to limit maximum and minimum shipping rates. This is handy, for example, if you plan on actively proposing several table rate shipping methods for customers with a similar shipping address but different order price.

Summary

Shipping is a mandatory part of any online purchase unless the order is picked up in the store. A shipping rate policy can be a powerful marketing and selling tool to bring and keep customers in your store.

With the Shipping Table Rates module, you get a powerful instrument to create a flexible shipping policy that benefits your customers and considers your business needs.

Adjust shipping rates for orders based on the customer’s shopping cart and shipping address. Provide shoppers with additional shipping methods with cost-effective value for their orders delivery.

With the Shipping Rules extension, you can make shipping in your store more smart and convenient.

The Shipping Table Rates extension allows you to create a flexible policy on shipping methods. Get full control over shipping methods in your store and make a shipping policy much more flexible by additionally installing the extensions Shipping Price Rules and Shipping Restrictions.