When running a Shopify store, setting appropriate shipping rates is an important factor for both customer satisfaction and profitability. However, it isn't easy to accommodate Japan's complex delivery landscape while also offering flexible shipping rate settings. This is where the Shopify app CustomShip comes in. This article introduces the features, points to watch out for, and specific setup steps for CustomShip.
The blog article below explains how to set up shipping methods in Shopify and introduces recommended Shopify apps for streamlining delivery operations. Please use it as a reference.
What Is the Shopify App "CustomShip"?
CustomShip is a popular shipping rate customization app for Shopify. By using CustomShip, store owners can offer flexible shipping options and optimize shipping costs. This app can accommodate Japan's complex delivery circumstances, such as remote-island delivery and cold-chain (refrigerated) shipping, supporting more efficient operation of your Shopify store.
Features of the Shopify App "CustomShip"
No-Code Setup
As also introduced later in [How to Set Up CustomShip], you can get started easily just by creating a shipping rate definition called a Shipping Rate.
Free to Use
CustomShip lets you use all of its features for free.
Shipping Rate Settings Based on a Variety of Conditions
CustomShip lets you set shipping rates using conditions that Shopify's default features can't handle, such as postal code, vendor, SKU, and product name.
Points to Watch Out for with the Shopify App "CustomShip"
No Translation Feature
The text data within a shipping rate definition (Shipping Rate) you create cannot be translated.
Cannot Be Tested on a Development Store
As of July 3, 2024, CustomShip can be used on a live store, but on a development store an error is displayed and the app cannot be opened.
How to Set Up the Shopify App "CustomShip"
Output
This chapter introduces how to set up shipping rates that vary based on a product's vendor information.
With this setup, you can configure it so that "if the cart contains a product whose vendor is Snowboard Vendor, the shipping rate is 2,000 yen."
Setup Steps
Open the CustomShip app and click "New Shipping Rate."
Enter any name you like to display on the checkout page in Name, and enter a shipping rate of 2,000 yen in Base price.
From Filters, select Vendor name for Field, select include for Verb, and enter "Snowboard Vendor" for Value. Select the "One item must match the above" radio button below Value, then save.
* This time, since we want the shipping rate to be 2,000 yen when even one product in the cart has a vendor name of "Snowboard Vendor," we selected "One item must match the above." If you want the shipping rate to be 2,000 yen only when all products in the cart have a vendor name of "Snowboard Vendor," select "All items must match the above" instead.
That completes the setup.
[Bonus] Recommended App for Controlling the Combined Shipping of Products with Different Shipping Rates
RuffRuff Order Limits
"RuffRuff Order Limits" has full Japanese language support and is the first in Japan Shopify app to use the Cart and Checkout Validation API.
By using "Cart and Checkout Validation," it achieves order-limit processing on the server side that previously could only be handled on the front end. As a result, compared with existing order-limit apps, it delivers a more robust order-limit system that is far harder to bypass.
With a single app, you can enforce quantity limits, amount limits, combined-shipping (bundling) limits, and payment-method limits, and the combined-shipping limit feature lets you enforce a variety of co-purchase restrictions, such as "cannot be purchased together with other products," "variants of the same product can be purchased together," and "only products in a specific category can be purchased together."
For setup instructions on controlling combined shipping using RuffRuff Order Limits, please also refer to the blog article below.
In Closing
CustomShip is a powerful tool for solving shipping rate challenges at Shopify stores. That said, it does have some limitations, such as the lack of a translation feature and the inability to test on a development store.
By using CustomShip, store owners can offer flexible shipping options tailored to customer needs while optimizing shipping costs. It's an especially useful tool if you're running a Shopify store targeting the Japanese market.
The blog article below introduces Shopify apps other than CustomShip for customizing shipping rates, as well as apps that let you hide, reorder, or rename shipping methods. Please use it as a reference.
Finally, the blog article below introduces recommended Shopify apps in a variety of categories beyond delivery-efficiency apps, including "customer acquisition," "sales growth," and "blog article enhancement." Find the Shopify apps best suited to your Shopify store!
