How to integrate FedEx with BigCommerce?

Delivery systems tell a lot about an organization, especially when that store is working on online platforms. Choosing a suitable third-party shipping partner can give you peace of mind knowing that your products have been safely delivered to the doorstep of your customer’s house. If you have not to mind what shipping companies you should go with, we know just the right answer!

In today’s article, we will be discussing FedEx and the advantages it can bring back to online store merchants, then take a deep look into How to set up BigCommerce FedEx integration for your business. If you are interested, keep reading to find out more!

About FedEx

FedEx is nothing new in the shipping industry. Up to the present, it is considered as one of the most well-known companies in the world that takes responsibility for delivering and eCommerce services. Located in more than 220 million, FedEx is currently incharge of more than 18 million orders on a daily basis. FedEx Express, FedEx Ground, FedEx Freight, FedEx Services, and Corporate, and so on all make up the company’s primary divisions. Each one carries a different segment of the customer, and accordingly, 97.1% of their clients are using two or more of the company’s units simultaneously.

The advantages of integrating FedEx with your BigCommerce store

Officially established in 1973, working in the delivery industry for more than 40 years, FedEx definitely knows exactly what they are doing and how to serve their customers with the best experience. Here is a list of the benefits that BigCommerce FedEx integration is going to bring back:

• Megatrends: Several major shifts are now occurring in the global economy. One factor in the rising commerce in high-tech and high-value products is the expansion of the international market.
• Wide moat: A new entrant into the market will need a large amount of money. In reality, the truth is that FedEx has a worldwide presence and handles almost every delivery need.
• Easy tracking system: by simplifying the shipment tracking, FedEx makes it simple for online merchants to keep tabs on your packages.

How to integrate FedEx with BigCommerce?

Now that you have already known what FedEx is specialized in and how you can benefit from them, you must be curious about the BigCommerce FedEx set up for your website. No more beating around the bush, let’s get right into it:

Step 1: Setting up your FedEx account

The first thing you need to do is create your own FedEx account and then modify the settings to make the integration tools available to your store. If you do not have one, go here to create now. Otherwise, go to your FedEx Developer Resource Center’s Resolution Finder > FedEx Web Services and click on “Move to Production”:

Next, choose “Get production key”:

In order to access your key, first you must fill out FedEx application profile and then customize the answers just like what we did below:

Read the Terms of services and “I accept” if there isn’t anything annoys you:

After that, FedEx will ask you to put down your private information such as your account number, name, company, and phone number. You can easily find your account number in the My Profile > Account Management page on FedEx:

Then, tick on the checkbox asking for your permission to sync your account with the previous information and click on “Continue” to move on:

If you have successfully required access to FedEx Web Services Production, here is how your screen is going to look like:

Wait for a few minutes and you will likely receive an email from FedEx saying “Your developer Production Key Registration is complete”, where your password, account number and Production Meter Number will be included. Before transferring to the next step, be careful that we will use the password given in your email, not the one you created for your FedEx account.

Step 2: Enabling BigCommerce FedEx integration

It’s time to actually turn the BigCommerce FedEx integration into reality. First thing first, go to Store Setup > Shipping located on the left-hand side of your BigCommerce control panel:

Select “Configure” next to the region you want to set up BigCommerce FedEx integration:

Scroll down until you see the icon of FedEx and turn the toggle switch next to it on:

Here, BigCommerce will give you a list of delivery sections for you to customize based on your preferences like Display name, Drop-off Type, Packing Method, Rate Type, Packaging Type, Destination Type or even Include Package Value.

Move on to the “Connection” tab located above the page, fill in the information about your Key, Password, Account Number and Meter Number - all have been sent from FedEx to your email, check again and paste it in.

Last but not least, “Submit” to save your work. In addition, you can have a quick test to see whether the settings are working or not by going to the “Quote” tab and change the FedEx shipping method:

Step 3: Check out FedEx resources

Despite the fact that FedEx is in charge of almost every size and category of items, yet you still need an understanding of their weight and dimensions limit to make sure that there will be no mistakes happen during the shipping process. After all, our final goal is to satisfy even the most fastidious customers. It is recommended to take a screenshot or save this table to your device:

You can get answers, information, and resources for all your shipping requirements by checking out FedEx’s dedicated support site. You will find information about services and contact details in this section.

• Hotline: 1-800-GOFEDEX (1-800-463-3339)
• Website: http://www.fedex.com/us/customersupport

Also, a Rate and Transit Time Calculator is provided by FedEx. When attempting to discover which FedEx services make the most sense for you, your goods, and your clients, using this in combination with the Service Guide may prove to be helpful. Additionally, this tool may assist you in discovering any extra fees or surcharges that are being applied to your quotations. Customers aren’t aware of these costs, since they aren’t mentioned in the control panel or on the storefront.

• weight
• length
• girth (2 x width) + (2 x height)
• dimensional weight
• distance traveled (fuel surcharge)
• declared value (the combined retail value of all the items inside a package
• the origin zip code
• destination type (residential or commercial address)
• destination zip code (Delivery area surcharge)
• FedEx-supplied
• service type (e.g. Ground, Express, Home Delivery)

Step 4: FedEx real-time problems and causes

If your returned quotes are reported to be higher than that on FedEx’s Rates and Transit Times Calculator, there is a chance that your package is heavier or larger in size compared to the dimensions that you have filled in. Else, not only one of the dimensions are exceeded but also the extra fees charged might also cause the same issue. Another reason may lead to this is the declared value is not available in your FedEx control panel settings. Therefore, please make sure that all of the numbers, weights and heights of your products are perfectly within the given range of limitations and check before confirming the order using BigCommerce FedEx integration!

Besides, if you fail to return a quote for several services, it might be because the length of your package is too long to be shipped, which results in fines and surcharges. Furthermore, the destination is also an important factor as if it falls outside of the servie’s specified region, then that service cannot be used.

Final thoughts

To sum up, we hope that this article has cleared your thoughts about How to set up BigCommerce FedEx integration for your online store. Setting up a smooth shipping process not only provides your customers with a better shopping experience but also ensures the credibility as well as legitimacy of your store. So, why don’t you give it a try?