Effortless Ecommerce Shipping: Intelcom Shopify App Case Study

Services

Shopify App Development

API integration

Lambda

Docker

Polaris

Tech partners

Node.js

React.js

Shopify / Shopify Plus

AWS

About Intelcom

Intelcom has been in the Canadian logistics business for over 35 years, making it a well-established and experienced player in the industry. This gives them a deep understanding of the Canadian market and its unique challenges.

Delivering over 400,000 parcels daily, Intelcom is a major player in the Canadian parcel delivery market. This means they have a large and well-developed network of partners and infrastructure, which can benefit both businesses and consumers.

Nearly 425 independent delivery partners give Intelcom a wide reach across Canada. This means they can deliver to almost any address in the country, regardless of how remote it may be. This is a major advantage for businesses that need to ship to a variety of locations.

Project Objective

“Effortless Shipping For Ecommerce Store Merchants - Build A Customized Shopify App Tailor- Made For Intelcom Express Shipping Services”

Intelcom aims to create a robust Shopify app as the bridge between Shopify and their Intelcom Express API, paving the way for seamless expansion into eCommerce merchants. The main objective is to use the Shopify app to give merchants the power to set up Intelcom Express API details easily, view all order information, and smoothly book orders with Intelcom Express for logistics. The app provides merchants with tools for order management, booking shipments, printing labels, and detailed order tracking. Everything must have a user-friendly and reliable design, implemented with secure, scalable server hosting.

Challenges

Intelcom, a logistics service provider catering to major enterprises like Amazon, is gearing up to extend its services to large eCommerce companies in Canada. The client envisions an embedded app serving as a middleware, seamlessly connecting with both Shopify API and the client’s Intelcom Express API.

However, there are a few challenges in the way:

Order Processing Criteria

Intelcom doesn’t process every order. The proposed system, based on API criteria and logic, must identify orders that do not meet specific criteria (e.g., outside the North American pin code) and add them to the Non-Eligible order list.

Exclusive Access Setup

Securing exclusive access to Intelcom presents a challenge for merchants. They must initiate contact, negotiate rates, and receive a merchant API key and client code via email. Integrating these details into the app is crucial for establishing a secure connection with the Intelcom system, adding complexity to the onboarding process.

Bulk Order Processing And Labeling

Intelcom aimed to develop a system enabling merchants to process bulk orders by selecting multiple orders. The goal was to streamline bulk order processing using the Shopify API and trigger Intelcom’s in- house API to retrieve booking information. Upon receiving booking or tracking information, the system needed to interface with the Shopify App and Shopify order system, ensuring visibility for the merchant. Additionally, Intelcom sought to trigger Shipping Print Labels, generating them in PDF format for easy access by the merchant. Merchants should be able to download multiple Print Labels by selecting numerous orders in a single PDF.

Order Splitting By Origins And Pickup Locations

Achieving order splitting based on product origins and diverse pickup locations presents a challenge for the system. Meeting the client’s requirement involves navigating the complexities of dissecting orders according to geographical product origins and multiple pickup destinations. The challenge lies in developing a system that seamlessly accommodates this nuanced need, enhancing precision and flexibility in order fulfillment.

Infographic Tracking System

Shopify currently lacks a comprehensive tracking history feature. The objective is to introduce an infographical tracking system that goes beyond the limitations of Shopify’s essential updates. This system aims to empower merchants with real-time package information, providing insights into crucial details such as composition points, current locations, and overall status.

Our Solutions

To Overcome The Challenges Faced We Found The Solutions For The Challenges Faced. Here Is The Solution:

Automate Order Eligibility With Smart Api Logic:

For this, our solution, after synchronizing the orders with the application, we implemented a logic to retrieve the Shipping address and Postal code for each order. Subsequently, we utilized Intelcom Express’s Label Print API to validate the eligibility of shipping to the specified postal code.

To perform this eligibility check, our application will send a request through the API, and the API promptly respond with the status of Eligibility or Non-Eligibility. This process was crucial in determining whether the orders could be fulfilled based on the shipping criteria.

Furthermore, our solution included a module that empowered the merchant to generate bookings for those orders deemed eligible through the eligibility check. This streamlined the process of managing and fulfilling orders that met the necessary shipping requirements.

Eligible Orders

In this system, orders will be categorized by their origin, resulting in two distinct groups: Eligible Orders and Non-Eligible Orders.

Non-Eligible Orders

Hence, eligible orders will be showcased in the “Eligible Orders” tab, while non-eligible orders will be presented in the “Non-eligible Orders” tab.

One-Click Connection To Simplifying Access For Merchants

To overcome the challenge of securing exclusive access to Intelcom for merchants, we streamlined the onboarding process. We automated the initiation of contact, negotiation of rates, and the receipt of necessary credentials (API key and client code). The integration of these details into the merchant’s app was automated, simplifying and expediting the onboarding process. This approach ensured a secure connection with the Intelcom system while reducing complexity for merchants.

Streamlining Bulk Order Processing With Automated Labels:

Our solution involved the development of a system that allowed merchants to efficiently process bulk orders using the Shopify API. The system interfaced with API to retrieve booking information. Upon receiving booking or tracking details, it seamlessly integrated with the Shopify App and order system, ensuring visibility for merchants.

Furthermore, the solution included a feature to trigger the generation of Shipping Print Labels in PDF format, facilitating easy access for the merchants. Merchants could download multiple Print Labels by selecting numerous orders in a single PDF, enhancing the overall efficiency of bulk order processing.

Splitting By Origin And Pickup For Seamless Fulfillment:

Our solution effectively tackled the challenge of order splitting, specifically focusing on product origins and diverse pickup locations. We adeptly navigated the complexities by creating a sophisticated system capable of seamlessly dissecting orders according to geographical product origins and accommodating multiple pickup destinations.

In this application, orders are divided based on their order IDs. If an order comprises various products originating from different locations, the application will split the order based on their respective origins. Importantly, the order ID for each split order will remain identical to the Master Order ID of Shopify.

This approach significantly improved precision and flexibility in order fulfillment, successfully meeting the client’s requirements.

Infographics Full Journey - Track Deliveries From Pickup To Doorstep:

We offer merchants the ‘View’ option, allowing them to access the comprehensive tracking history of their orders. When the vendor clicks on the tracking history button, a popup appears, displaying the package’s history retrieved based on the tracking ID.

The history popup shows updates organized by date, along with the corresponding status or action taken on each date. Additionally, a relative progress bar is presented about the actions taken on specific dates.