Shopify is one of the most powerful ecommerce platforms for growing online stores, but as your business scales, your shipping operations can quickly become a bottleneck.

What works when you're shipping 100 packages a week may collapse under the pressure of fulfilling 10,000 shipments. Without the right shipping software, growing Shopify merchants can often face:

• Delayed order processing
• Overwhelmed customer service teams
• Escalating shipping and packaging costs
• Inefficient warehouse and shipping processes
• Chaos across multiple shipping carriers and warehouse locations

To grow your store without breaking your backend (or the bank), your Shopify shipping operations must evolve. That means rethinking how you ship orders, manage shipping labels, and handle real-time tracking, all while keeping the customer experience seamless.

In this guide, we’ll walk through how to prepare for high-volume shipping with a focus on operational efficiency, automation, and powerful integrations to help your business scale, without the chaos.

Why Shopify Ecommerce Businesses Struggle at Scale

If you’re fulfilling in-house or working with 3PLs, scaling order volume usually exposes gaps in your supply chain workflows. Common issues include:

Manual Workflows: Still printing labels one by one? Manually selecting shipping services for each shipment? These manual practices burn hours, increase risk of error and slow your ability to ship orders efficiently, especially as your store grows.

Disconnected Systems: Without a centralized shipping software solution, syncing Shopify orders with your warehouse, ERP, or carrier systems becomes unreliable. This lack of integration leads to errors, delays, and poor customer experience.

Rising Costs: Relying on default shipping rates from top carriers like FedEx, UPS, or USPS, without comparing options, means you could be overpaying. High shipping costs quickly eat into your margins, especially when you're shipping packages of different sizes or to destinations like Canada.

Returns Bottlenecks: Manually processing returns frustrates customers, slows down your CX team, and adds unnecessary overhead. A lack of automation here can severely impact satisfaction and repeat sales.

5 Essentials for Shipping Success as You Scale on Shopify

1. Centralize Your Order Fulfillment and Shipping Management

As your brand scales, managing shipping operations across multiple channels and locations becomes critical. Use shipping software that consolidates Shopify orders, carrier integrations, shipping labels, and real-time tracking into one unified platform. Bonus points if it supports multi-location inventory and multiple sales channels for a fully scalable solution.

2. Use Batch Shipping and Automation Rules to Ship Orders

Manually managing hundreds of shipments is time-consuming and error-prone. Automate your fulfillment with rules that choose the right shipping service, packaging type, and carrier based on order weight, size, and destination. Batch printing allows you to print the labels and packing slips for hundreds of shipments at onces, further saving time and reducing mistakes, helping your business to grow faster.

3. Shop Smart with Real-Time Shipping Rates

Don't overpay for shipping. Use tools that compare real-time shipping rates from top carriers—including USPS, UPS, FedEx, DHL Express, and regional options—to find the best price and delivery time for every package. Real-time rate shopping can lower your costs by 10–30%, especially when shipping different sizes or internationally.

4. Simplify Returns for You and Your Customers

A seamless return process can improve the customer experience and ease the burden on your support team. Offer easy-to-use return portals, QR-code labels, and return tracking to make the process painless for your customers, and efficient for your team. This not only builds brand trust but also helps save time and money.

5. Prioritize Seamless Integration with Your Tech Stack

The right shipping solution should integrate directly with your Shopify store and sync with your ERP, WMS, 3PL, and analytics tools. Choosing shipping tools with seamless integration improves accuracy, supports automation, and frees your team to focus on scaling your online store, not chasing down labels, errors, or delays.

What VESYL Offers for Shopify Merchants Scaling Their Fulfillment Process

If you’re ready to grow your ecommerce business and streamline fulfillment, VESYL’s seamless Shopify integration helps you scale shipping, without the complexity.

Here’s what sets VESYL apart for Shopify merchants:

• Seamless Shopify Integration: Automatically sync orders, tracking, and fulfillment status. VESYL connects directly to your ecommerce platform, so you can start shipping fast, with no manual work.

• Batch Shipping Tools: Ship hundreds of orders with just a few clicks. Print shipping labels and packing slips in bulk from one user-friendly dashboard.

• Discounted Rates Carrier Rates: Compare real-time shipping rates and access discounted pricing to save on label costs. Automatically select the best service level for every package, based on weight, dimensions, and delivery window.

• Simplified, Customer-Friendly Returns: Offer QR-code return labels that don’t require a printer. Keep your customers happy with easy returns and full tracking, while reducing support workload.

• Advanced Order Management: Filter, sort, and prioritize orders across locations and rules. Whether you're shipping from a single warehouse or managing multiple channels, VESYL keeps your fulfillment organized in one place.

• Flexible Open API for Custom Integrations: Connect VESYL to your ERP, WMS, 3PL, or custom system. Our open API ensures smooth data flow and operational flexibility as your business grows.

• Unmatched Customer Support and Simplicity: VESYL is known for responsive, hands-on customer support. It's also incredibly easy to use, with setup in under 10 minutes. You don’t need a developer or onboarding team to start shipping.

From managing shipping labels and returns to lowering shipping costs and improving the customer experience, VESYL gives you a serious advantage as you scale your online store.

Final Thoughts

As your Shopify store grows, shipping can either be your competitive edge, or the bottleneck that holds you back.

By centralizing operations, embracing automation, and using a flexible, fully integrated shipping system, you can scale your fulfillment with complete control.

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Your store is growing—make sure your shipping can keep up.Talk to a VESYL expert about building a smarter, more scalable shipping operation.

As your ecommerce store grows, shipping can quickly switch from a back-office task to a major operational challenge. More orders mean more labels, more tracking requests, and higher customer expectations. This is when your manual processes can become a bottleneck as you scale.

That’s where ecommerce shipping software comes in. It helps streamline fulfillment, reduce shipping costs, and scale your operations efficiently. However, not all platforms are built the same. In this guide, we’ll break down the key features to look for and how to find the right fit for your growing ecommerce business.

Why Growing Ecommerce Businesses Need Smarter Shipping Tools

As your ecommerce business grows, so does the complexity of your shipping process. If you’re a growing business trying to fulfill more orders across multiple sales platforms, it might be time to upgrade. Here are some common signs that it's time:

• You’re spending hours manually printing shipping labels instead of using a shipping app that can automate label creation with just a few clicks
• You're overpaying on shipping costs because you can’t easily compare and find the best shipping rates
• Your team is overwhelmed with tracking and delivery questions, and it’s hard to keep your customers informed
• You want to offer international shipping, but completing customs forms and keeping up with international regulations is too time consuming
• You’re juggling orders from multiple sales channels like Shopify, Amazon Seller Central, and eBay, and struggling to fulfill orders faster

The right shipping software helps ecommerce businesses save money, time and scale with fewer resources.

Key Features to Look For in Ecommerce Shipping Software

Not every shipping app is built the same. For growing ecommerce businesses, the right shipping software should streamline your shipping process, reduce shipping costs, and scale with your growth. Here are the top features to prioritize:

1. Offer Multi-Carrier Rate Shopping

Compare real-time shipping rates across carriers like USPS, UPS, FedEx, and DHL to get the best rate for every shipment, whether you're prioritizing speed or savings. An ideal shipping software should let you compare shipping services (like Ground vs. 2-Day) and offer discounted rates on shipping labels for instant savings.

2. Enable Batch Label Printing

Save time by printing shipping labels in bulk for dozens—or even hundreds—of orders. Look for features like batch editing, automations, and a clean, intuitive dashboard to manage label generation, packing slips, and more with ease. This is especially helpful when you're handling more orders with fewer resources.

3. Support Shipping Automations

Speed up fulfillment and reduce manual work with shipping automations. Apply rules and tags based on shipping methods, order weight, sales channels, destination and more. For example, automatically assign USPS Priority Mail shipping labels for domestic packages under 1 lb. With smart automation rules, you’ll minimize errors, fulfill orders faster and increase output without increasing headcount.

4. Simplify International Shipping

Planning to ship globally? Look for tools that simplify the shipping process for international orders with easy-to-fill customs forms, DDP/DDU options, and access to international services. Comparing shipping rates globally helps you find the most cost-effective options, while automated workflows eliminate the groundwork. In today's online shopping landscape, fast, affordable and reliable delivery times are crucial to boosting the customer experience across borders.

5. Integrate with Your Sales Channels

Wherever you sell, whether it's on one platform or multiple, great shipping software should sync easily with multiple online stores like Shopify, Amazon Seller Central, and eBay. Real-time order syncing helps you import orders, manage inventory levels, and ship orders without delays. Integrated systems also help retailers avoid costly mistakes and keep operations running smooth.

6. Scale with Your Growth

As your business expands, so should your shipping strategy. Your platform should support multiple warehouses, new sales channels and partners, and increasing volumes without adding complexity. Whether you're a startup or an established amazon seller, your shipping app should help you scale efficiently—while continuing to save money and time.

Top Ecommerce Shipping Software Options for Growing Stores

Here are some of the top contenders worth considering:

VESYL is built for fast-growing ecommerce businesses scaling across multiple sales channels. It simplifies fulfillment with features like batch shipping, multi-carrier rate shopping, advanced shipping automations, and seamless integrations with platforms like Shopify and Amazon Seller Central. With built-in tools for shipping internationally, returns, and order management, VESYL helps you save time, reduce shipping costs, and deliver a better customer experience. Plus, their responsive support team is just a call away when you need help. You can start with a free plan that includes essential features, perfect for getting started without the commitment.

ShipStation is a popular shipping solution for multi-channel sellers with large volumes and higher budgets. It offers robust integrations with platforms like Shopify, Amazon, and Etsy, along with features such as batch label printing, automation rules, and inventory management. The flexible interface makes it easy to manage complex shipping workflows across multiple sales channels. However, the platform can become expensive at higher tiers, and many users report that customer support can be slow or difficult to reach, something to consider if responsive service is a priority.

Easyship is a good option for ecommerce brands focused on international shipping. It supports customs forms, international rate comparisons, and global carriers. However, its automation features may be limited for high-volume sellers, and some users report issues with billing transparency and slow customer support.

Pirate Ship is a budget-friendly option for small businesses with simple shipping needs. It offers free access to USPS commercial rates and an easy-to-use interface. However, it lacks multi-carrier support, advanced automation, and integrations that growing ecommerce stores typically require to scale efficiently.

How to Choose the Right Shipping Software for Your Store

The right shipping solution needs to align with your business needs, volume, and growth plans. As you compare options, ask yourself the following:

• What’s my monthly shipping volume? Some platforms price based on order count or label generation. Choose one that offers scalable pricing and can handle higher volumes without slowing you down.
• Which carriers do I rely on? Make sure your most-used shipping carriers (like USPS, UPS, FedEx, or DHL) are supported and you can tap into discounted rates. If you have pre-negotiated rates, check that you can easily connect them to the software.
• Do I ship internationally? Look for built-in support for customs forms and international shipping rate comparisons to simplify cross-border shipping.
• What features will save me the most time and increase my output? Tools like shipping automation, batch shipping, instant rate shopping, and auto-generated packing slips help streamline your shipping process and get more packages out the door—fast.
• Does it integrate with my existing platforms and tech? Look for seamless integrations with Shopify, Amazon Seller Central, eBay, and other sales channels, as well as your warehouse tech, post-purchase tools, or inventory systems.
• Is the pricing structure clear? Look for transparent and clear pricing—and be cautious of per-label fees, carrier markups, or unexpected shipping costs that can add up quickly.
• How responsive is the customer support team? Reliable support can make a huge difference—especially during high-volume periods. Look for a provider with a strong reputation for service and an easy to reach team for live help when you need it.

Why VESYL is a Smart Choice for Growing Stores

VESYL is purpose-built for ecommerce businesses that have outgrown basic shipping tools and need a platform that can scale with them. With VESYL, you get a robust, all-in-one shipping solution designed to streamline fulfillment, boost efficiency, and cut costs, without the hassle of carrier contracts or complex setup.

Key benefits include:

• A one-of-a-kind Rate Shop that compares rates and service levels in real time to ensure you always get the best shipping rate
• Batch label printing for faster, more efficient order processing
• Powerful automation rules to reduce manual work and eliminate costly errors
• Seamless integrations with major sales channels like Shopify, Amazon, and eBay
• Built-in tools for returns, tracking, and international shipping
• Access to discounted carrier rates with top providers like USPS, UPS, and FedEx

But VESYL offers much more than just shipping:

• Full order, shipping, and inventory management in one easy-to-use platform
• An open, developer-friendly API for custom workflows and system integrations
• Expert support from a team with over 72 years of collective industry experience
• Deep fulfillment expertise—our team has fine-tuned every step of the shipping process to help you fulfill orders faster, save money, and scale

Whether you're shipping hundreds or thousands of orders, VESYL is the shipping software built to grow with you, backed by real people who understand the challenges of ecommerce logistics.

Create your free VESYL account, access our essential features and start shipping for less today!

Final Thoughts

The right ecommerce shipping software should make your life easier, not harder. For growing stores, it’s about more than just printing labels, it’s about building a foundation to scale. Whether you’re shipping 100 or 10,000 orders a month, investing in the right tool now can reduce time, labor, money, and headaches later.

The busy seasons are both a blessing and a challenge for e-commerce businesses. Whether it's the holiday rush, back-to-school season, Black Friday or any other peak period, increased demand brings with it the potential for significant revenue, but only if your shipping operations can keep up.

In this article, we'll explore key strategies for effectively scaling your shipping operations during busy seasons, ensuring your business can handle the increased volume without compromising on service quality.

Forecasting Demand Accurately

The foundation of scaling your shipping operations lies in demand forecasting. By analyzing historical sales data, market trends, and customer behavior, you can best predict the volume of orders and products you'll need to fulfill during peak periods. This information allows you to plan your inventory, staffing, and logistics accordingly.

Optimizing Inventory Management

Efficient inventory management is critical during busy seasons. Overstocking can lead to unnecessary storage costs, while understocking can result in missed sales opportunities, delayed shipments and unhappy customers. The key is to find the right balance. To stay ahead of inventory needs, work closely with suppliers to ensure timely restocking and leverage inventory management for clear and real-time insights to stock levels. With any management system, implement regular inventory checks to reduce the risk of any mistakes. 

Streamlining Fulfillment Processes

As order volumes increase, your fulfillment processes need to be as efficient as possible. Streamlining and automating these processes helps reduce the time it takes to pick, pack, and ship orders, minimizing the risk of delays and errors. For example, batch processing orders significantly speeds up order fulfillment, allowing you to get more orders out of the warehouse, in less time. 

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Learn how VESYL automations are improving fulfillment efficiency for businesses.

Enhancing Warehouse Operations

Your warehouse is the heart of your shipping operations, and its efficiency can make or break your ability to scale. During busy seasons, optimizing your warehouse layout, staff training, and workflow processes is essential. For example, you can create a "Golden Zone," where the top 20% of SKUs that account for 80% of your orders are stored. This zone should be located near the packing and shipping stations to minimize the distance these items travel.

Leveraging Multiple Carriers

Relying on a single carrier during busy seasons can be risky. Carrier delays or capacity issues can disrupt your fulfillment. By working with multiple carriers, you can mitigate these risks, ensure timely deliveries and save on costs.

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With VESYL, we deliver the best-in-class shipping rates across multiple carriers in just a few clicks, allowing you to make the most informed decisions for your shipments, without sacrificing flexibility.

Implementing Flexible Shipping Options

Customers expect fast and reliable delivery, especially during busy seasons. By offering flexible shipping options such as expedited shipping, same-day delivery, or in-store pickup, you can meet customer’s expectations and improve their experience. It’s important to clearly communicate shipping options and cut-off dates for guaranteed delivery on your website. 

Outsourcing Fulfillment and Logistics

For many e-commerce businesses, outsourcing fulfillment and logistics to third-party providers (3PLs) is a scalable solution during peak seasons. 3PLs can offer additional storage space, advanced technology, and expertise in managing high volumes, allowing you to focus on other aspects of your business. However, 3PL’s can come with their own set of challenges such as a large initial investment and limited visibility. 

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Alternatively, businesses can leverage shipping software. At VESYL, brands can simply connect their stores, import orders, run shipping automations, such as assigning particular products to certain package sizes or shipping rates, batch purchase up to 500 shipping labels at once at the best rates, and print labels with their corresponding packing list. This allows businesses to manage their fulfillment internally while still saving time and money on shipping. 

Enhancing Customer Communication

During busy seasons, clear communication with customers is vital. Be sure to keep them informed about order status, shipping timelines, and any potential delays. This transparency can help manage expectations and reduce customer frustration. You can utilize automated email notifications and SMS alerts to keep customers updated throughout the fulfillment process.

Preparing for Returns and Exchanges

Both brands and customers would prefer to get it right the first time but as we know, it doesn’t always go that way. Busy seasons can often lead to increased returns and exchanges, especially during the gifting season. Preparing for this influx is crucial to maintaining customer satisfaction and minimizing operational disruptions.

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Streamline your returns process by providing clear instructions and offering easy-to-print return labels or QR codes. You can also consider using a returns management software that automates the process and provides customers with instant refunds or exchanges.

Conclusion

The key to a successful busy season is ensuring your fulfillment can keep up. By forecasting demand, optimizing inventory and warehouse management, leveraging multiple carriers, and enhancing customer communication, you can ensure a smooth and successful peak season. Finally, be sure to track, record and analyze for continuous improvement and business success.

Within the world of e-commerce, customer expectations are far from slowing down. In fact, customers expect their orders faster than ever, putting increasing pressure on businesses to optimize their fulfillment processes. 

One strategy to help streamline operations and meet customer demands more effectively is order splitting. In this article, we will explore what order splitting is, why it is used, the challenges, and how businesses can implement it successfully.

What is Order Splitting?

Ever had an order arrive in 2 separate boxes? Or only had half of your order arrive to have the other half delivered the following day? 

That’s order splitting.

Order splitting (split shipping) is the process of dividing a customer's order into multiple shipments. Instead of sending all items in one package, items are shipped from different locations or at different times, depending on their availability and the logistics involved. This can mean splitting an order between multiple warehouses or even sending part of the order immediately while waiting for other items to become available.

Why is Order Splitting Used?

Faster Delivery Times

One of the primary reasons for order splitting is to reduce delivery times. If a customer orders multiple items, and one of them is out of stock at the nearest warehouse, the entire order might be delayed if shipped together. By splitting the order, available items can be shipped immediately, ensuring faster delivery for part of the order. However, to avoid customer frustration, be sure to communicate this so customers are not left wondering if the other part of their order has been lost or forgotten.

Inventory Optimization

Order splitting allows businesses to optimize their inventory management. By shipping items from multiple locations, companies can balance stock levels across warehouses, reducing the risk of overstocking or stockouts in any single location. This leads to more efficient use of inventory and storage space.

Cost Efficiency

Shipping costs can be a significant expense for e-commerce businesses. Order splitting can help reduce these costs by allowing items to be shipped from the closest warehouse, minimizing shipping distances and costs. Additionally, it can help avoid expedited shipping fees that might be necessary if waiting for all items to be available at a single location.

Use the VESYL USPS Zone Map for a clear breakdown of shipping zones and costs. 

Improved Customer Satisfaction

By splitting orders and shipping available items immediately, businesses can improve customer satisfaction. This demonstrates a commitment from the brand to deliver orders to their customers as quickly as possible and when communicated well, can foster further trust and brand loyalty. This partial fulfillment can be especially beneficial during peak shopping seasons when delays are more common.

Challenges of Order Splitting in E-commerce

Increased Complexity

Order splitting can add a layer of complexity to the fulfillment process. Businesses must have systems in place to manage multiple shipments, track inventory across various locations, and ensure accurate order processing. This can require robust order management software and efficient coordination between warehouses.

In VESYL, you can view these split orders in the Orders tab. They will show the same order number but will show different tracking numbers and shipping information.

Higher Shipping Costs

While order splitting can reduce shipping costs in some cases, it can also lead to higher costs if not managed properly. Multiple shipments mean multiple shipping fees, which can add up if not carefully monitored. Businesses need to analyze zones and shipping costs and determine the most cost-effective way to split orders.

Customer Communication

Effective communication with customers is crucial when splitting orders. Customers need to be informed about the multiple shipments, expected delivery times, and any additional tracking information. Failure to communicate clearly can lead to confusion, dissatisfaction and reduced brand loyalty.

Inventory Management

Order splitting requires precise inventory management to ensure that items are shipped from the correct locations. Inaccurate inventory data can result in delays, stockouts, or shipping errors which can make or break a customer relationship. By leveraging inventory management software and ensuring it is up to date, brands can mitigate these risks. 

Simplified Order Splitting with VESYL

With VESYL, it’s simple to split orders and view shipping information in one place. Simply navigate to orders, select edit and split. From here, shippers are able to move items between the order split and can ship the split orders using different rates and carriers. This is particularly useful for stores who have one item of the order out of stock, or if one item is particularly large or heavy and it is cost effective to use a different carrier to the rest of the order. 

For a step-by-step guide to order splitting on VESYL, head on over to our Help Desk. For a complete demo of order splitting with VESYL, schedule a call and we’ll show you the ropes. For any questions, feel free to email us at hello@vesyl.com.

Conclusion

By enabling faster delivery times, optimizing inventory management, and potentially reducing shipping costs, order splitting offers significant advantages. However, businesses must also carefully navigate the challenges.

With the right systems and strategies in place, order splitting can become an effective tool in e-commerce operations, helping businesses stay competitive in an incredibly fast-paced environment. 

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A complete guide to order splitting on VESYL.