Track-only orders

In most cases, Shippit books the chosen carrier using the provided information, and supplies tracking information and notifications for the merchant and recipient as the order moves through the network.

However, you can also book and allocate a carrier for consignments outside of the Shippit platform. If you do this, you can still use Shippit to provide tracking information and notifications for the order. This is referred to as a track-only order, and applies if you’re using Shippit only for the tracking and notifications, and not for carrier booking.

You can use track-only orders to ensure that every delivery in your network, regardless of how it was booked or which carrier is used, benefits from a consistent branded tracking experience and centralised data.

About track-only orders

Managing multiple tracking portals for different carriers can create a fragmented customer experience. Use track-only orders for carriers that you book outside of the Shippit platform to provide universal carrier visibility, with:

• A single branded experience: Your customers receive consistent, branded notifications and tracking pages, even for orders booked with external carrier portals or private contracts. This brings unsupported carriers in line with those you already book through Shippit.

• Unified intelligence: Centralise your delivery data into one dashboard for better oversight of your entire delivery network.

• Workflow flexibility: Continue using carriers that aren't yet supported on-platform, whether that's because of technical compatibility or special pricing, while still leveraging Shippit’s post-purchase engine.

How track-only orders work

To achieve universal visibility for external shipments, Shippit can create orders that exist in the platform for tracking purposes only. These track-only orders allow you to create orders that bypass the standard fulfilment steps such as label generation, while keeping the intelligence and notification layers active.

• No courier allocation: Shippit does not allocate a carrier or service level; you retain full control over the booking.

• No label generation: Since the shipment is already booked elsewhere, Shippit skips the label process.

• Mandatory tracking number: You provide the pre-existing carrier tracking or label number to link the shipment.

• Unified notifications: The order is treated like any other order in Shippit, triggering your customised email or SMS tracking updates.

One of the main benefits of track-only orders is the ability to include deliveries from carriers that aren't technically compatible with the platform or are under private contracts. This ensures every delivery in your network benefits from a consistent branded tracking experience and centralised reporting.

You must have a pre-existing carrier tracking or label number for track-only orders. Shippit uses this number to link your external shipment to its notification and intelligence layers. Without it, the platform cannot fetch tracking events or send updates to your customers.

You are not charged label fees for track-only orders. These orders are booked and allocated outside of the Shippit platform, and Shippit skips the standard label generation and courier allocation steps. You retain full control over the booking and its associated costs with your external provider.

Track-only orders must be created using the Shippit APIs. This allows your connected systems, such as an OMS or WMS, to automatically feed external shipment data into Shippit as soon as an order is booked off-platform.

Track-only orders are treated like any other order in Shippit. This triggers your customised email or SMS tracking updates, providing your customers with a single, unified post-purchase experience regardless of how the delivery was booked.

Implementation

Track-only orders are managed exclusively through the Shippit API. This allows your connected systems to feed external shipment data into Shippit automatically as the orders are booked.

For technical instructions on how to configure track-only orders, including the required parameters and example code, see the Shippit developer centre.