Shipping Automation Checklist for E-commerce Stores

Every minute your warehouse team spends manually selecting carriers, printing labels, or copy-pasting tracking numbers is a minute your business is not scaling. For e-commerce stores processing more than 50 orders per day, shipping automation is not a luxury. It is the difference between growing profitably and drowning in operational chaos.

This checklist covers every aspect of shipping automation, from order import to returns processing. Use it as a sequential implementation guide or a diagnostic tool to find gaps in your current setup.

Phase 1: Order Import and Routing

1. Centralize Orders From All Channels

Your first automation should pull orders from every sales channel (Shopify, Amazon, WooCommerce, wholesale portals) into a single fulfillment hub. Manual channel-hopping wastes 45-90 minutes per day for most multi-channel sellers. A platform like ShipStation can aggregate orders from dozens of sources automatically.

2. Auto-Classify Orders by Priority

Set rules to tag orders by shipping speed (express, standard, economy), customer tier (VIP, wholesale, retail), and special handling requirements (fragile, hazmat, oversized). This classification drives every downstream automation.

3. Route Orders to the Correct Warehouse

If you ship from multiple locations, automate warehouse assignment based on inventory availability, proximity to the customer, and carrier cost. Intelligent routing reduces average shipping cost by 12-18% and delivery time by 1-2 days.

Multi-channel order centralization and automated warehouse routing

Phase 2: Label Generation and Carrier Selection

4. Automate Carrier Rate Shopping

Configure rules that compare rates across carriers (UPS, FedEx, USPS, DHL) in real time based on package dimensions, weight, destination, and delivery speed. Automated rate shopping saves an average of $0.50-$2.00 per shipment.

5. Auto-Print Shipping Labels in Batches

Set up batch label printing on a schedule or threshold trigger (e.g., every 30 minutes or when 20 orders accumulate). Eliminate the one-at-a-time label printing that creates warehouse bottlenecks.

6. Generate Packing Slips and Customs Documents

For international orders, automate customs form generation with correct HS codes, declared values, and country-of-origin data. Manual customs paperwork is the number one cause of international shipping delays.

Phase 3: Customer Communication

7. Send Tracking Notifications Automatically

The moment a label is created, trigger an email or SMS with tracking details. Follow up with delivery confirmation. Proactive tracking communication reduces "where is my order" support tickets by 60-70%.

8. Automate Delivery Exception Alerts

Monitor carrier tracking APIs for exceptions (failed delivery, weather delay, address issue) and alert both your team and the customer instantly. Fast exception handling prevents returns and chargebacks.

Phase 4: Returns and Reconciliation

9. Create a Self-Service Returns Portal

Automate return label generation and RMA creation through a customer-facing portal. This eliminates manual return processing and improves the customer experience. Stores with automated returns see 22% higher repeat purchase rates.

10. Sync Shipping Data Back to Accounting

Close the loop by automatically pushing shipping costs, tracking numbers, and delivery dates into your accounting system. This ensures accurate COGS calculations and eliminates month-end reconciliation headaches.

Time per order at each automation level

Implementation Priority

You do not need to automate everything at once. Start with the highest-impact items:

• Week 1: Centralize orders and auto-print labels (Steps 1 and 5)
• Week 2: Carrier rate shopping and tracking notifications (Steps 4 and 7)
• Week 3: Priority classification and exception alerts (Steps 2 and 8)
• Week 4: Returns portal and accounting sync (Steps 9 and 10)

For more on streamlining your entire fulfillment operation, explore our e-commerce automation solutions. If inventory management is also a pain point, pair this with our Inventory Management Checklist for a complete fulfillment overhaul.