Today, we’re very much pleased to announce that we’ve strengthened our relationship with Volusion! While we’ve had a Volusion integration for ShipStation for some time now, we’ve been working with the booming e-commerce company, and are delighted to tell you that we are now a certified Volusion Partner!
Volusion is a leading e-commerce software platform, powering thousands of e-commerce sites like 3M, Deloitte, and Nalgene. They’ve got a fantastic and very helpful blog where their “2-minute Tuesday” videos and regular postings help companies great and small succeed in the ecommerce world. They also boast free 24/7 support via phone, e-mail, and live chat. If you’re looking for a new shopping cart platform, and already use ShipStation, give them a look.
We really look forward to working tightly with Volusion to help bring all parties involved (meaning, you, too!) the greatest service and software available. We love helping our customers succeed, and making your lives easier, and we’re excited for the opportunity to do that on a more personal level with Volusion and their merchants.
Have you been experiencing slower than expected processing speeds with ShipStation? If so, we have some news that we’d like to share.
ShipStation makes heavy use of Javascript which allows us to provide a feature-rich user interface. JavaScript speed is very important in optimizing the overall performance of your ShipStation experience, including site navigation, order imports, batch processing and label generation. Unfortunately, all browsers are not created equal when it comes to Javascript performance. The following chart is from a ZDNet article that compared the major web browsers:
In the Futuremark Peacekeeper v2.0 benchmark test, Google Chrome was the clear winner in overall Javascript performance. If you’ve tried ShipStation with both Internet Explorer and Google Chrome, you’ve likely come to this conclusion as well. This is one of the reasons Google Chrome is now the most popular browser available (image courtesy of StatCounter.com):
If you prefer or need to use Internet Explorer over any other browser, then we have found a way to help. To increase the overall speed and performance of ShipStation through your Internet Explorer browser versions 6, 7, 8 and 9, you can install a Google Chrome plug-in called the Google Chrome Frame. The plug-in can be downloaded from the following link. Just hit “Accept and Install”, and you’re on your way to a much faster ShipStation (note, you will need to restart Internet Explorer after installing the plug-in).
http://www.google.com/chromeframe
Note that the plug-in is only used for web sites that explicitly support the Google Chrome Frame, which ShipStation does, so it won’t affect any other sites that you regularly visit. For your convenience, we have included a video to help better explain how Google Chrome Frame works:
We hope that you have found this information helpful and that you are now experiencing ShipStation as it was intended – sleek, powerful, and FAST!
We’re excited to announce Shipping Presets, a powerful feature suggested by ShipStation’s very own user community. Shipping Presets allow you to quickly apply settings to one or more orders.
Manage your presets by clicking on the Shipping Presets menu above the shipping fields in the Order Information pane.
Click “+ New Preset” to add a new preset. Supply values for some or all of the fields.
There are 3 ways to apply shipping presets:
1. Apply a preset to a single order from the Shipping Preset menu.
2. Press defined hotkey to apply preset to one or more orders.
3. Use Bulk Update to apply preset to multiple orders.
Register now for your 30 day free trial of one of the most powerful shipping applications on the market. You’ll have access to a fully functioning solution containing time-saving features and access to discounted shipping rates!
ShipStation is a web-based shipping application that is fully compatible with Mac OSX and Safari. Whether you want to print single or multiple labels, domestic or international, via USPS, UPS or FedEx, ShipStation does it all on your Mac without the need for external software. Our commitment to intuitive and intelligent shipping software was built with Mac users in mind!
ShipStation brings a rich set of features to Mac users who have traditionally been neglected by desktop shipping software. Importing orders from multiple marketplaces and shipping them using USPS, UPS or FedEx is a seamless experience in Safari or any other web browser you choose. Customizable automation rules help you build a shipping process that’s fast, consistent, and tailored specifically to your business needs. Best of all, ShipStation can be accessed from anywhere!
ShipStation Feature Highlights:
At ShipStation, we care about the details too. By offering tools like a multi-carrier rate calculator, address validation checker, and product pick list generator, we help you to make quick and easy shipping decisions from within our platform.
If you’re looking for a powerful shipping application that runs effortlessly on a Mac, check out our 30-day free trial. Jennifer, an Apple user and founder of Gracefully Girly, gave us a shot and said, “I tried ShipStation and I’m in love. Pure love.“ We love hearing from our customers and discovering how we can continue providing top of the line shipping software for online retailers.
We have awesome customers who sell fantastic products, and we are going to begin spotlighting some of them in our blog. If you would like to be included, please contact us and let us know. Our first spotlight is Society 43!
Name: Jason Bolt
Title: CEO/El Presidente’
Company: Society 43
Web Site: http://www.society43.com/
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/Society43
Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/Society43
What does Socity 43 sell? Licensed Collegiate Sunglasses
Where do you sell online? eBay, Amazon, Society43.com (Volusion web site)
How has ShipStation helped your business?
ShipStation has been a rockstar product for us. It has cut our fulfillment time by 60-70% since we have integrated it. It provides our customers with the information they need to know to feel secure about our products leaving our warehouse and arriving at their doorstep in a timely fashion. It also provides us with crucial metrics about who we are shipping too and what we are spending on shipping.
What is your favorite ShipStation feature?
Our favorite ShipStation feature is being able to pull order information from all of our different sales channels and allowing us to setup default values for incoming products. It simplifies our fulfillment process tremendously and is an essential tool for any online company selling through multiple channels.
Do you have any tips for new online retailers?
Customer service is key. Customers will buy from you online because it is convenient, but they have to trust your products and your company. Easing customers’ worries about buying online should be priority number one. We do this by offering free shipping both ways, which ShipStation makes simple and responding to all customer inquiries within 24 hours. Gain your customers’ trust and they will become a champion of your brand.
When are you going to offer Texas Longhorn shades?!
Working on it…they should be available by April 2012. :)
We’ve been receiving some great feedback and input from our sellers and just released some new features that deliver some added efficiency to the shipping process.
The first feature covers single order shipping. Many sellers have told us that the label batch process is overkill for when they need to simply process a single order. We agreed.
The new “Quick-Ship” window is shown when only a single order is selected and the “Ship Order(s)” button is clicked. Shipping settings can be changed directly in the window and the label can be printed without ever leaving the orders screen.
The other new feature covers the other end of the spectrum. For sellers that are preparing and shipping large batches of orders at one time, this can often be difficult to organize. For that reason, we created the “Loading Dock”. The loading dock is simply a temporary bin to place orders that are ready to ship.
One or more selected orders can be added to the Loading Dock by using the new button at the bottom of the order list:
Depending on your fulfillment process, you can quickly print a pick list, packing slips or an order report directly from the Loading Dock window. When you’re ready to create the label batch, just click on “Ship These Orders”.
With the new Loading Dock in place, the size and positioning of the product preview was redesigned to make better use of space. Included with that redesign was the ability to hover over a product thumbnail image and see a larger version of the image. Unfortunately, this is only applicable to the sales channels that currently provide product images for ShipStation, but were lobbying hard to make sure all of them do eventually.
Austin, Texas Oct 18, 2011 — Auctane introduces ShipStation, allowing online retailers to fulfill orders faster while reducing shipping costs. ShipStation consolidates orders from numerous marketplaces and shopping cart solutions, and allows shipping labels to be printed in batch. This initial release includes support for eBay, Amazon, Buy.com Marketplace, Etsy, Magento, Volusion, Zen Cart, PayPal, Google Checkout, and Payvment.
ShipStation is a web-based solution that is compatible with both PCs and Macs, and does not require any software to install. With support for batch label printing as well as multiple users and warehouses, ShipStation is ideal for mid to high volume sellers. Feature highlights include:
• Intuitive, easy to use web interface with no software to install
• Unprecedented shipping discounts
• Full 360-degree synchronization with each marketplace
• Streamlined shipping system processes numerous orders in just a few clicks
• Configurable order processing engine automates tedious tasks and reduces human error
• Innovative order management features such as the Sales Channel Inbox and Priority Order Tagging
“Shipping is often a pain point for an online retailer selling across multiple channels and marketplaces”, said Jason Hodges, President of Auctane. “ShipStation helps by allowing retailers to sell their products anywhere and ship in one convenient place.”
Each ShipStation subscription includes a free DYMO Endicia account, which allows users to print all classes of USPS postage. ShipStation also integrates with Express 1, a government partner of the US Postal Service, providing discounted rates on Priority and Express Mail.
For more information, or to start a free 30-day trial, please visit http://www.shipstation.com.
About Auctane:
Auctane provides turn-key shipping systems for online retailers and shippers. With a focus on efficiency and simplicity, Auctaneʼs web-based tools allow shippers to process orders faster and more easily than ever before. Auctaneʼs shipping solution for eBay sellers, Auctane Shipping Manager, has been the top-rated shipping application in the eBay App Center for the past two years.
