--- title: "AI in ShipStation: Faster Labels, Lower Rates, and Answers Without the Spreadsheet" url: "https://www.shipstation.com/en-gb/blog/ai-in-shipstation-faster-labels-lower-rates-and-answers-without-the-spreadsheet/" type: "post" modified: "2026-10-27T11:32:44-05:00" --- [ShipStation AI](https://www.shipstation.com/fulfillment/intelligence/) turns your repetitive shipping tasks into automated workflows that saves you hours every week. You’ll see where labels pre-fill instantly, where rates drop automatically, and how conversational data gets answered in plain English—without ever opening a spreadsheet. It’s 4 PM and you still have 80 orders to ship. Every one needs the same small decisions. Which box? How much does it weigh? Which carrier is cheapest and still gets it there on time? None of these calls is hard. You just make them hundreds of times a week, and they eat the hours you meant to spend on your business. ShipStation’s AI features learn from those decisions and make them for you. The small decisions add up -------------------------- Run an online store and you know the routine. An order comes in. You check the weight. You pick a box. You open the rate list and compare carriers, then second-guess the cheapest option. Orders with several items add another guess. One box or two? Guess wrong and you pay for an oversized box. Then come the questions. Where did your shipping spend climb last month? Answering means building a report or exporting data into a spreadsheet, and most days you don’t have the time. ShipStation now learns how you ship ----------------------------------- [ShipStation’s AI features](https://www.shipstation.com/fulfillment/intelligence/) take over the repeat work. They learn your habits, compare carriers, plan your packing, answer questions about your data, and run tasks from your AI assistant. ### Get time back with auto-fill Auto-fill learns how you configure shipments, including package type, weight, and dimensions, then applies those settings to future orders. When a new order imports, auto-fill checks your two most recent shipments with the exact same mix of items. If both used the same weight and dimensions, it fills them in. If they differ, it holds back and keeps learning. **Proof point:** 69% of active ShipStation sellers use auto-fill. It pre-fills 1.4 million labels every week. Average label creation time has dropped 35%, from about 100 seconds to about 65. Up to 97% of suggested values stay unchanged. Your setup stays in charge. Product defaults, service mappings, and automation rules override auto-fill so it never undoes a rule you built. To turn it on, go to Account Settings, select Automation, then choose SmartFill. ### Spend less on every shipment Rate Shopper picks the right carrier service so you don’t have to. It scores your options across more than 200 carrier services and chooses based on price, a guaranteed transit window, or your own service-level rules. Savings reach up to 90% off carrier retail rates.\* Start with three defaults, Best Value, Cheapest, and Fastest, or build your own rule. Say you prefer UPS® Ground when it lands within a dollar of the cheapest label. Apply a rule to one order, to a bulk selection, or to every order through an automation rule. Packing Recommendations covers the box side, and it’s now available to everyone. It reads your product dimensions and weights and your available packages, then recommends the best setup using the fewest packages. That cuts oversized box fees and packaging waste. Open an order, select Package Recommendations, review the plan, and apply it in one click to create the multi-package setup. ### Get answers without building a report Conversational analytics lets you ask a question and get an answer from your own ShipStation data. Ask “Where did we spend the most on shipping last week?” and skip the report and the spreadsheet. Three AI agents split the work. One digs into carrier performance and costs by zone, service, and carrier. Another answers questions about orders, shipments, top products, and returns. A third covers picker performance, processing times, and stock levels. **Proof point:** In a pilot with 1,000 ShipStation users, merchants averaged six back-and-forth exchanges per conversation, really digging into their data. Many came back for repeat sessions. You can try conversational analytics now in ShipStation Labs. ### Catch problems before they cost you Some protection runs without you asking. Real-time address validation catches address problems early. Automatic label audits find unused, voided labels and file carrier refund claims for you. If you ship less-than-truckload (LTL) freight, Autonomous Dispatch Recovery reschedules missed pickups without a call from you. See it in a real week --------------------- Say you run a home goods store. Monday brings 300 orders, and many are a single wool blanket that always ships in the same box. Before, you checked weights, picked boxes, and compared rates order by order. Now package details are filled automatically as orders import. An automation rule applies your Best Value Rate Shopper rule, so each label gets the right carrier service. For the orders with several items, package recommendations gives you the most efficient package size and type. Then you ask conversational analytics which carrier cost you the most last week and get the answer without opening a spreadsheet. Do the math on auto-fill alone. Thirty-five seconds saved on each of 300 labels adds up to just under three hours. Let ShipStation handle the repeat work -------------------------------------- Shipping will always involve decisions. You don’t need to make all of them. Hand the repeat work to ShipStation and spend your time on the products and customers that move your business forward. [Start your free trial today](https://www.shipstation.com/start-a-free-trial/). Frequently asked questions about ShipStation AI features -------------------------------------------------------- ##### Will SmartFill override my automation rules? No. Product defaults, service mappings, and automation rules take priority over SmartFill, so it never undoes a setup you built. ##### Who can use Rate Shopper? Rate Shopper works for U.S., Canada, Australia, and New Zealand accounts. If you signed up after July 8, 2025, customizable Rate Shopper is included in Standard and Premium plans, and Starter plans get the default options. If you signed up before that date, it’s included with High Volume plans. ##### What do I need to use Packing Recommendations? Add dimensions and weights to your products, and configure your custom packages with dimensions and a maximum weight. Then open an order and select Package Recommendations. ##### How do I try conversational analytics? Conversational analytics is available in ShipStation Labs. Ask a question about your shipping data in plain language and get an answer. \*Rates are limited to shipping from the continental U.S. only. These rates and discounts exclude shipment origins from Hawaii, Puerto Rico, and Alaska. Rates and any applicable discounts are subject to change at any time without notice. Discounts are subject to minimum charges set forth in the FedEx Service Guide, which can be found at fedex.com. †FedEx shipping discounts are off standard list rates and cannot be combined with other offers or discounts. Discounts are exclusive of any FedEx surcharges, premiums, minimums, accessorial charges, or special handling fees. Eligible services and discounts subject to change. For eligible FedEx® services and rates, call 1.800.GoFedEx (1.800.463.3339). See the applicable FedEx Service Guide for terms and conditions of service offers and money-back guarantee programs.