Setting up the plugin consists of the following steps:

1. Download the installation file.
2. Install the plugin application file.
3. Activate the plugin.
4. Connect the plugin
5. Quote settings
6. Identify your warehouse and drop ship locations
   • In-store pick up settings.
   • Local delivery settings.
7. Enter your boxes.
   • Identify your standard box sizes.
   • Items that ship as multiple boxes.
8. Enable the plugin.
9. Configure your products.

Other information contained in this guide:

On the Features tab of this webpage (you’re currently on the Documentation tab) is a list of available subscription plans and a description of the features included in each one. Click on the green button associated with the plan you want to subscribe to. The image below shows where to click to sign up for a monthly subscription to the plugin’s Basic Plan. There is also a button for a free 15 day trial beneath the name of the plugin at the top of the page.

You will be presented with a registration form. The email address and password you enter will serve as your credentials to eniture.com. Use these to gain access to your customer dashboard where you can download the plugin installation file, manage your licenses and update your payment information. When you download the plugin installation file, be sure to save it to a familiar location. You will need to navigate to the file during the installation process.

Login to the WordPress dashboard as the website administrator.

In the left sidebar, hover your mouse over the Plugins menu to display the sub-menu options.

Select Add New from the sub-menu options. The Add Plugins page will load.

At the top of the Add Plugins page, click on the Upload Plugin button.

Controls will appear in the middle of page that will allow you to chose and install the plugin application. Choose the Choose File button, navigate to the location where you saved the installation file and select it.

Click the Install Now button.

WordPress will display information about the installation progress at the bottom of the page. The plugin has been installed once the message Plugin installed successfully is displayed.

Once the plugin has been installed, it must be activated. If you are still on the same page that you were on at the end of Step 2, you can click the Activate Plugin link on the bottom of the page.

If you’ve already navigated away from that page, select Installed Plugins from the Plugins menu.

Locate the ShipEngine Shipping Rates plugin on the list and click the Activate link.

Select Settings from the WooCommerce menu.

Click on the ShipEngine tab to gain access to the plugin configuration settings.
Use the links at the top of the page to navigate between the Connection, Quote and Warehouse settings. Start with the Connection Settings.

The plugin will connect to the ShipEngine API and retrieve the standard program rates ShipEngine offers for UPS with just the Eniture API Key. Leave the Carrier ID and ShipEngine API Key fields blank to have the standard ShipEngine-UPS program rates displayed on the Cart and Checkout pages. If the rates for your account with ShipEngine differ, you can enter the Carrier ID and ShipEngine API Key for your account.

Click on the Save button and then the Test Connection button. You should see an alert informing you that the test resulted in a successful connection.

The Eniture API Key will be tied to a subscription. The Trial Plan will give you 15 days of free access to the Basic Plan. Two other plans are available; the Standard Plan and the Advanced Plan. The features associated with each plan are listed on the Features tab of this web page. Each plan is available for a monthly or yearly subscription rate. To manage your Eniture API Key, including which plan is associated with it, see the section titled Managing your Eniture API Keys at the end of this User’s Guide.

It is important to understand that to enjoy the rates presented you will need to connect your account to a shipping platform like FreightDesk Online (https://freightdesk.online) to generate shipping labels that use the account.

If you don’t have visibility to the plugin’s navigation menu, select Settings from the WooCommerce menu.

Click on the ShipEngine tab to gain access to the plugin configuration settings. Using the links at the top of the page, select Quote Settings.

If you don’t have visibility to the plugin’s navigation menu, select Settings from the WooCommerce menu.

Click on the ShipEngine tab to gain access to the plugin configuration settings. Using the links at the top of the page, select Warehouses.

Click the Add button in the appropriate sections to add warehouse and drop ship locations. On the Basic Plan you can define one warehouse and multiple drop ship locations. To define multiple warehouse locations you must be on the Standard Plan or higher.

Warehouses should have a complete inventory of all products not otherwise identified as drop shipped items. If you have more than one warehouse defined, the warehouse closest to the shopper will be used to retrieve shipping rate estimates. You should define at least one warehouse, even if all of your products are drop shipped. This insures that quotes will be returned in the event the drop ship location was overlooked when the product entry was created.

Drop ship locations usually represent vendors that supply items that you don’t inventory. These items are shipped directly to your customer on your behalf. When an order includes drop shipped items the shopping cart will display a single figure for the shipping rate estimate that is equal to the sum of the cheapest option for each shipment required to fulfill the order.

The Advanced Plan is required to use this feature. If you aren’t on the Advanced Plan the words Advanced plan required will appear adjacent to the settings header, and the fields associated with the feature will be inaccessible.

In-store pick up can be offered as an option in the checkout process based the shopper’s postal code or proximity. It will only be offered if the feature is enabled and only one stocking location (warehouse or drop ship location) is involved in providing a quote. The settings for In-store pick up are visible on the page used to add or edit a warehouse or drop ship location.

The Advanced Plan is required to use this feature. If you aren’t on the Advanced Plan the words Advanced plan required will appear adjacent to the settings header, and the fields associated with the feature will be inaccessible.

Local delivery can be offered as an option in the checkout process based the shopper’s postal code or proximity. It will only be offered if the feature is enabled and only one stocking location (warehouse or drop ship location) is involved in providing a quote. Local delivery can display as a free option or have a charge associated with it. Other shipping options provided by the app can be suppressed when local delivery is to be offered. The settings for Local delivery are visible on the page used to add or edit a warehouse or drop ship location.

The Standard Box Sizes plugin is an optional add-on plugin that will allow you to receive hyper-accurate shipping rate estimates. With the Standard Box Sizes plugin installed, you can identify:

When items in the cart can be packaged together, the plugin will identify the best box(es) to use for the order and send the packaging solution to the carrier when requesting rates. The packaging solution is saved as a step-by-step graphical illustration which you can access from the Order Details page. Use the step-by-step instructions to pack the order exactly as it was quoted.

If you elect not to use the Standard Box Sizes add-on plugin, a free built-in algorithm will be used to identify a packaging solution for the order. The built-in algorithm will create as large of a box as needed (but within the carrier’s service guidelines) to accommodate all of the items in the cart. The built-in algorithm will be sufficient for some merchants, particularly those whose shipping charges are not affected by dimensional weight rules.

Dimensional weight is an extremely important factor when calculating rates for parcel services. Have a clear understanding of the topic when deciding whether or not to use the Standard Box Sizes add-on plugin. (Learn more about dimensional weight)

If you have the Standard Box Sizes plugin installed, Box Sizes will appear as an option in the plugin navigation menu. If it doesn’t and you want to use this feature, go to the Standard Box Sizes product page where you can learn more and download the plugin installation file.

If you don’t have visibility to the plugin’s navigation menu, select Settings from the WooCommerce menu.

Click on the ShipEngine tab to gain access to the plugin configuration settings. Using the links at the top of the page, select Box Sizes.

Below is an excerpt from the Standard Box Sizes User’s Guide to assist you with populating the associated settings.

When you install the Standard Box Sizes plugin, a setting is added to the Product > Shipping page to allow you to indicate that the item ships as multiple packages. When you enable the setting, the item will appear on the Box Sizes page in the Items that ship as multiple packages section.

To add a box, click the Add Box button. A popup will display prompting you for the following information about the box:

If you also have one of Eniture Technology’s LTL Freight Quotes plugins installed, it will use the Freight Class and Weight entered on the Product Shipping Parameters page when an LTL freight quote will be returned. However, if the Freight Class is set to Density Based (and the Item ships as multiple packages setting is enabled), then a freight class for the item will be calculated using the weight and dimensions of the boxes entered here.

Select Settings from the WooCommerce menu.

Click on the Shipping tab and select the option for Shipping Zones.

The shipping method needs to be added to a shipping zone. If an appropriate shipping zone isn’t already defined, click the Add shipping zone button and define one.

Now add the shipping method to the zone. Click on the “+” inline with the shipping zone…

…select the ShipEngine Shipping Rates option from the drop down list of shipping methods…

…and click on the Add shipping method button.

1. How capture the cost of shipping on orders placed online.
2. How to ship the order, including how to create the shipping label (or Bill Of Lading in the case of LTL freight), schedule the carrier to pick up the shipment, and update the customer with the tracking number.

Quoting plugins, like this one, provide a solution for the first challenge. What are your options for the second challenge?

Option 1 – The carrier’s website: You can log into the carrier’s website and manually enter all of the relevant information. Carrier websites are free to use since the carrier makes money when you use them to deliver an order. However, if you have more than a handful of orders each day this approach is time consuming and ripe for data entry errors which can be costly to correct.

Option 2 – Use a plugin with “print-label” capabilities: It’s possible to find a plugin for certain shipping providers that will both generate quotes during the checkout process, and allow the merchant to print a shipping label. These plugins have very limited functionality and are usually an acceptable option only for merchants with very simple shipping needs and a low volume of shipments. They also require that the individuals responsible for preparing shipments have access to the ADMIN area of WooCommerce, which is not an acceptable arrangement to many merchants.

Option 3 – Cloud-based Shipping Platforms: The next step up in capability are cloud-based shipping systems that will connect to your online store and retrieve the details of your orders, thereby eliminating the need for much of the manual data entry. Many of these shipping systems have arrangements with postal and parcel carriers that can provide the merchant with significant discounts. Where these systems excel is in the efficiency of the fulfillment process. That translates in to a much higher volume of shipments per unit of time. These systems are relatively inexpensive and the reduction in the amount of labor and time it takes to ship your orders will pay dividends.

Option 4 – FreightDesk Online: FreightDesk Online (freightdesk.online) is also a cloud-based shipping system. It enjoys all of the benefits of other cloud-based offerings but expands the solution in two ways:

1. It makes use of the detailed information collected by Eniture Technology’s quoting plugins (like this one) such as the packaging solution and the additional services included in the shipping option chosen when the order was placed.
2. It provideds merchants access to more than two dozen LTL freight providers in addition to the typical postal and parcel integrations offered by other cloud-based solutions.

These expanded capabilities will deliver you closer to true “click-and-ship” shipping than any other alternative, whether you’re shipping with a postal carrier, a parcel carrier, or an LTL freight provider.

First, if you don’t already have one, register for a FreightDesk Online account (https://freightdesk.online/register). You can connect multiple online stores to FreightDesk Online, even if they use different e-commerce platforms, so you don’t have to create separate FreightDesk Online accounts for each one.

The pricing for FreightDesk Online is á la carte. You’ll be able to pick a separate plan for parcel (and postal) shipments, and for LTL freight shipments based on the anticipated volume for each type of shipping. Your monthly subscription rate will be comprised of these two selections. You can begin a 30-day trial of both types of shipping by selecting Trial in the corresponding dropdown fields on the registration form.

After you complete the registration process, log into FreightDesk Online. Navagate to Settings > Connections. On the Connections page, click on the +Add Marketplace button. A modal will appear on the right side of your screen. Click on the tile that represents WooCommerce. Enter the URL of your store and then click the Connect bottom located at the bottom of the modal.

Click the Approve button to grant the permissions requested by FreightDesk Online. You will need to log into the WordPress site if you aren’t being recognized as an authorized user.

If you aren’t redirected to the Settings > Connections page, use the navigation menu to arrive there. You should see your store listed in the list of Connected Marketplaces. Click on its Show/Edit link located in the right margin of the page. Update the marketplace’s connection settings using the instructions below.

Nickname	Enter a nickname you’d like to use to represent the connection to this store.
Marketplace URL	This field will be prefilled with the URL of the store you entered to initiate the connection. You can not edit this field. To disable the connection, chose the Inactive Marketplace status option at the bottom of the page.
Order Import Status	This setting is used to filter which orders are imported into FreightDesk Online. Processing is typically the only order status enabled.
Order Shipped Status	Choose Completed if you want an order status seen in WooCommerce to be automatically updated to “Completed” when the shipping label or Bill Of Lading is printed. If you’d prefer to manually update the order status in WooCommerce, choose the option Don’t update the order status.
Auto Import Orders	Enable this setting if you’d like newly placed orders with the status(es) you identified in the Order Import Status setting to be automatically imported in to FreightDesk Online. The alternative is to initiate the import manually each time using the
Marketplace Status	Select Activate Marketplace to enable the store’s connection to FreightDesk Online. To disable it, choose Inactive Marketplace.

When you’re done editing your marketplace settings, click the Test Connection button to verify the connection to the store, and then Update to save the settings and return to the Settings > Connections page.

Now that you’ve connected FreightDesk Online, unfulfilled orders can be imported in to FreightDesk Online for processing. To view them, log into FreightDesk Online and click on Orders in the navigation menu. If you have the Enable Auto Import Orders setting enabled, your orders will populate automatically. If not use the Import Orders button to manually initiate the process.

You’ll need to connect your shipping providers before you can start shipping your orders using FreightDesk Online. Connecting your shipping providers is also done on the Settings > Connections page. You can find a quick start guide in FreightDesk Online by navigating to Help > Getting Started. Short instructional videos are also sprinkled through FreightDesk Online. Click on the movie camera icon to view the video.

Validate-Addresses.com is a cloud-based application that validates the ship-to address on online orders. The validation happens after the order is received so there isn’t additional friction during the checkout process that could increase the Cart abandonment rate. Shipping to an invalid address is costly. Shipping providers charge hefty fees to follow up on and correct undeliverable addresses, and additional transportation charges will be incurred if the shipment has to be redirected to a different terminal for delivery. If the shipment is returned to the shipper, the transportation charges will double in addition to the fees. Validate-Addresses.com costs as little as 1¢ per order and can be the difference between making money, or losing hundreds of dollars on an order.

How does Validate-Addresses.com work?

As soon as the order is placed, the order status is set to Pending Address Validation (a new order status that will be added to your store) until after Validate-Addresses.com confirms that the ship-to address is valid. If the ship-to address is valid, then the order status is changed to Processing and the order notes are updated to document that the ship-to address was good. The time between an order being placed and the validation of the ship-to address is typically 2 to 3 seconds.

Validate-Addresses.com can be configured to automatically email the customer if the order’s ship-to address is invalid, provide the customer with options on how to correct it, or the option to confirm it as entered. If the customer corrects the address, the address is rechecked. If the corrected address is valid, or if the customer confirmed the address as entered, the order status in WooCommerce is updated to Processing and the order notes are updated to document the event. The merchant’s involvement in this process is completely hands off. The order status will remain Pending Address Validation until the address is corrected or confirmed so the merchant knows not to ship the order.

There will be times when an order’s ship-to address can’t be validated and the customer fails to respond to the email notices about the invalid ship-to address. (You can configure these notices to reflect your brand and customize the message.) In these cases the merchant can contact the customer and if the outcome is favorable, override the Pending Address Validation status in Validate-Addresses.com. Afterward, the order status in WooCommerce will be updated to Processing, and the address will be added to the merchant’s address book so that future orders using the address won’t be flagged as invalid.

Register for a Validate-Addresses.com account (https://validate-addresses.com/register). You can connect multiple online stores to Validate-Addresses.com, even if they use different e-commerce platforms, so you don’t have to create separate accounts for each one.

After you complete the registration process, log into Validate-Addresses.com. Navigate to Settings > Connections. On the Connections page, click on the +Add Marketplace button. A modal will appear on the right side of your screen. Click on the tile that represents WooCommerce. Enter the URL of your store and then click the Connect bottom located at the bottom of the modal.

Click the Approve button to grant the permissions requested by Validate-Addresses.com. You’ll need to log into the WordPress site if you aren’t being recognized as an authorized user.

If you aren’t redirected to the Settings > Connections page, use the navigation menu to arrive there. You should see your store listed in the list of Connected Marketplaces. Click on its Show/Edit link located in the right margin of the page. Update the marketplace’s connection settings using the instructions below.

Nickname	Enter a nickname you’d like to use to represent the connection to this store.
Marketplace URL	This field will be prefilled with the URL of the store you entered to initiate the connection. You can not edit this field. To disable the connection, chose the Inactive Marketplace status option at the bottom of the page.
Import orders with a status of…	This setting is used to identify the orders are to be imported into Validate-Addresses.com. Processing is typically the only order status enabled.
Change the order status of unvalidated addresses to…	The installation of a plugin is required to set an order’s status to Pending Address Validation while the validation of the ship-to address is pending. You can use this link to download the installation file or the link provided in the onscreen instructions. Simply install the plugin. No additional setup is required.
After validating the address, change the order status to…	Select how the order status should be updated once the ship-to address has been validated. Processing is the most common choice.
After validating the address, add the following to the order notes…	Enter the text you’d like inserted into the order notes when Validate-Addresses.com succeeds at validating the address.
When an unverified address is confirmed by the customer, add the following to the order notes…	Enter the text you’d like inserted into the order notes when Validate-Addresses.com is unable to validate the address but the customer confirms it to be correct as entered.
When an unverified address is confirmed by the merchant, add the following to the order notes…	Enter the text you’d like inserted into the order notes when Validate-Addresses.com is unable to validate the address but the merchant (you) intend to ship the order to the ship-to address entered.
Marketplace Status	Select Activate Marketplace to enable the store’s connection to Validate-Addresses.com. To disable it, choose Inactive Marketplace.

When you’re done editing your marketplace settings, click the Test Connection button to verify the connection to the store, and then Update to save the settings and return to the Settings > Connections page.

Now that you’ve connected Validate-Addresses.com, orders that meet your settings will automatically propagate the system. Orders that have ship-to addresses that were validated, corrected, or confirmed will appear on the Validate-Addresses.com History page and their status will appear as Processing on the WooCommerce Orders page. Orders with ship-to addresses that require attention will appear on the Validate-Addresses.com Orders page and their status on the WooCommerce Orders page will be Pending Address Validation. Use the Validate-Addresses.com Orders page to work on the ship-to address of orders that require attention.

To enable the ship-to address correction/confirmation process, which begins with an email to the customer when an invalid address is provided, you must first configure your outbound mail server settings. In Validate-Addresses.com navigate to Settings > Email Setup. Afterward, navigate to Settings > Email Template to customize the content of the email your customer will receive.