In this Guide: Changes to Shipping Manager
Summary
In MonsterCommerce version 4.2, the Shipping Manager was redesigned to provide an easier to use interface. The Shipping Manager currently has five tabs: Global Settings, Custom, FedEx, UPS and USPS.
Global Settings Tab
The first tab of the Shipping Manager is the Global Settings tab. The Global Settings tab contains settings that will determine the type of shipping rates that are returned to your Customers. The settings on the Global Settings tab are the Shipping Origin, General Shipping Options, Select Type of Available Shipping Methods and Carrier Sort Options.
Shipping Origin
Shipping Origin specifies where packages will be shipping from. This is origin address that is sent to shipping carriers for real-time rate lookup.
General Shipping Options
General Shipping Options include:
- Allow Billing & Shipping Address to be Different
- Allow International Shipping Address
- Charge Per-Order Handling Fee
- Show Handling Separately
- Handling Text
- Display Shipping Calculator in Side Shopping Cart
- Display Shipping Calculator on Cart Details Page
Note: The "Shop.Cart" checkbox, a shipping option found on the Custom tab, will determine if an individual Custom Shipping Method will display within the Side Shopping Cart.
Select Type of Available Shipping Methods
The setting of Select Type of Available Shipping Methods determines what types of shipping rates are returned to the customer as well as what tabs will be displayed next to the Global Settings tab in the Shipping Manager. If the Select Type of Available Shipping Methods option is set to Real-time Shipping, then only real-time rates will be returned on the storefront. Within the Shipping Manager the tabs for UPS, FedEx, and USPS are displayed. If the Select Type of Available Shipping Methods option is set to Custom Shipping, then only custom shipping options will be displayed on the storefront. Within the Shipping Manager the tab for Custom will be displayed. If the Select Type of Available Shipping Methods option is set to Custom & Real-time Shipping then real-time and custom shipping options are displayed on the store front and tabs for Custom, UPS, USPS, and FedEx are displayed.
Carrier Sort Options
New to version 4.2 is the option to sort shipping by carrier. The carrier with the lowest sort order will have rates displayed on the shipping options page of checkout, while all other carriers will have links to view their respective rates. The Carrier Sort Options option applies to the display of rates for all areas where shipping rates are displayed: Checkout, Side Carts, and Cart Details Page.
Next to each shipping carrier name is an image of the carrier logo. Store Admins have the ability to update carrier logos to blend into their site. Images for UPS, USPS, and FedEx may be changed using an image editor, but they must adhere to the specific trademark and copyright rules of each carrier. Images for real-time and custom shipping display are located in the folder named “mc_images”.
Note: The text Additional Shipping can be edited on the Custom Shipping tab.
Real-Time Shipping Tabs
If the Select Type of Available Shipping Methods option on the Global Settings tab is set to either Real-time Shipping or Custom & Real-time Shipping the Shipping Manager displays tabs for UPS, USPS, and FedEx shipping carriers. These tabs allow the Store Admin to set up shipping methods related to that specific carrier. The Sort Order field is new to v4.2, all options on the Real-time Shipping Tabs are the same as previous versions.
For example, to enable the option for UPS Ground shipping click the UPS tab and then continue to add the option for UPS Ground, just like the version 4.1.x Shipping Manager.
The Sort Order field will sort the Shipping Methods within a given Carrier. If the Method Sort Orders are the same, the shipping method that is least expensive will be displayed first.
The image shows an example where “UPS 2nd Day Air®” has a Method Sort Order of 1, “UPS Ground” has a Method Sort Order of 2, and “UPS 3 Day Select” has a Method Sort Order of 3.
Note: UPS rates will not be displayed on the storefront without UPS registration, which
Note: DHL shipping certification is in progress and will be coming soon!
Custom Shipping Tab
If the Select Type of Available Shipping Methods option on the Global Settings tab is set to either Custom Shipping or Custom & Real-time Shipping the Shipping Manager displays the Custom tab. All shipping options related to Custom Shipping methods are displayed on this tab. New to version 4.2 is the setting for Custom Shipping Display Text.
The Custom Shipping Display text will display as the header for custom shipping options. This text will display everywhere Custom shipping rates are displayed. This includes the side cart, cart details, and checkout. The default text for Custom Shipping Display Text is Additional Shipping.
Ability to set Destination Options for Custom Shipping methods
The Destination Options setting allows Store Admins to set individual Custom Shipping Options with a specific Destination type. Destination Options are displayed as radio button options directly beneath the standard shipping options. The three Destination Options available are: Domestic Only, International Only, and Domestic and International. Selecting Domestic Only will make that Custom Shipping Method only available to customers within the home country specified within the Shipping Manager. Selecting International Only will make that Custom Shipping Method only available to International customers, outside of the home country specified. Selecting Domestic and International will allow that Custom Shipping Method to be available to all customers, regardless of their country of origin.
Ability to display selected Custom Shipping methods at the same time as Real-Time carrier rates
The setting Top Disp. allows Store Admins to display Custom Shipping Methods at the same time as Real-Time Carrier Rates. These methods are displayed in the same section as the product based Free Shipping option. Free Shipping will always be displayed first with Custom Methods that have Top Disp. selected being displayed next. The default selected shipping method is the option that is displayed first on the Shipping page of checkout.
Store Admins are able to select Top Disp. for one, two, or even all of the Custom Shipping Methods. If a Custom Shipping Method has Top Disp. selected it will not be displayed in the Customer Carrier group. If all Custom Shipping Methods have Top Disp. selected then the Custom Carrier group will not be displayed.
Products With Free Shipping
If a product has Free Shipping selected in the product options, then a Free Shipping option is displayed above all other shipping options. This includes displays in the Side Cart, Cart Details, and Checkout. The product based Free Shipping option is always the default selected option in checkout.