If you are pulling your hair out trying to stop your customers from picking the non-rural fee at checkout then you are in the right place – I’m going to spill the beans on how to set up rural shipping in NZ on Shopify so the only option displayed for rural customers is rural. You will save money and time and finally have this annoying issue solved.
What else can you achieve?
- Set up local shipping rates: a cheaper local delivery rate is attractive to your locals.
- Set up rates by delivery location for small or large items: avoid taking the hit and make sure you’re charging the right amount for your bulky items.
Step 1: Know Thy Zones
First off, define ‘rural’. Your courier probably has a list of postcodes that are considered rural, right? Grab that list – it’s golden. Or download the latest postcode list I use below.
Step 2: Shimmy into ShipMagic
Launch your Shopify admin and head over to the Shopify App Store. Find ShipMagic and install it.
This little beauty will cost you only USD$10 a month (paid annually) for the Starter plan. Compared to US$299 per month you’d need to pay for the Advanced Shopify plan, this is a crazy valuable option.
Step 3: Drawing the Boundaries
In ShipMagic, start by creating zones. You need to use the Shipping Customizations option because that does not need the Calculated Carrier Rates function.
The video above shows you how to do this in detail.
Firstly, work out your areas and what you want to charge for each one. Use the condition Zipcode/Postcode equals and paste in your postcode list. Add in any other conditions that you need.
Then set your rules and match the rate you’ve just set up to your actual shipping rates (see in Shopify > Settings > Shipping and delivery.
Eg. for the customers that match your rural postcode zones, you would hide any rates you don’t want them to see at checkout.
You will end up with something that looks like this.
Step 4: Give It a Whirl!
Now’s the time to play customer. Scamper through your site and enter an address you know is in the wop-wops. The rural rate (or rates if you set up more than one rural rate) should be the only option at checkout.
Repeat for your other areas to make sure everything is configured properly.
Step 5: Spell it out
Update your product pages, delivery page and FAQ to enlighten your customers about the rural delivery process and fees. No one likes surprises at checkout.
If you have added a lower cost small package or local delivery rate then shout it loudly to those customers via socials and your newsletter.
Summing it all up
And there you have it. For a cheeky tenner a month, ShipMagic can be your ship-shape solution to sorting out those rural delivery rates, saving you time for more important stuff – like increasing conversion on your website or tuning up that marketing strategy.
And hey, if you ever want to chit-chat about anything from SEO secrets, a better website, or crafting captivating emails, flick me a message. I’m all ears and packed to the brim with handy tips like this one.
Let me know how you get on.
