Product: Nexternal

Article Link: http://help.truecommerce.com/en/articles/4750389-nexternal-set-up-a-local-delivery-option

Before diving into this, please note that the edits you are making here are live in the store. In the case where step 3 requires changes in your database, you will have effectively deactivated the shipping rates for the delivery states and you will need to follow all of the other steps immediately to complete this set up, or you will risk getting orders that do not reflect proper (or any) shipping rates. In other cases this risk doesn’t occur until you’ve completed step 7.

Bottom line here, do this all in one sitting, without interruptions or breaks, and try to do this when you know your online store traffic will be light.

1. Navigate to Settings/ Edit Shipping.

2. Increase the number of “Custom Methods" by 1 (ie. if you see 0, make it 1, if you see 3, make it 4, etc.).

3. In the state listing on this page, ensure that the states to which you would like to add Local Delivery appear together in a single zone*, separate from all other states and territories. Local Delivery should only be made available in the state(s) where you have physical locations from which you can deliver. Local delivery cannot be set up by zip code in the system (this option will show up to the entire State, not just the delivery zip codes), so also be sure to add appropriate messaging to your website to let folks know the Local Delivery zip codes.

*You may need more than a single zone if there are multiple “local delivery” states to which rates on the existing shipping options vary. To accomplish this you may need to increase the number of Zones in the upper right. (For example, if you have locations in New York and California from which you can deliver locally, but your custom Fed Ex shipping rates on the shipping options to those destinations vary, then NY and CA would need to be two separate zones. But, if you are using Real-Time Rates for those destinations, then you could group NY and CA into a single zone.)

4. On the following screen, two columns of shipping methods will appear along with a blank box at the bottom of one of the two columns. Name this new Custom Method "Local Delivery", then click “Next” at the bottom of the page.

5. At this time you need to check where you are, as it will depend upon other settings in your OMS – if you see a list of countries, something like the image below, then you will need to click “Next” 4 more times to page through the pages to get to the next set up step:

If you see something formatted like the image below, you are in the right place (your text, states, ship options and other elements may be different than this image, but the general formatting will be the same):

6. Once you get to the correct place per #5 above, you’ll need to find the zone for which you’d like to enable local delivery. It could be on this page or, if you have several zones and several “ship froms” for each zone, you may need to page through to find your target zone.

7. Once you find the zone you’re looking for, in each “ship from” for that zone (some merchants will have only one, some will have multiples), adjust the Availability column drop down value to "All" for the Local Delivery option, then enter a number into the Order column.

Note: The numbers in the Order column represent the order in which you want all the “All” options to show up to the customer in the store. All options with the same order number will order alphabetically in the store.

If you are using, or wish to use, the “Expected Shipping Time” or “Preferred Delivery Date” functionality (Settings/Edit Site Options/Expected Fulfillment) which either reflects in your store when packages are likely to arrive or allows shoppers to select delivery days, we recommend that you enter a numerical Time in Transit value into the ‘WTT’ column box for this Local Delivery shipping option. This sets a Time in Transit value for this shipping method since it’s custom and not subject to integrated carrier times. For information and set up instructions for Preferred Delivery Date, click here. If you choose not to use this automated feature, be sure to communicate to your customers when deliveries will happen, especially if a signature or immediate refrigeration/freezing is required.)

Then click “Next” at the bottom of the page. If there are additional “ship from’s” in that same zone on the next page, repeat this step until you’ve completed this for all applicable “ship from’s” in the target zone.

8. Ensure that rates are entered for local delivery – even if it’s free, you’ll need to indicate the free rate.

How you enter rates here will vary based on your shipping Cost Calculation Method (weight vs tiered weight vs something else), and whether you are using real-time rates or custom rates. If in step 3 you needed to segregate states into a new zone, you’ll need to fill out rates for all shipping options, not just local delivery, in the new zone. If step 3 required that you create more than one additional zone, ensure that you do steps 7 and 8 for all newly-created zones.

9. Once all of your rates are entered, click “Finish”.

10. CHECK YOUR WORK!!! Go to the online store and put items in your cart, and check what the customer sees when they select their shipping options.

Rev: 12/29/20