Integration Options
There are three main ways to connect Shopify to Royal Mail: Royal Mail's own Click and Drop platform, third-party multi-carrier shipping software, or custom API integration. The right choice depends on your daily order volume and carrier mix.
For merchants shipping exclusively with Royal Mail at under 500 parcels per day, Click and Drop is free and sufficient. Above that volume, or if you use multiple carriers, a third-party platform gives better efficiency.
Click and Drop
Royal Mail's Click and Drop is a free web platform that connects to Shopify via a direct integration. Once connected, your Shopify orders appear automatically in Click and Drop. You select the service (First Class, Tracked 24, Tracked 48, etc.) and print labels directly.
To connect: create a Click and Drop account, go to Settings in Click and Drop, select Channel Integration, add Shopify, and enter your store credentials. Orders sync automatically within minutes of being placed.
Third-Party Integrations
ShipStation, Shiptheory, and Linnworks are the most popular third-party platforms used by UK Shopify merchants for Royal Mail integration. These platforms support multiple carriers, automate service selection based on rules, and handle batch label printing.
Shiptheory is particularly popular in the UK for its Royal Mail Tracked integration and automated shipping rules. Linnworks suits larger merchants needing order management and inventory sync alongside shipping.
Label Printing
Print thermal labels on a 4x6 or 4x4 inch format compatible with your label printer. Zebra, Dymo, and Rollo are the most common thermal label printers used by UK ecommerce businesses. Thermal printing is faster and cheaper per label than inkjet.
Batch print labels for all orders in a fulfilment run rather than printing one at a time. Both Click and Drop and third-party platforms support batch printing.
Tracking
Royal Mail Tracked 24 and Tracked 48 provide tracking updates that Shopify can display to customers. Once your labels are generated and manifested, Royal Mail provides tracking numbers. Most integrations automatically write these back to the Shopify order, triggering Shopify's shipping notification email to the customer.
Check that your integration is correctly updating Shopify order status to "Fulfilled" and writing the tracking number to the fulfilment. Customers receive automated tracking emails when this data is present.
Managing Returns
Royal Mail's returns solution for ecommerce is Royal Mail Returns. You can add a pre-paid returns label to outbound parcels or allow customers to generate returns labels online.
Shopify allows you to generate return shipping labels from an order. If you use Royal Mail Returns, you can configure this in your Shopify shipping settings to generate Royal Mail return labels directly from the admin.
