Tracking Page Branding: How to lower WISMO and increase repeat purchases
Tracking page branding: Shipment tracking in your own shop instead of carrier redirection
After the purchase, customers enter a phase in which one piece of information becomes particularly important: Where is my order?
Many online shops still answer this question with a simple link to DHL, UPS, FedEx, or another shipping provider. However, this takes the customer away from the brand's own environment and onto an external tracking page.
A better solution is to Integrate shipping and tracking data directly into your own processesThis is exactly where Paket International comes in: selecting shipping service providers, generating shipping labels, creating international shipping and customs documents, and processing tracking information centrally – all within a seamless shipping process.
This creates the technical basis for providing shipment information in your own shop, customer account or ERP system.
Key insights
- Tracking begins with the shipping process: A good tracking solution requires reliable carrier, shipment, and status data.
- Multi-carrier instead of single solution: Different parcel services can be processed via a central process.
- Shop and shipping remain connected: Shipping and tracking information can be integrated into existing shop, ERP or merchandise management processes.
- International shipping requires more than tracking: Customs status, shipping documents and Incoterms are also relevant for cross-border shipments.
- Branding is the surface: A dedicated tracking page can be built upon existing shipping data.
Table of Contents
- Why a dedicated tracking page makes sense
- Why tracking data is more important than design
- Multi-carrier tracking instead of individual carrier pages
- Integrate tracking into shop and ERP
- Tracking for international shipments
- What data does a tracking page need?
- How should tracking statuses be formulated?
- Build or integrate branded tracking?
- How Paket International simplifies the process
- Frequently Asked Questions
Why a dedicated tracking page makes sense
Shipment tracking is one of the most important contact points after placing an order.
Customers want to know:
- Has my order already been shipped?
- Which parcel service will handle the delivery?
- Where is my package?
- When is the shipment expected to arrive?
- Is there a delay?
- Is an international shipment possibly held up in customs?
With a traditional carrier solution, the tracking link leads directly to DHL, UPS, FedEx or another shipping provider.
This has a disadvantage for the retailer: Customer contact takes place outside of the company's own shop.
In contrast, a branded tracking page can be operated on its own domain or subdomain, for example:
tracking.meinshop.de
This ensures that the logo, colors, language, and additional information remain under the control of the retailer.
However, the underlying technical basis is even more important than the design.
Why tracking data is more important than design
A beautifully designed tracking page is of little use if shipment statuses are missing, arrive late, or cannot be clearly assigned to multiple carriers.
Therefore, the technical sequence should be:
- Accept order or shipping order
- Select a suitable shipping provider
- Create shipping label
- Save tracking number
- Check or take over shipping status
- Assign status to order
- Return information to shop, ERP or customer interface
It is precisely this connection between Shipping and tracking is crucial.
Paket International therefore doesn't start with the tracking page. The platform already maps the entire shipping process up to that point.
This means that the tracking code is not created in isolation, but is directly linked to the respective shipping order.
Multi-carrier tracking instead of individual carrier pages
Especially for larger or internationally operating online retailers, a single parcel service is often insufficient.
Depending on:
- Destination country
- Package size,
- Weight,
- Duration,
- Shipping method,
- price,
- Customs requirements
Using a different carrier might be more suitable.
Parcel International therefore pursues a Multi-carrier approachShipping providers such as DHL, UPS, FedEx or DPD can be used within a single shipping process.
This means the retailer does not have to set up a completely separate technical process for each parcel service.
This applies not only to the shipping booking, but also to the subsequent information such as:
- Carrier
- tracking number
- Shipping date
- shipment status
- Shipping reference
This creates a central database for shipment tracking.
The advantage for online retailers
Instead of offering customers different tracking experiences depending on the parcel service, the data can be processed in a standardized way.
For the customer, this can always result in the same presentation, for example:
Order received → Shipment prepared → Package received → En route → Out for delivery → Delivered
Which carrier is transporting the data in the background becomes less relevant for user guidance.
Integrate tracking into shop and ERP
A modern shipping process should require as little manual data transfer as possible.
Therefore, Paket International can be integrated into existing e-commerce and enterprise systems.
Depending on the system used, this includes, for example:
- Shopify
- Shopware
- billbee
- Odoo
- other shop and inventory management systems
- Individual connections via API
This allows order data to be used for shipping processing without having to manually enter shipping information multiple times.
After the shipment has been booked, relevant information such as the shipping provider and tracking number can be assigned to the original order.
This reduces media breaks between:
Shop → Inventory Management → Shipping → Carrier → Tracking
For retailers, this means less manual work and at the same time a better data basis for communication with the customer.
Tracking for international shipments
For international shipments, a simple package status display is often insufficient.
In addition to the actual promotion, other process steps may become relevant:
- Export clearance
- Customs processing
- Import clearance
- missing documents
- Import duties
- Delivery problems
- Returns
Therefore, it makes sense not to consider shipping and customs as completely separate processes.
Paket International combines international shipping with the creation and processing of the necessary shipping and customs documents.
Depending on the program, this could include, for example:
- Commercial invoice
- Pro forma invoice
- Export documents
- Shipping label
- Further information required for international shipping
The chosen delivery term also plays a role. For example, responsibilities for import duties can differ significantly between DAP and DDP.
For internationally active retailers, a shipping platform is therefore particularly useful if Shipping, customs and tracking all operate on the same database.
What data does a tracking page need?
For a custom tracking display, there should be at least one clear link between the order and the shipment.
Typical data includes:
| Data field | Significance |
|---|---|
| tracking number | Identifies the shipment with the carrier |
| Carrier | Shows which shipping provider transports |
| Order reference | Linking shipping and shop orders |
| Shipping status | Shows the current processing status |
| time stamp | Documents status changes |
| Shipping date | Shows the start of the shipping process. |
| Delivery status | Shows successful or failed delivery |
| Destination Country | Relevant for international processes |
| Customs information | Can be important for international shipments |
The deeper the integration into the shop or ERP system, the fewer manual assignments are required.
How should tracking statuses be formulated?
Carriers use different technical status designations.
What appears as "Out for Delivery" with one parcel service, for example, may be described differently by another carrier.
However, internal carrier terminology is of secondary importance to customers.
A good tracking interface therefore translates technical events into understandable status messages.
Instead of:
Destination Scan
For example:
Your shipment is within the delivery area.
Much more understandable.
Instead of:
Exception
can be explained depending on the actual event:
There was a delay in delivery.
Uniform status across multiple carriers
This normalization is particularly important in a multi-carrier strategy.
DHL, UPS, FedEx, and DPD provide different status information. However, this should still result in a consistent customer experience in your own online shop.
One possible simplified status logic is:
- Being prepared for shipping
- Shipping label has been created
- The broadcast was taken over.
- The shipment is on its way.
- Shipment is out for delivery
- The shipment has been delivered.
Special events can be displayed separately.
Build or integrate branded tracking?
Whether a dedicated tracking page should be developed does not depend solely on the number of shipments.
What is crucial, however, is:
- existing shop system
- Number of shipping service providers
- Degree of internationalization
- existing developer resources
- desired branding
- Degree of automation
- required tracking information
- Number of monthly shipments
Own development
A fully self-developed tracking page offers maximum freedom in design and customer experience.
However, this requires maintaining data acquisition, carrier connections, status mapping, error handling, and ongoing changes yourself.
Use existing shipping data
Another approach is to build the tracking interface on an existing multi-carrier shipping infrastructure.
This is precisely where Paket International offers an advantage:
The data required for shipping is already available.
This eliminates the need to build a separate technical shipping and tracking infrastructure for each parcel service.
How Paket International simplifies the process
Paket International is not an isolated tracking software.
The platform intervenes earlier in the process and connects several steps of the shipping process.
1. Compare shipping providers
Depending on the shipment, different carriers and shipping options can be used.
Instead of focusing the entire shipping process on a single parcel service, suitable shipping methods can be selected within one platform.
2. Automatically generate shipping labels
After selecting the shipping method, the required shipping label will be created.
The tracking number and shipping order are therefore directly linked.
3. Create international shipping documents
For cross-border shipments, additional required shipping and customs documents can be generated from the existing order data.
This means that shipping and customs processes are not treated separately.
4. Track shipments centrally
After handover to the carrier, shipment information can be centrally assigned to the respective order.
This means companies don't have to manage each shipment separately via different carrier websites.
5. Connecting the shop and ERP system
Integrations and interfaces allow existing ordering and shipping processes to be connected to Paket International.
This creates a continuous process:
Order → Shipping order → Carrier comparison → Label → Customs documents → Tracking
6. Build your own customer communication on this
Since the tracking number, carrier and shipping order are already centrally linked, this information can in turn be used for the company's own customer communication.
This can be done, for example, via:
- the customer account,
- the order status in the shop,
- Sending emails,
- a dedicated tracking page
respectively.
This will make the Tracking page branding not for the additional island system, but can build upon the existing shipping process.
Why this approach is particularly interesting for international traders
Tracking is relatively easy for a purely domestic shipping process.
Internationally, however, requirements are increasing rapidly.
A retailer may have to:
- use different carriers
- Consider different shipping costs,
- Create export documents,
- Provide customs information
- Consider DDP or DAP
- Manage tracking information
- Shipping data is transferred back to the shop or ERP system.
Anyone who uses separate software for each of these steps quickly creates numerous interfaces.
Paket International therefore pursues a different approach:
Shipping, customs clearance, document creation and tracking are combined within a single multi-carrier process.
For online retailers, this can significantly reduce technical complexity.
Tracking as part of the customer experience
However, tracking should not be viewed solely as a logistics function.
After placing an order, the customer primarily wants security.
Good tracking communication therefore answers questions quickly and clearly:
Where is my package?
When will it arrive?
There is a problem?
The less the customer has to search for or contact support, the better the post-purchase experience.
A separate tracking page can also be used to further develop the brand experience.
For example, the following are conceivable:
- own logo and corporate design
- Contact possibilities
- FAQ about delivery
- Returns information
- Notes regarding international shipments
- complementary products or services
- Re-entry into the online shop
Cross-selling should always be placed after the actual shipment information. After all, the customer initially visits the page because they want to know the status of their order.
Tracking page branding and WISMO requests
A key reason for better tracking communication is so-called WISMO inquiries – “Where Is My Order?”
Typical messages to customer service include:
- Where is my package?
- Has it already been shipped?
- When will my order arrive?
- Why isn't the tracking moving?
- Which parcel service delivers?
- What does the displayed status mean?
The more of these questions are answered directly in the shop or on a tracking page, the less the customer service has to clarify manually.
Therefore, the goal should not simply be a prettier tracking page.
The actual goal is:
The customer can find the necessary shipping information independently and in an understandable way.
Which KPIs make sense?
Those who optimize tracking and post-purchase communication should measure the impact.
Interesting key figures include, for example:
- Number of WISMO requests
- Support requests per 1.000 shipments
- Visits to the tracking page
- Percentage of successful tracking queries
- Delivery rate
- Transit times by carrier
- Delays depending on the destination country
- Repurchase rate
- Clicks from the tracking page back to the shop
The analysis becomes particularly interesting with a multi-carrier solution.
This allows, for example, a comparison of delivery quality and transit times of different shipping providers.
Frequently Asked Questions about Tracking Page Branding
What does tracking page branding mean?
Tracking page branding refers to a shipment tracking page that is visually and content-wise adapted to your own brand. Instead of simply redirecting customers to the shipping provider's website, shipment information can be displayed within your own customer experience.
Does international parcel tracking exist?
Yes. Tracking is part of the shipping process at Paket International. Shipping order, carrier, and tracking number can be centrally linked and managed.
Is Paket International just a tracking software?
No. Paket International is a multi-carrier shipping solution. In addition to tracking, the overall process includes, in particular, shipping booking, carrier selection, label creation, international shipping processing, and the creation of relevant shipping and customs documents.
Can multiple parcel services be used?
Yes. The multi-carrier approach makes it possible to use different shipping providers within a single shipping process.
Can tracking be connected to a shop system?
Yes. Paket International offers integration options for various shop, ERP and merchandise management systems, as well as interfaces for individual processes.
Do I need a separate carrier connection for a branded tracking page?
Not necessarily. If shipping and tracking are already processed via Paket International, a central database already exists containing the shipping order, carrier, and tracking number. A separate customer interface can then build upon this information.
Is a branded tracking page only useful for large shops?
No. Shipping volume is not the only decisive factor. The number of carriers, international reach, support requirements, and desired customer experience also play a role.
What are the advantages of multi-carrier tracking?
Companies no longer need to manage shipping information from different parcel services in completely separate processes. At the same time, different carriers can be integrated into a more unified customer communication system.
What role does customs play in international tracking?
For international shipments, customs processes can affect transit time and shipment status. Therefore, it makes sense to manage shipping, tracking, and customs data within a single, integrated process whenever possible.
Conclusion: Shipping data first, branding later.
A branded tracking page can significantly improve the customer experience after a purchase. However, the design is not the primary factor.
The basis is reliable shipping data.
Paket International therefore combines carrier selection, shipping labels, international shipping processing, document creation and tracking in a single process.
For retailers, this means they no longer need to develop multiple individual carrier connections before they can improve their tracking communication.
Those who already use Paket International for their shipments have the technical basis to integrate tracking information into their own shop, ERP or customer process.
This transforms simple shipment tracking into a seamless process:
Order → Shipping → Customs → Tracking → Customer