Create A Zone

Intuitive Shipping zones allow you to control the geographical areas where products can be shipped, preventing customers outside your shipping borders from completing their checkout. Different shipping methods and rates can be created for each zone. 

 

How It Works

If you’ve used shipping zones in Shopify or BigCommerce, Intuitive Shipping zones will be familiar, but with added flexibility. The best part is you can manage your zones directly from the app, eliminating the need to adjust settings in your eCommerce platform or worry about syncing updates.

Additionally, you can create subzones for more detailed configurations.

To use Intuitive Shipping, you need at least one Scenario with at least one shipping method, and each shipping method must be assigned to a specific zone. For example, if your store operates in the U.S. and you want to offer domestic shipping through a preferred carrier, you'll need to create a zone for the U.S. - or specific regions in the U.S. you ship to - then assign the carrier service to that zone.

 

eCommerce Platform Shipping Zones and Intuitive Shipping

Intuitive Shipping gives you complete control over your shipping territories without requiring zone settings to match those in Shopify or BigCommerce. However, you still need to connect Intuitive Shipping to any shipping zones in your eCommerce platform that require rates from our system. That’s because your eCommerce platform’s shipping zones also manage rates.

It doesn’t matter how your eCommerce platform zones are configured - they don't need to match your Intuitive Shipping zones, as long as they include all the countries and regions you want to ship to.

 

If you’re a UK-based business shipping within the UK and Europe, your eCommerce platform might have a single shipping zone labeled ‘UK and Europe’, with Intuitive Shipping assigned as the rate provider. In Intuitive Shipping, you can either import this zone to match your eCommerce platform exactly or create smaller zones, such as one for the UK, one for Ireland, one for France & Spain, and another for the rest of Europe.

The key is to make sure all countries in your custom zones are included in at least one shipping zone on your eCommerce platform.

We strongly recommend leaving your eCommerce platform's shipping zones settings as-is after installing Intuitive Shipping, unless you are adding new territories not previously included in your original shipping zones.

 

Default 'Rest of World' Zone

When starting out, all countries and regions are assigned to a default zone called ‘Rest of world’, which cannot be edited manually.

When you create a custom zone, any countries or regions added to it are automatically removed from the ‘Rest of World’ zone. If you later delete the custom zone or remove countries or regions from it, those locations are returned to ‘Rest of World’.

While it is possible to use Intuitive Shipping without creating custom zones, we don’t recommend it. This setup could allow customers from anywhere in the world to check out, which may not align with your shipping policy.

 

 

Importing eCommerce Shipping Zone Settings

If you've already set up shipping zones in your eCommerce platform and want to avoid recreating them from scratch, you can import those settings into Intuitive Shipping. Just click 'Import' under the Zones heading to replicate your platform's current shipping zone configuration.

Once your eCommerce platform’s shipping zone settings have been imported, you can edit the zones in Intuitive Shipping at any time without affecting your platform’s original settings.

For example, let’s say you imported three Shopify shipping zones into Intuitive Shipping:

• U.S.

• Canada

• Mexico

Later, you decide to stop shipping to Mexico and want to divide the U.S. zone into two separate zones - one for the contiguous U.S. and another for Alaska, Hawaii, and U.S. territories. In Intuitive Shipping, you can delete the Mexico zone and split the original U.S. zone into two new zones.

These changes will not impact your eCommerce platform’s shipping zones. Intuitive Shipping controls the rates shown at checkout based on the zone configuration set up within our system.

 

Zone Configurations

If you’re not importing shipping zones from your eCommerce platform, we strongly recommend setting up at least one custom zone after installing Intuitive Shipping. That means you’ll complete the setup steps below at least once before creating any shipping methods.

Zones can be configured in a variety of ways. A zone can include one or more countries or regions. For example, you might create a single zone that includes all EU countries and regions.

Alternatively, you can create multiple zones for individual countries or smaller groups of countries.

Some countries can be drilled down to individual states, provinces, or territories. For example, you could create a zone for Australia that includes all states and territories except Western Australia.

Or, you could create a zone that includes only the contiguous United States and another just for Alaska and Hawaii.

 

For greater control, you can add subzones to a parent zone.

Subzones are a collection of postal codes or ZIP codes assigned to a parent zone. For example, you can create a parent zone for Ontario, Canada, and then create a subzone within Ontario that excludes northern rural areas by using postal codes.

 

Countries or regions (such as provinces, states, or territories) can only be added to one parent zone. For example, if California has already been added to a zone, it will no longer be available for selection when creating new zones.

You can, however, create multiple subzones with the same or overlapping postal codes or ZIP codes within a parent zone.

For example, if you operate a Los Angeles-based business that provides limited local deliveries to Malibu and Topanga, you can create one subzone for Malibu and another that includes both Malibu and Topanga. This is useful when some of your local shipping methods apply to just one area, while others cover multiple areas.

For example, a subzone for Malibu using ZIP code 90265 must be created within a parent zone that includes the state of California. This applies whether the parent zone contains only California or is part of a larger group of states. A subzone with ZIP code 90265 assigned to a parent zone that does not include California will not function correctly.

 

 

Create A Zone

These steps will show you how to create a custom (parent) zone without any subzones. 

1. Click Zones on the sidebar menu.

 

2. Click the Create zone button.

 

 

General Settings

1. Enter a zone title.

 

2. Set the zone status.

You have three (3) settings to choose from:

• Off - the zone will be ignored and shipping methods assigned to it will not be displayed at checkout when the customer's address is within the zone, even in Sandbox mode.
• Test - shipping methods assigned to it will be displayed at checkout when the customer's address is within the zone only when using ‘Intuitive’ on the checkout page (see below).
• On - shipping methods assigned to it will be displayed at checkout when the customer's address is within the zone. This is the default setting.

When using the 'Test' setting:

• For Shopify: Enter ‘Intuitive’ as either the customer’s first or last name.
• For BigCommerce or Shopify B2B: Enter ‘Intuitive’ in the optional address field for ‘Apartment/ Suite/ Building’.

 

 

Shipping Locations

1. Type the name of a country or region (territory, island, province or state) into the search field, or scroll through the list. The search results are dynamic and will update as you type.

 

2. Click the check box beside the country or region name to select it and include it in the zone.

 

Some countries contain multiple regions. When you select the parent country, all the regions within it will be automatically checked and included in the zone. For example, if you select 'Canada' in Step 2, all 13 regions within Canada (10 provinces and 3 territories) will be added to the zone.

3. Where applicable, click the downward arrow beside the number of regions to expand the list. 

 

4. Deselect regions to exclude them from the zone. 

When you deselect one or more regions within a country, the check box beside the parent country is automatically deselected to indicate not all regions are included in the zone.

 

Save Your Settings

1. Click the Save button to save your custom zone.

 

 

What's Next:

• Add a package*
• Create a Scenario

_{*Packages are required when using parcel service, freight service or integrated service shipping methods that calculate real-time rates from carriers. They are not required for custom service (flat rates, rate tables, free shipping) or local delivery shipping methods.}

 

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