Create An Advanced Blending Rate For Optional Carrier Services

With Intuitive Shipping’s advanced blending feature, you can create multiple blending rules that combine similar service levels such as ground, two-day, and priority across different carriers, or merge services from a single carrier with a custom rate. This ensures customers see consistent and streamlined options at checkout, even when their order is fulfilled by multiple carriers or shipping methods.

 

 

How It Works

If you have products that ship with different carriers or delivery services, Intuitive Shipping makes it easy to blend rates into a single shipping cost using simple blending. But what if you want to give customers the choice between different service levels?

In this guide, we’ll show you how to use advanced blending to create two of the most common types of blended options for carriers with multiple service levels.

First, we’ll walk through blending similar service levels from two different carriers. At checkout, your customers will see up to three service level options:

• Ground (blending FedEx Ground with UPS Ground)

• 2 Day (blending FedEx 2 Day with UPS 2nd Day Air)

• Next Day (blending FedEx Standard Overnight with UPS Next Day Air)

Next, we’ll show you how to blend different carrier service levels from a single carrier with a flat rate. For example, if you offer FedEx Ground, 2-Day, and Standard Overnight for some products and use a custom flat rate for others, customers who order both types of products can be offered three service options:

• Ground (blending FedEx Ground with a flat rate)

• 2 Day (blending FedEx 2- Day with a flat rate)

• Next Day (blending FedEx Standard Overnight with a flat rate)

 

Before you begin either configuration, make sure Intuitive Shipping is set up for advanced blending.

 

 

Configure Advanced Blending

By default, Intuitive Shipping is set to simple blending. This generally works well when you want to blend individual rates from various shipping methods into a single rate at checkout. However, if you want to create more than one blending rule - such as with this example - advanced blending must first be enabled.

1. Click Settings on the sidebar menu, then select General settings from the drop-down list.

 

2. Scroll down to Rate blending, then select Advanced blending.

 

3. Click the Save button to save changes to your general settings.

 

 

Blend Carrier Service Level Options From Multiple Carriers

This setup is useful when you need two (or more) carriers, such as FedEx and UPS, and you’re offering similar service levels for each carrier, such as ground, two-day and overnight delivery.

To learn how to blend multiple carrier service level options with a flat rate, skip ahead to Blend Service Level Options From A Carrier With A Flat Rate.

 

To complete this setup, you’ll need to create one Scenario per product/carrier and each Scenario must have one shipping method per service option. For this example, we’re going to create two Scenarios.

• Scenario 1: Drums and Sets - ships via FedEx, offering Ground, 2 Day and Standard Overnight
• Scenario 2: Drum Sticks and Accessories - ships via UPS, offering Ground, 2nd Day Air and Next Day Air

When a customer orders a drum kit and a set of sticks, you want the customer to have their choice of three service level options:

• Ground - FedEx Ground + UPS Ground

• 2 Day - FedEx 2 Day + UPS 2nd Day Air

• Overnight - FedEx Standard Overnight + UPS Next Day Air

Don’t worry about the various service titles from each carrier. With advanced blending, you can display generic titles like ‘Ground Shipping’ and ‘Overnight Shipping’ whenever blending occurs. We’ll explain how to do that later!

If you don't already have Scenarios configured, you'll need to take care of that first.

 

Create A Blending Rule For The First Service Level

We’re going to start by creating an advanced blending rule for the first service level. For this example, we’ll create a blending rule for ground that combines all shipping methods tagged 'GROUND'. In this case, we’re blending FedEx Ground and UPS Ground.

Advanced blending must be enabled in your General Settings to complete these steps. 

1. Click Shipping on the sidebar menu, then select Rate blending from the drop-down list. 

 

You will be prompted to 'create blending rule.

If you don't see the 'create rate blending rule' prompt, and instead see a blue banner with ‘Simple blending mode active’ displayed at the top of the page, it means advanced blending mode has not been enabled.

 

2. Click Create rate blending rule.

 

General Settings

1. Enter a blended rate title, such as 'Ground'. When multiple shipping methods with blending enabled are activated at checkout, the blended rate title you enter here will appear to customers instead of the individual shipping method titles.

 

2. If you want the blended rate to be available right away, leave the status set to 'On'. If you want to test it first before making it public, set it to 'Test'. Remember to set it to 'On' once you've completed testing.

If your shipping methods are already configured to blend, but the blending rule is in 'Test' mode or turned off, the shipping methods will not blend and will be displayed individually. 

 

Additional Display Settings

Additional display settings for blending titles, descriptions, delivery times and service codes let you control how blended rates are displayed at checkout when rules are activated.

• Delivery times can be set to show the either the slowest or fastest delivery time, or you can choose to set up a unique delivery time that only displays when blending is activated. By default, delivery time blending is set to 'use the slowest delivery time'.

• Titles, descriptions and service codes are combined by default, or you can choose to replace them with unique values that only display when blending is enabled and activated at checkout. (Service codes are not displayed to customers).

To customize the blending rule title, description, delivery time or service code:

1. Click Show additional display settings, then adjust the settings as needed.

 

Blending Mode

1. Select a blending mode.

You have seven (7) settings to choose from:

• Add shipping method costs together - costs in all activated shipping methods with rate blending enabled will be added together and displayed as a single shipping cost at checkout. This is the default setting.
• Best value shipping method - the rate with the best overall value in all activated shipping methods with rate blending enabled will be displayed at checkout.
• Least expensive shipping method - the rate with the lowest cost in all activated shipping methods with rate blending enabled will be displayed at checkout.
• Most expensive shipping method - the rate with the highest cost in all activated shipping methods with rate blending enabled will be displayed at checkout.
• Average shipping method costs together - the average cost for all activated shipping methods with rate blending enabled will be displayed at checkout.
• Fastest delivery shipping method - the rate with the fastest delivery method in all activated shipping methods with rate blending enabled will be displayed at checkout.
• Slowest delivery shipping method - the rate with the slowest delivery method in all activated shipping methods with rate blending enabled will be displayed at checkout.

For this example, we're using the default setting - 'Add shipping method costs together'.

 

2. Enter a blending group tag. For this example, we're using 'GROUND'.

Intuitive Shipping uses a tag system to identify the shipping methods being blended with an advanced blending rule. Tags can be almost anything, but we recommend keeping them simple and easy to remember - like the letter ‘A’ or the word 'GROUND'. The tag ‘A’ is preloaded by default and can be changed if needed.

To keep things simple, we recommend using the same tag for all shipping methods you want to blend together. 

 

Advanced Blending Settings

Advanced settings for blending conditions let you control how rates are displayed when some of the shipping methods in the blending rule don't return a rate. By default, all shipping methods in the blended rate must return a cost. That means, if any of the shipping methods don't return a rate, shipping will not be displayed at checkout. For this example, we're using the default settings.

To customize the blending rule behaviour when rates aren't returned:

1. If desired, click Show advanced blending settings, then adjust the settings as needed.

 

Optional Settings

Optional cost adjustment settings for cost limits, discounts, mark ups and rounding give you further control of your blended rates at checkout. These settings are not required.

• Cost limits can help prevent customers from paying too much or too little for shipping when the blended rate goes above or below a threshold.
• Discounts let you offer a reduced shipping cost when rates from mutiple shipping methods are blended together.
• Mark ups give you the ability to add a premium to blended costs, such as offsetting additional warehouse costs attributed to packing and shipping different products.
• Rounding allows you to present a clean, evenly rounded number at checkout when the actual blended rate results in an odd or unusual number. By default, rounding is set to 'Do not apply rounding'.

These settings are not required for this setup.

1. Click Show optional settings, then adjust the settings as needed.

 

Save Your Settings

1. Click the Save button to save your first blending rule.

 

2. At the top of the page, click the back button above the blending rule header. 

 

Create A Blending Rule For The Second Service Level

1. Click the Create rate blending rule button.

 

2. Repeat all of the steps from the first service level blending rule section to create a second blending rule.

Be sure to enter a different title at Step 1 of the 'General Settings' section, liked '2 Day' or '2 Day Shipping'.

Be sure to enter a different blending group tag at Step 2 of the 'Blending Mode' section. For this example, we're using the tag '2DAY'.

 

 

Create A Blending Rule For The Third Service Level

1. Click the Create rate blending rule button.

 

2. Once again, repeat all of the steps from the first service level blending rule section to create a third rule.

Be sure to enter a different title at Step 1 of the 'General Settings' section, liked 'Next Day' or 'Next Day Shipping'.

Be sure to enter a different blending group tag at Step 2 of the 'Blending Mode' section. For this example, we're using the tag 'NEXTDAY'.

 

We now have three blending rules - 'Ground', '2-Day' and 'Next Day'.

 

Create A Ground Shipping Method For The First Carrier

Once you've created all of your blending rules, you'll need to create or modify shipping methods to work with the blending rules. Since we're blending 3 different service levels from 2 carriers, we'll need to create 3 shipping methods for the same carrier within each Scenario - each with just one service selected.

For this example, we’re starting by creating a new parcel service shipping method for FedEx Ground, which will be blended with UPS Ground.

1. Click Shipping on the sidebar menu, then select Scenarios from the drop-down list.

 

2. Click Edit beside the Scenario that will use your first carrier. For this example, we're selecting the Scenario for 'Drums and Sets', which will use FedEx for shipping.

 

3. Scroll to the bottom, then click the Create shipping method button.

Please note: For this setup to work properly, your parcel service shipping method must only have one service selected, such as FedEx Ground. If you select more than one service, like FedEx Ground and FedEx Economy, both services will blend with the other carrier, which may result in a much higher shipping rate than expected.

If you already created a parcel service shipping method for your first carrier, you can leave it as is, provided only one service has been selected.

 

Select A Parcel Service

1. Click the downward arrow beside ‘Parcel services’ to display a list of live rate carriers.

 

2. Select a carrier from the list. For this example, we're selecting FedEx OAuth.

 

3. Click the Next button.

 

4. Select a zone. If you have a lot of zones, type the zone name into the search field to narrow the list.

 

5. Click the Configure shipping button.

 

General

1. Enter a shipping method title like ‘FedEx Ground’ or ‘FedEx Ground Only’. 

 

2. Select the title type. For this example, we're selecting 'Service title provided by carrier'

You have two (2) settings to choose from:

• Service title provided by carrier - The service title returned by the carrier during rate calculation will be the shipping method title displayed at checkout. This is the default setting.
• Use the shipping method title - The shipping method title entered in the previous step will be displayed at checkout.

Please note: For this example setup, we're selecting 'Service title provided by carrier'. The service title provided by FedEx will only be shown when a customer orders drums or sets. If their order includes drums/sets and sticks/accessories products, which activates the blending rules, the blending rule titles set up earlier will override the title provided by FedEx.

 

3. Set the shipping method status to 'On'. 

 

4. If desired, enter a description.

Descriptions are displayed below the shipping method title at checkout.

 

Additional Display Settings

Additional display settings are available for custom delivery times, order processing time and service codes.

• Delivery times are displayed at checkout and help manage expectations for customers.
• Order processing time lets you add buffer time to start the fulfillment process, if the products can't be packaged, picked or completed the same day the order is received.
• Service codes are not displayed to customers, but get pushed to your fulfilment service, if applicable, once a checkout is successfully completed.

To configure delivery times, order processing times and service codes:

1. Click Show additional display settings, then adjust the settings as needed.

 

Packages

You can control how the customer’s order is packaged by choosing a packing algorithm and assigning the packages you want this shipping method to use.

1. Select a packing algorithm. 

 

Shipping Origin

Carrier rates can be calculated using the primary location set up in your eCommerce platform or a custom location saved in Intuitive Shipping. This is useful if you ship products from different retail or warehouse locations.

1. Select a ship from location. 

You have two (2) settings to choose from:

• Dynamic origin location - carrier rates for the shipping method will be calculated based on the distance between the customer’s address and your primary eCommerce platform address. This is the default setting.
• Specify origin location - carrier rates for the shipping method will be calculated based on the saved address selected.

If you need a location that isn't listed, you can add it directly from the shipping method. 

 

Account

If you have an account with the carrier you selected for your parcel service shipping method, you can use it to access your discounted or negotiated rates. If you’ve already connected your carrier account to Intuitive Shipping, it will appear under 'Carrier accounts' as a selectable option.

Some carriers also offer standard retail rates, which are available to anyone without needing an account. If the selected carrier provides retail rates, a ‘Standard retail rates’ option will appear under 'Carrier accounts' and be selected by default. If the carrier doesn’t offer retail rates, no option will be shown.

 

1. Select a carrier account or use standard retail rates, if available. For this example, we're selecting our FedEx account. 

Because our example uses a FedEx OAuth shipping method, only FedEx accounts that have been added to Intuitive Shipping will be displayed as selectable options - there is no 'standard retail rates' option. If no account is displayed, you can add your account details directly from the shipping method.

 

Services

1. Select one carrier service for first service level option. For this example, we’re selecting 'FedEx Ground' in Domestic services.

If a customer lives at an address where Ground is not offered by FedEx, no shipping method will be displayed at checkout. If blending is activated, it may cause the blended rate to fail, depending on your advanced blending settings.

 

Additional service settings are available to filter services.

 

Optional Settings

Optional settings for carrier settings, fallback rating, cost adjustments, free shipping, custom shipping blending and rate blending give you further control of your shipping rates at checkout. With the exception of rate blending - these settings are not required for this setup, but can be adjusted if needed.

• Carrier settings provide additional controls, such as address type (residential or commercial) and package insurance, allowing you to match the settings used at the fulfillment stage. 
• Carrier service fallback rating can be enabled to ensure your customers receives a shipping rate at checkout even when rate request times out.
• Cost adjustments let you fully customize the final cost presented at checkout, regardless of the original rate calculation.
• Free shipping allows you to set a threshold for when free shipping is applicable on carts that would otherwise be charged for shipping.
• Custom shipping blending gives you the option to blend rates from the shipping method with product-specific shipping costs.
• Rate blending lets you combine rates from one shipping method with other shipping methods using simple or advanced blending. 

 

For this example, rate blending is required.

1. Click Show optional settings.

 

Rate Blending

1. Scroll down to the Rate blending section, then select 'Blend with other rates'.

 

2. Enter the Blending group tag you used for your first blending rule. All shipping methods with the same blending group tag, regardless of the type of shipping method, will be blended together based on the rate blending rules. For this example, our blending group tag is 'GROUND'.

 

Save Your Settings

1. Click the Save button to save your first carrier shipping method.

 

Create A 2-Day Shipping Method For The First Carrier

Next, you'll need to create another shipping method for the same carrier within the same Scenario - this time selecting a different service. For this example, we’re creating another new parcel service shipping method for FedEx 2-Day, which will be blended with UPS 2nd Day Air.

To simplify the process, you can duplicate the first shipping method, then edit the title, carrier service option and blending group tag, so you don’t have create a new shipping method from scratch.

1. After saving your first shipping method, scroll to the top of the page, then click Duplicate below the shipping method heading. This will create an exact copy of the original shipping method.

 

2. Select the same zone the original shipping method is assigned to.

 

3. Click the Duplicate button.

 

4. Change the shipping method title from ‘Copy of [original title]’ to something else, like 'FedEx 2 Day' or 'FedEx 2 Day Only'.

 

For consistency, we recommend leaving the remaining General settings, along with all the settings for Packages, Shipping origin and Account as they were copied. However, you can make changes if needed.

 

Services

1. Deselect the original service, then select one difference service. For this example, we're deselecting 'Ground' and selecting '2 Day'.

If a customer lives at an address where 2 Day is not offered by FedEx, no shipping method will be displayed at checkout. If blending is activated, it may cause the blended rate to fail, depending on your advanced blending settings.

 

Optional Settings

1. Click Show optional settings.

 

Rate Blending

1. Scroll down to the Rate blending section.

 

2. Enter the Blending group tag you used for your second blending rule. All shipping methods with the same blending group tag, regardless of the type of shipping method, will be blended together based on the rate blending rules. For this example, our blending group tag is '2DAY'.

 

Save Your Settings

1. Click the Save button to save your second carrier shipping method.

 

Create An Overnight Shipping Method For The First Carrier

You'll need to create one more shipping method for the same carrier within the same Scenario - once again selecting a different service. For this example, we’re creating another new parcel service shipping method for FedEx Standard Overnight, which will be blended with UPS Next Day Air.

To simplify the process, you can duplicate the second shipping method, then edit the title, carrier service option and blending group tag, so you don’t have create a new shipping method from scratch.

1. After saving your second shipping method, scroll to the top of the page, then click Duplicate below the shipping method heading. This will create an exact copy of the second shipping method.

 

2. Select the same zone the first two shipping methods are assigned to.

 

3. Click the Duplicate button.

 

4. Change the shipping method title from ‘Copy of [original title]’ to something else, like 'FedEx Overnight' or 'FedEx Overnight Only'.

 

For consistency, we recommend leaving the remaining General settings, along with all the settings for Packages, Shipping origin and Account as they were copied. However, you can make changes if needed.

 

Services

1. Deselect the original service, then select one difference service. For this example, we're deselecting '2 Day' and selecting 'Standard Overnight'.

If a customer lives at an address where Standard Overnight is not offered by FedEx, no shipping method will be displayed at checkout. If blending is activated, it may cause the blended rate to fail, depending on your advanced blending settings.

 

Optional Settings

1. Click Show optional settings.

 

Rate Blending

1. Scroll down to the Rate blending section.

 

2. Enter the Blending group tag you used for your third blending rule. All shipping methods with the same blending group tag, regardless of the type of shipping method, will be blended together based on the rate blending rules. For this example, our blending group tag is 'NEXTDAY'.

 

Save Your Settings

1. Click the Save button to save your third carrier shipping method.

 

We now have three shipping methods for FedEx - 'Ground', '2 Day' and 'Overnight'. Each one includes a single carrier service which is configured to blend with other shipping methods with the same blending group tags.

 

Create Shipping Methods For The Second Carrier

Once you have created shipping methods for your first carrier, you'll need to repeat the process for your second carrier.

1. Repeat all of the steps for the first, second and third shipping methods created for the first carrier.

• Services - Be sure to select only one service per shipping method.
• Match services - Choose services that correspond to those configured for your first carrier. For example, if your first carrier was configured for ground, 2-day, and overnight/next-day services, select the equivalent services for your second carrier.
• Blending - Apply the same blending group tags used for your first carrier. For instance, if your first carrier’s methods use ‘GROUND’, ‘2DAY’, and ‘NEXTDAY’, enter those same tags for your second carrier’s equivalent shipping methods.

 

For this setup example, we added 3 equivalent UPS shipping methods to our Sticks and Accessories Scenario.

Each UPS shipping method corresponds to a FedEx shipping method created in our Drums and Sets Scenario.

When a customer orders drums/sets only, they'll have the option to choose from FedEx Ground, 2-Day or Standard Overnight services at checkout.

If they order sticks/accessories only, they'll have the option to choose from UPS Ground, 2nd Day Air or Next Day Air services at checkout.

If they order drums and sticks, they'll have the option to choose from:

• 'Ground' - FedEx Ground blended with UPS Ground
• '2-Day' - FedEx 2 Day blended with UPS 2nd Day Air
• 'Next Day' - FedEx Standard Overnight blended with UPS Next Day Air

 

 

 

Blend Carrier Service Level Options With A Flat Rate

This setup is similar to the first and requires most of the same steps, except that it blends multiple service options from one carrier with a single flat rate shipping method, so you will not need to create multiple shipping methods for a second carrier.

If you prefer to blend various real-time carrier service options from a carrier with another type of custom shipping method, like a rate table or a local delivery shipping method, the setup process below is virtually the same. We’ll explain what’s different.

For this example, we’re creating the same three FedEx shipping methods within the Drums and Sets Scenario. Instead of equivalent shipping methods for a second carrier in our Sticks and Accessories Scenario, we're creating a custom flat rate that can blend with all three FedEx service options.

 

Create A Blending Rule For The First Service Level

Advanced blending must be enabled in your General Settings to complete these steps. 

1. Click Shipping on the sidebar menu, then select Rate blending from the drop-down list. 

 

You will be prompted to 'create blending rule.

If you don't see the 'create rate blending rule' prompt, and instead see a blue banner with ‘Simple blending mode active’ displayed at the top of the page, it means advanced blending mode has not been enabled.

 

2. Click Create rate blending rule.

 

General Settings

1. Enter a blended rate title, such as 'Ground'. When multiple shipping methods with blending enabled are activated at checkout, the blended rate title you enter here will appear to customers instead of the individual shipping method titles.

 

2. If you want the blended rate to be available right away, leave the status set to 'On'. If you want to test it first before making it public, set it to 'Test'. Remember to set it to 'On' once you've completed testing.

If your shipping methods are already configured to blend, but the blending rule is in 'Test' mode or turned off, the shipping methods will not blend and will be displayed individually. 

 

Additional Display Settings

Additional display settings for blending titles, descriptions, delivery times and service codes let you control how blended rates are displayed at checkout when rules are activated.

• Delivery times can be set to show the either the slowest or fastest delivery time. Or, you can choose to set up a unique delivery time that only displays when blending is activated. By default, delivery time blending is set to 'use the slowest delivery time'.

• Titles, descriptions and service codes are combined by default, or you can choose to replace them with unique values that only display when blending is enabled and activated at checkout. (Service codes are not displayed to customers).

To customize the blending rule title, description, delivery time or service code:

1. Click Show additional display settings, then adjust the settings as needed.

 

Blending Mode

1. Select a blending mode.

You have seven (7) settings to choose from:

• Add shipping method costs together - costs in all activated shipping methods with rate blending enabled will be added together and displayed as a single shipping cost at checkout. This is the default setting.
• Best value shipping method - the rate with the best overall value in all activated shipping methods with rate blending enabled will be displayed at checkout.
• Least expensive shipping method - the rate with the lowest cost in all activated shipping methods with rate blending enabled will be displayed at checkout.
• Most expensive shipping method - the rate with the highest cost in all activated shipping methods with rate blending enabled will be displayed at checkout.
• Average shipping method costs together - the average cost for all activated shipping methods with rate blending enabled will be displayed at checkout.
• Fastest delivery shipping method - the rate with the fastest delivery method in all activated shipping methods with rate blending enabled will be displayed at checkout.
• Slowest delivery shipping method - the rate with the slowest delivery method in all activated shipping methods with rate blending enabled will be displayed at checkout.

For this example, we're using the default setting - 'Add shipping method costs together'.

 

 

2. Enter a blending group tag. For this example, we're using 'GROUND'.

Intuitive Shipping uses a tag system to identify the shipping methods being blended with an advanced blending rule. Tags can be almost anything, but we recommend keeping them simple and easy to remember - like the letter ‘A’ or the word 'GROUND'. The tag ‘A’ is preloaded by default and can be changed if needed.

To keep things simple, we recommend using the same tag for all shipping methods you want to blend together. 

 

Advanced Blending Settings

Advanced settings for blending conditions let you control how rates are displayed when some of the shipping methods in the blending rule don't return a rate. By default, all shipping methods in the blended rate must return a cost. That means, if any of the shipping methods don't return a rate, shipping will not be displayed at checkout. For this example, we're using the default settings.

To customize the blending rule behaviour when rates aren't returned:

1. Click Show advanced blending settings, then adjust the settings as needed.

 

Optional Settings

Optional cost adjustment settings for cost limits, discounts, mark ups and rounding give you further control of your blended rates at checkout. These settings are not required.

• Cost limits can help prevent customers from paying too much or too little for shipping when the blended rate goes above or below a threshold.
• Discounts let you offer a reduced shipping cost when rates from mutiple shipping methods are blended together.
• Mark ups give you the ability to add a premium to blended costs, such as offsetting additional warehouse costs attributed to packing and shipping different products.
• Rounding allows you to present a clean, evenly rounded number at checkout when the actual blended rate results in an odd or unusual number. By default, rounding is set to 'Do not apply rounding'.

These settings are not required for this setup.

1. Click Show optional settings, then adjust the settings as needed.

 

Save Your Settings

1. Click the Save button to save the changes to your first blending rule.

 

2. At the top of the page, click the back button above the blending rule header. 

 

 

Create A Blending Rule For The Second Service Level

1. Click the Create rate blending rule button.

 

2. Repeat all of the steps from the first service level blending rule section to create a second blending rule.

Be sure to enter a different title at Step 1 of the 'General Settings' section, liked '2 Day' or '2 Day Shipping'.

Be sure to enter a different blending group tag at Step 2 of the 'Blending Mode' section. For this example, we're using the tag '2DAY'.

 

Create A Blending Rule For The Third Service Level

1. Click the Create rate blending rule button.

 

2. Once again, repeat all of the steps from the first service level blending rule section to create a third rule.

Be sure to enter a different title at Step 1 of the 'General Settings' section, liked 'Next Day' or 'Next Day Shipping'.

Be sure to enter a different blending group tag at Step 2 of the 'Blending Mode' section. For this example, we're using the tag 'NEXTDAY'.

 

We now have three blending rules - 'Ground', '2-Day' and 'Next Day'.

 

 

Create A Ground Shipping Method For The First Carrier

Once you've created all of your blending rules, you'll need to create or modify shipping methods to work with the blending rules. Since we're blending 3 different service levels from 2 carriers, we'll need to create 3 shipping methods for the same carrier within each Scenario - each with just one service selected.

For this example, we’re starting by creating a new parcel service shipping method for FedEx Ground, which will be blended with our custom flat rate.

1. Click Shipping on the sidebar menu, then select Scenarios from the drop-down list.

 

2. Click Edit beside the Scenario that will use live rates from your carrier. For this example, we're selecting the Scenario for 'Drums and Sets', which will use FedEx for shipping.

 

3. Scroll to the bottom, then click the Create shipping method button.

Please note: For this setup to work properly, your parcel service shipping method must only have one service selected, such as FedEx Ground. If you select more than one service, like FedEx Ground and FedEx Economy, both services will blend with the other carrier, which may result in a much higher shipping rate than expected.

If you already created a parcel service shipping method for your first carrier, you can leave it as is, provided only one service has been selected.

 

Select A Parcel Service

1. Click the downward arrow beside ‘Parcel services’ to display a list of live rate carriers.

 

2. Select the first carrier from the list. For this example, we're selecting FedEx OAuth.

 

3. Click the Next button.

 

4. Select a zone. If you have a lot of zones, type the zone name into the search field to narrow the list.

 

5. Click the Configure shipping button.

 

General

1. Enter a shipping method title like ‘FedEx Ground’ or ‘FedEx Ground Only’. 

 

2. Select the title type. For this example, we're selecting 'Service title provided by carrier'

You have two (2) settings to choose from:

• Service title provided by carrier - The service title returned by the carrier during rate calculation will be the shipping method title displayed at checkout. This is the default setting.
• Use the shipping method title - The shipping method title entered in the previous step will be displayed at checkout.

Please note: For this example setup, we're selecting 'Service title provided by carrier'. The service title provided by FedEx will only be shown when a customer orders drums or sets. If their order includes drums/sets and sticks/accessories products, which activates the blending rules, the blending rule titles set up earlier will override the title provided by FedEx.

 

3. Set the shipping method status to 'On'. 

 

4. If desired, enter a description.

Descriptions are displayed below the shipping method title at checkout.

 

Additional Display Settings

Additional display settings are available for custom delivery times, order processing time and service codes.

• Delivery times are displayed at checkout and help manage expectations for customers.
• Order processing time lets you add buffer time to start the fulfillment process, if the products can't be packaged, picked or completed the same day the order is received.
• Service codes are not displayed to customers, but get pushed to your fulfilment service, if applicable, once a checkout is successfully completed.

To configure delivery times, order processing times and service codes:

1. Click Show additional display settings, then adjust the settings as needed.

 

Packages

You can control how the customer’s order is packaged by choosing a packing algorithm and assigning the packages you want this shipping method to use.

1. Select a packing algorithm. 

 

Shipping Origin

Carrier rates can be calculated using the primary location set up in your eCommerce platform or a custom location saved in Intuitive Shipping. This is useful if you ship products from different retail or warehouse locations.

1. Select the ship from location for the controlled shipping method. 

You have two (2) settings to choose from:

• Dynamic origin location - carrier rates for the shipping method will be calculated based on the distance between the customer’s address and your primary eCommerce platform address. This is the default setting.
• Specify origin location - carrier rates for the shipping method will be calculated based on the saved address selected.

If you need a location that isn't listed, you can add it directly from the shipping method. 

 

Account

If you have an account with the carrier you selected for your parcel service shipping method, you can use it to access your discounted or negotiated rates. If you’ve already connected your carrier account to Intuitive Shipping, it will appear under 'Carrier accounts' as a selectable option.

Some carriers also offer standard retail rates, which are available to anyone without needing an account. If the selected carrier provides retail rates, a ‘Standard retail rates’ option will appear under 'Carrier accounts' and be selected by default. If the carrier doesn’t offer retail rates, no option will be shown.

 

1. Select a carrier account or use standard retail rates, if available. For this example, we're selecting our FedEx account. 

Because our example uses a FedEx OAuth shipping method, only FedEx accounts that have been added to Intuitive Shipping will be displayed as selectable options - there is no 'standard retail rates' option. If no account is displayed, you can add your account details directly from the shipping method.

 

Services

1. Select one carrier service for first service level option. For this example, we’re selecting 'FedEx Ground' in Domestic services.

If a customer lives at an address where Ground is not offered by FedEx, no shipping method will be displayed at checkout. If blending is activated, it may cause the blended rate to fail, depending on your advanced blending settings.

 

Additional service settings are available to filter services.

 

Optional Settings

Optional settings for carrier settings, fallback rating, cost adjustments, free shipping, custom shipping blending and rate blending give you further control of your custom shipping rates at checkout. With the exception of rate blending - these settings are not required for this setup, but can be adjusted if needed.

• Carrier settings provide additional controls, such as address type (residential or commercial) and package insurance, allowing you to match the settings used at the fulfillment stage. 
• Carrier service fallback rating can be enabled to ensure your customers receives a shipping rate at checkout even when rate request times out.
• Cost adjustments let you fully customize the final cost presented at checkout, regardless of the original rate calculation.
• Free shipping allows you to set a threshold for when free shipping is applicable on carts that would otherwise be charged for shipping.
• Custom shipping blending gives you the option to blend rates from the shipping method with product-specific shipping costs.
• Rate blending lets you combine rates from one shipping method with other shipping methods using simple or advanced blending. 

 

For this example, rate blending is required.

1. Click Show optional settings.

 

Rate Blending

1. Scroll down to the Rate blending section, then select 'Blend with other rates'.

 

2. Enter the Blending group tag you used for your first blending rule. All shipping methods with the same blending group tag, regardless of the type of shipping method, will be blended together based on the rate blending rules. For this example, our blending group tag is 'GROUND'.

 

Save Your Settings

1. Click the Save button to save your first carrier shipping method.

 

Create A 2-Day Shipping Method For The First Carrier

Next, you'll need to create another shipping method for the same carrier within the same Scenario - this time selecting a different service. For this example, we’re creating another new parcel service shipping method for FedEx 2-Day, which will be blended with our custom flat rate.

To simplify the process, you can duplicate the first shipping method, then edit the title, carrier service option and blending group tag, so you don’t have create a new shipping method from scratch.

1. After saving your first shipping method, scroll to the top of the page, then click Duplicate below the shipping method heading. This will create an exact copy of the original shipping method.

 

2. Select the same zone the original shipping method is assigned to.

 

3. Click the Duplicate button.

 

4. Change the shipping method title from ‘Copy of [original title]’ to something else, like 'FedEx 2 Day' or 'FedEx 2 Day Only'.

 

For consistency, we recommend leaving the remaining General settings, along with all the settings for Packages, Shipping origin and Account as they were copied. However, you can make changes if needed.

 

Services

1. Deselect the original service, then select one difference service. For this example, we're deselecting 'Ground' and selecting '2 Day'.

If a customer lives at an address where 2 Day is not offered by FedEx, no shipping method will be displayed at checkout. If blending is activated, it may cause the blended rate to fail, depending on your advanced blending settings.

 

Optional Settings

1. Click Show optional settings.

 

Rate Blending

1. Scroll down to the Rate blending section.

 

2. Enter the Blending group tag you used for your second blending rule. All shipping methods with the same blending group tag, regardless of the type of shipping method, will be blended together based on the rate blending rules. For this example, our blending group tag is '2DAY'.

 

Save Your Settings

1. Click the Save button to save your second carrier shipping method.

 

Create An Overnight Shipping Method For The First Carrier

You'll need to create one more shipping method for the same carrier within the same Scenario - once again selecting a different service. For this example, we’re creating another new parcel service shipping method for FedEx Overnight, which will be blended with our custom flat rate.

To simplify the process, you can duplicate the second shipping method, then edit the title, carrier service option and blending group tag, so you don’t have create a new shipping method from scratch.

1. After saving your second shipping method, scroll to the top of the page, then click Duplicate below the shipping method heading. This will create an exact copy of the second shipping method.

 

2. Select the same zone the first two shipping methods are assigned to.

 

3. Click the Duplicate button.

 

4. Change the shipping method title from ‘Copy of [original title]’ to something else, like 'FedEx Overnight' or 'FedEx Overnight Only'.

 

For consistency, we recommend leaving the remaining General settings, along with all the settings for Packages, Shipping origin and Account as they were copied. However, you can make changes if needed.

 

Services

1. Deselect the original service, then select one difference service. For this example, we're deselecting '2 Day' and selecting 'Standard Overnight'.

If a customer lives at an address where Standard Overnight is not offered by FedEx, no shipping method will be displayed at checkout. If blending is activated, it may cause the blended rate to fail, depending on your advanced blending settings.

 

Optional Settings

1. Click Show optional settings.

 

Rate Blending

1. Scroll down to the Rate blending section.

 

2. Enter the Blending group tag you used for your third blending rule. All shipping methods with the same blending group tag, regardless of the type of shipping method, will be blended together based on the rate blending rules. For this example, our blending group tag is 'NEXTDAY'.

 

Save Your Settings

1. Click the Save button to save your third carrier shipping method.

 

We now have three shipping methods for FedEx - 'Ground', '2 Day' and 'Overnight'. Each one includes a single carrier service which is configured to blend with other shipping methods with the same blending group tag.

 

Create A Custom Shipping Method With A Flat Rate

Once you have your blending rules configured and you've created carrier service shipping methods, you'll need to create a custom shipping method in your second product Scenario. 

1. Click Shipping on the sidebar menu, then select Scenarios from the drop-down list.

 

2. Click Edit beside the Scenario that will use your custom rate. For this example, we're selecting the Scenario for 'Sticks and Accessories', which will use a flat rate (single rate row). We previously added 3 carrier service shipping methods to 'Drums and Sets', each with one service level option.

 

3. Scroll to the bottom, then click the Create shipping method button.

 

Select A Custom Shipping Service

1. Leave 'Custom shipping rates' selected. If you prefer to blend carrier service options with costs based on distance, select 'Local delivery'.

Please note: If you choose 'Local delivery' instead of 'Custom shipping rates', a Google API account is required.

 

2. Click the Next button at the bottom of the pop-up.

 

3. Select the same zone the parcel service shipping methods were assigned to.

 

4. Click the Configure shipping button.

 

General

1. Enter a shipping method title. Depending on your advanced blending additional display settings, the title entered here will only be displayed when the shipping method is not blended with the carrier services.

 

2. Set the shipping method status to 'On'.

3. If desired, enter a description. We recommend limiting your description to 90 characters or less to ensure it displays properly on the checkout page.

 

Descriptions are displayed below the shipping method title at checkout.

 

Additional Display Settings

Additional display settings are available for custom delivery times and service codes.

• Delivery times are displayed at checkout and help manage expectations for customers.
• Service codes are not displayed to customers, but get pushed to your fulfilment service, if applicable, once a checkout is successfully completed.

 

If you require delivery times and service codes:

1. Click Show additional display settings, then adjust the settings as needed.

 

Shipping Cost

1. Select a rate type to determine how custom rates will be calculated based on the contents of the customer's cart.

You have four (4) settings to choose from:

• Quantity - the shipping rate is calculated based on the number of items in the cart. This is the default setting.
• Weight - the shipping rate is calculated based on the combined weight of the items in the cart.
• Total - the shipping rate is calculated based on the combined sub-totals of the products in the cart.
• Dimensional volume - the shipping rate is calculated based on the combined dimensional volume of the items in the cart.

For this example, we’re setting up a single flat rate with no limit, meaning the same flat rate applies to anything in the cart that meets the Scenario’s conditions. Because of this, the rate type is irrelevant and can be left on the default setting. A single flat rate with no limit will always display the same cost, regardless of the rate type.

Please note: If you're creating a local delivery shipping method instead of a custom shipping method, rate type - and rate grouping (Step 2) - cannot be selected since rates can only be based on distance.

 

2. Leave rate grouping set to 'Combine products'. This means the shipping rate will calculated based on a combination of all products that pass product filtering in the Scenario (the default filter setting for this example is 'Match product conditions')

 

3. Enter the up to amount. For this example, we’re entering the ~ (tilde) symbol as the ‘up to’ limit. In Intuitive Shipping, the ~ symbol means ‘no limit’. If you're creating a rate table with multiple rate rows, enter the upper limit for the first rate row on your rate table. This is the limit for the first cost entered in Step 4.

For example, if you selected Quantity in Step 1, the 'up to' limit is based on the number of items in the cart.

Please note: If you're creating a local delivery shipping method instead of a custom shipping method, the ‘Up to’ limit is based on distance, either miles (mi) or kilometers (km), depending on what you selected in your general settings. We recommend entering a specific value (instead of the ~ tilde) whether you’re creating a single flat rate row or a rate table with multiple rows.

 

4. Enter the cost of shipping for this rate row. If the customer's cart amount is within the limit set in the previous step, this is the shipping cost that will be blended with your carrier service level options or the cost that will be displayed at checkout if blending isn't required. Enter the number with or without decimals, such as '10' or '10.00'. For this example, we're entering '10' ($10.00)

• Flat rates (single rate row): Enter the flat cost.
• Rate tables (multiple rate rows): Enter the cost that applies to the 'up to' limit of this row.

 

5. Leave the Per unit field blank.

This setting is optional and only needed for this setup if your custom rates have per unit charges. For example, if shipping is $2.00 per item, enter a cost of ‘2’ and a per unit value of ‘1’. A customer ordering 8 items would pay $16.00 for shipping at checkout.

 

If you're creating a rate table with multiple rate rows, you'll need to click 'Add rate row', then repeat Steps 3-5 for each additional row.

 

Additional Shipping Cost Settings

Additional settings are available for cart splitting and rate table blending.

• Cart splitting can be used with a single row or multiple rate rows and allows you to charge extra when the highest 'up to' limit is exceeded, rather than preventing the customer from checking out.
• Rates table blending can only be used with multiple rate rows and allows you to charge compounding rates as each 'up to' limit on the table is exceeded. This is useful when you need to combine costs for larger orders, but a "per unit" cost setup isn't suitable because the costs are not simple multiples of each other.

Please note: If any of your rate rows use the ~ tilde symbol (no limit), cart splitting will not work since the highest 'up to' limit can never be exceeded. You must have defined limits for all rate rows for cart splitting to work as intended. If you're creating a single rate row, similar to our example setup, 'Rates table blending' will not work.

1. Click Show additional shipping cost settings, then adjust the settings as needed. 

 

Optional Settings

Optional settings for cost adjustments, free shipping, custom shipping blending and rate blending give you further control of your custom shipping rates at checkout. Most of these settings can be adjusted only if desired, except for rate blending, which is required for this setup.

• Cost adjustments let you fully customize the final cost presented at checkout, regardless of the original rate calculation.
• Free shipping allows you to set a threshold for when free shipping is applicable on carts that would otherwise be charged for shipping.
• Custom shipping blending gives you the option to blend rates from the shipping method with product-specific shipping costs.
• Rate blending lets you combine rates from one shipping method with other shipping methods using simple or advanced blending.

 

To configure optional settings:

1. Click Show optional settings.

 

Rate Blending

Rate blending is required for this setup. It ensures that the custom rate from this shipping method blends with all of the carrier services created earlier.

1. Select Blend with other rates.

 

2. Enter all of the blending group tags you used for your first, second and third blending rules, separated by comma. For this example, our blending group tags are 'GROUND, 2DAY, NEXTDAY'. This will allow our custom rate to blend with each of the carrier service levels similtaneously.

For example, if your flat rate is $10.00, and a customer orders both drums/sets and sticks/accessories products:

• If FedEx returns a Ground rate of $19.50, the blended Ground rate will be $29.50.
• If FedEx returns a 2-Day rate of $32.80, the blended 2-Day rate will be $42.80.
• If FedEx returns a Standard Overnight rate of $51.50, the blended Next Day/Overnight rate will be $61.50.

 

Save Your Settings

1. Click the Save button to save your custom service shipping method.

 

 

Learn more:

• Common setups
• Additional setups
• How-to guides
• Connect a carrier
• General info
• FAQ