Shopify Shipping Policy Template: A Must-Have for E-commerce Success

The implementation of a Shopify shipping policy template is necessary when creating a store. A transparent Shopify shipping policy is among the most effective means of establishing consumer confidence. Nevertheless, should you remain uncertain about the formulation of a judicious shipping policy, this article will provide you with components and how to create a Shopify shipping policy template.

Overview of Shopify Shipping Policy

In this part, we will discuss some overview information on the Shopify Shipping Policy Template, including its definition and why it is important.

What is the Shopify Shipping Policy?

In general, the Shopify Shipping Policy is a legal requirement that every online store must have. It aims to inform customers of all needed information related to the order’s delivery. Normally, a Shopify shipping policy template will provide this information: shipping costs, delivery times, tracking options, returns and refunds, and more.

Why You Need a Shipping Policy

You should have a transparent shipping policy if you want to build trust and loyalty with customers. Moreover, a good shipping policy is also a way to avoid confusion, disputes, and negative feedback that relate to the logistics process. Here are some of the benefits of having a good Shopify shopping policy template that every shop owner should know:

• Protect your brand: Shipping policy pages not only give your customers all the shipping information they need, but they also show important store policies about returns, damages, foreign exchange, and doing business with other countries. New retail marketing data shows that about 60% of online shoppers look for a return policy before they buy something. This means that shops that include reverse logistics in their shipping policy document will make more money.
  
• Setting clear expectations for customers: A Shopify shopping policy template helps to clear standards from the start and helps buyers have a good experience by letting them know how your business works. When your customers know how your orders are filled, they can be sure that their things won’t get lost or stolen. But if they do, you have a plan to fix the problem.
• Boosting your credibility and reputation: A shipping policy that is easy to understand shows that an online store is real, trustworthy, and open, which is very important for building trust. It helps people who might buy something imagine how the delivery will work before they buy. Being clear in the policy about sending times and procedures can greatly increase conversion rates. Up to 47% of customers who are transparent end up buying from you again. People are much more likely to buy something and come back to shop again if they know what to expect from an order in terms of shipping and arrival. A shipping policy that is clear and understood builds trust and gives a business a big edge over its competitors.
• Increasing sales and retention: A Shopify shopping policy template can help you boost sales and make customers stay with you. A clear shopping policy can make customers feel that your shop is safe to buy and not feel reluctant when shopping.  Also, if your customers are happy with your service and rules, they will be more likely to stick with you and tell their friends about you.

Components of a Shopify Shipping Policy

A well-prepared Shopify Shipping Policy Template must contain some elements, which are shipping methods and timeframes, shipping costs and fees, order processing and fulfillment, type of shipping, returns and exchanges, and restrictions. Details of each element will be mentioned in this part.

Shipping Methods and Timeframes

The method is something you need to tell your customers along with the prices in the Shopify shipping template. Because you will be able to offer more than one shipping method, like standard, express, or foreign shipping, make sure you list them all and include the estimated arrival times for each. It is also important to tell customers about the estimated receiving day and things that could affect the estimated time, such as holidays and bad weather.

Moreover, delivery times may be different for each customer based on where they live and the goods that are in stock. You should also make it clear that your store is not responsible for any delays that the carrier or customs may cause.

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Shipping Costs and Fees

One of the most important parts of the Shopify Shipping Policy Template is the shipping costs and fees. Your customers should know how much their shipping costs so they can compare prices and figure out how much it will cost before they decide to buy. You should also make sure that the shipping costs are clear, as this is very important for foreign customers who may be eligible for discounts like free shipping.

Order Processing and Fulfillment

This part of the shipping policy template for Shopify should mention how the products are handled and get ready to ship. It includes things like the processing time, the packing materials, the tracking information, and the confirmation email. You should also say what happens if an order is lost, broken, out of stock, or the wrong thing is sent. As an example:

Once the payment is confirmed, the order is processed and shipped within one to two business days. The order is packaged in eco-friendly materials, and a tracking number for each one is given to customers. Once the order has been shipped, the customers will get an email with information about how to track it.

The store should email customers if an item is out of stock and give them the choice to cancel or change their order. Within 14 days of delivery, if an item is broken, lost, or wrong, customers must inform the store to fix the problem.

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Domestic Shipping

The Shopify shipping policy template should contain any specific rules or information that apply to shipping within the country or area, like delivery zones, restrictions, or special deals. The store owners should also say if orders are shipped to APO/FPO addresses, PO boxes, or other places that might have different rules or laws.

International Shipping

If your store ships goods around the world, it should be clear about how you handle foreign shipping in the Shopify shipping policy template. In this part of the policies, it would say who helps with international deliveries, who pays the import taxes or customs duties, and who is responsible for any extra fees that come with shipping goods abroad.

Customers from other countries can expect clear standards when they place an order if you are open about how international orders are handled, such as which freight companies work together to ship overseas and who pays the extra costs.

Returns and Exchanges

Returns and exchanges are a must-have in the Shopify shipping policy template.

Return Policy

You should clarify the conditions under which items will be returned.  One thing that needs to be emphasized is that the product should be in its original packaging, unused, and undamaged. Moreover, the policy should specify the time frame in which customers can return a product after receiving it and how the refund method is processed.

Exchange Policy

Customers might be told about their exchange choices, which could include getting a new item, a store credit, or a replacement item. The shipping policy template for Shopify must tell customers the steps to start the exchange process such as filling out the form or calling customer support.

Restriction

You need to list any shipping restrictions that you may have in the Shopify Shipping Policy Template. For example, airline partners may not deliver to certain countries or zip codes, or they may need the address to be formatted in a certain way to process the order. This happens a lot when you only have a few service partners. Having these problems with your customers regularly could hurt your sales and profits.

Most online stores that sell things don’t use them because they use logistics systems like ClickPost, which give them access to many companies and extra services that make the shopping experience better for their customers.

How to Add a Shipping Policy on Shopify Store

After fully understanding the elements that must be included in the Shopify shipping policy template, let’s learn how to add it to the Shopify store.

Step 1: Create your shipping policy page

To add the shipping policy to the Shopify store, first of all, you need to create the Shopify policy page.

• Go to the Online Store then click on Pages in the Shopify Admin
• Choose “Add Page” and enter the title for the page, such as “Shipping Policy.”
• In the editor part, you write all the shipping policies that you want customers to know. If you wonder what to write, you can use the free Shopify shipping policy template mentioned in the previous part.

Step 2: Link your Shopify shipping policy page to your store
The next step is to link your shipping policy page to your store so that customers can quickly find it. Follow these steps:

• Go to Online Store then choose Navigation in the Shopify admin
• Click on the Add menu item. Choose the menu where you want to add the link, such as the footer menu or the main menu, and enter the name of the link,
• Select the created in the previous step from the Link drop-down menu and click on Add.
• Save the changes

Step 3: Add your shipping policy to your checkout page
The final step is to add your shipping policy Shopify to your checkout page so that customers can review it before placing their orders.

• Go to Settings > Checkout in your Shopify admin and scroll down to the Refund, privacy, and TOS statements section
• Click on Manage next to Shipping Policy and select the page you created in the first step from the drop-down menu
• Save your changes and test your checkout page to see how the policy appears

Structure of a Shopify Shipping Policy Template

In case you don’t want to make a Shopify shipping policy template that is similar to other stores, you can use this structure to create your own. It is important to emphasize that you should select the data points that are relevant to your store and not use all of the information provided below.

Introduction To Shopify Shipping Policy

In this part, let’s inform customers briefly about the shipping process. To be more specific, it should contain: order processing times, estimated delivery times, shipping costs, and any other important details, like possible delays because of a lot of orders or problems with the mail service that you can’t control.

Shipping Location, Rates And Estimates

In this part, you should tell customers the shipping locations where you can deliver and where you cannot. You should also clarify whether you can deliver internationally or not. If yes, please include a list to show countries you don’t ship to. The import duties and taxes that may be incurred when delivering the order.

You can use a table to show the different shipping choices, prices, and delivery times as below:

Shipping Location	Service level	Cost	Est. delivery time
Country A	Standard	$5	From 3 to 4 business days
Country B	Expedited	$19	From 5 to 6 business days
Country C	Standard	$25	From 2 to 3 business days

In-store Pickup Option

If you allow customers to pick up orders directly at the store, you should include it in the Shopify shipping policy template. In this case, the shipping fee is free, however, it is crucial to inform them about the day that orders are ready for pick up. Clarifying the method you use to announce the estimated pickup day.

Method Of Shipment Tracking

In this section, you should tell customers how they can track their orders. For example, you can give customers a link through email. It is noted that the method of tracking must be similar across your orders.

Policy On Refunds, Returns, And Exchanges

The Shopify shipping policy template needs a part to explain to customers what occurs when things go wrong. Indicate who is responsible for paying for any lost or damaged orders. Then, proceed to provide specifics regarding your exchange policies, returns or warranties, and refunding procedures.

Where to Communicate Your Shopify Shipping Policy to Customers

After completing the Shopify shipping policy template, you should broadly announce it to your customers so that they can clearly understand every detail. There are some ways you might use to tell customers that will be mentioned below:

• On a dedicated page: Putting all of your shipping policy information on a separate page on your website is the best and most usual way to let people know about your shipping policies. This page is easy to find and get to because you can link to it from your main menu, bottom, or header. You can also make a professional shipping policy page quickly and easily with a Shopify app like Easy Shipping Policy.
• On the product pages: On the product pages is another place where you should say what your shipping policy is. This is where your customers are most likely to look to find out how much the things they’re interested in will cost to ship and how long it will take. You can use a Shopify app like Shipping Rates Calculator Plus to show the shipping costs and estimated arrival times based on where the customer is located and the size and weight of the item.
• Shopify Announcement Bar: You can communicate about the shipping information in the website announcement bar. You also can use this space on your Shopify store to draw attention to any shipping deals that might make people want to buy, like free shipping on orders over $75 or $5 flat rate shipping to the US and Canada.

Some of the Best Shopify Shipping Policy Template To Make A Reference

Many Shopify stores have perfect Shopify shipping policy templates that you can use as a reference. Let’s take a look at what other brands do with their shipping policies.

Defender – Best Shopify Shipping Policy Template

Defender leaves their shipping policy in the “Footer section,” which is broken into two parts:

• Orders & Shipping: In this part, Defender emphasizes the region that is not available for free shipping, shipping method, and shipping times. Moreover, the Defender informs customers that the order confirmation and order tracking method will be sent via email. Important things they include in this part as well are the cancellation of orders and the exchange policy.
• Returns & Refunds: In this part, they inform customers of the 45-day return policy and refund process after the refund requirements are accepted.

MoY – Shipping Policy Template For Shopify

MoY is another example of a Shopify shipping policy template that is not complicated but effective. Similar to Defender, MoY put its shipping policy in the “Footer section”. However, it is not broken into small parts; it only contains two main parts, which are in-store pickup and flat-rate shipping.

Conclusion

In conclusion, having a transparent Shopify shipping policy template will increase the rate of success for your store. BSS Commerce Shopify hopes that all the information mentioned in this article will help you a lot in building your shipping policy.