Shipping Label - Integrate with Royal Mail Click and Drop

[Jools]

Royal Mail supports integration with various online stores and marketplaces

Integration with Square would be great so that shipping labels could be automatically created, and postage paid

https://www.royalmail.com/sites/default/files/click-how-to-guide.pdf

https://personal.help.royalmail.com/app/answers/detail/a_id/11716/~/click-%26-drop---connect-your-ch...

Regards

Jools

[#2]

Hello everyone, this is Alex from the Square Online product team. We know how frustrating it is to have been told that a Royal Mail Click & Drop integration is on the roadmap for two years, and we're sorry that we haven't yet been able to launch this for you. Behind the scenes, we're in the process of making some fundamental changes to our shipping product, so we decided to build all shipping carrier integrations (not just Royal Mail) in a way that aligns with our long term strategy. This will take us time to fully execute. We also understand that you have to make decisions about how to operate your business, and that an expectation of a Royal Mail integration has been a key factor in choosing to continue using Square. Unfortunately, we don't have a concrete update that we can share with you on our plans or timeline for this today, but we'll be sure to post in this thread when our beta is ready for you. 

[Spookytech]

Its because Royal Mail is not an American business.

I integrated with Shippo, but it doesn't do what I need it to do and I also have an account with Royal Mail.

shame really, would of been nice to have Royal Mail integrate with square would save me a lot of time and energy.

[doc_choc]

Hi @Spookytech agreed that a lot of the initial development work is done with the US market, which eventually broadens out to include other key markets around the world, but it makes sense to test it in your home market first, iron out the issues. I think its less to do with Royal Mail being located out outside of the US and possibly more where do you allocate resources to produce a gold standard platform. I too would love to see a Royal Mail integration as it would make my business run smoother, but I would also like to see new features being implemented in the loyalty and marketing programs. The latter would benefit my business more, but we are always looking at were to put our time and money for maximum returns and I'm sure the developers are too.

Having said this we do use integrations with Royal Mail on third party market place platforms, and these work really well, it takes less than 5 mins to knock out the orders, a lot of orders, all we have to do is accept the order and print, the integrations does the rest populates the address, names, emails, order numbers etc, once we print the order it then generates the tracking and pings this back to the third party platform, which then automatically send out the tracking emails. They also give the option of gift receipt or full receipt and we can even add gift messages to the gift receipt. Thought out very well for maximum return for their business, they know what their customers want and how to deliver this. The Square as it stands is a little challenging in this respect and prone to more cut and paste human errors resulting in customer complaints. Plus it takes hours to complete orders, not ideal, real stumbling block. Similar companies to Square really have this nailed with Royal Mail Integrations so it's possible to do but its a decision for Square as to whether they want to do and whether or not it would benefit their users. 

[tonydow]

As suggested above, it’s a question of Square wanting to do this integration. They have been saying they are planning this for at least four years but still no further forward. Similarly, Square Messaging is yet to make it to the UK.

[grownlocal]

Disappointing that this is still being overlooked,

It's the only thing stopping me pulling the trigger on moving my business to square online and I'm sure I'm not the only one.

I'll check back in two years!

[gazzagee]

We are just contemplating which platform to set up our next shop up with, we currently have a great business on Shopify and the Click & Drop system works great, however shopify is a little more expensive, so looking at square, but it looks like Square will not work with Click & Drop and one of the main aspects (for us) when picking a platform, as we already have business rates with royal mail, and all the collections etc.. are already set up. so what we want to know is can we download 'the days orders' in to a spreadsheet, that we can then use with Click & Drop, and does this fill all the required fields needed?

many thanks in advance

[doc_choc]

@gazzagee Hi there, wish this integration was active but alas it isn't. I see that RM have just added a Tik Tok integration.

The answers to your question is yes you can export your orders to Excel, populating name, order number address, mobile and email for tracking but its all a bit clunky. We do a mid range level of shipping using RM Click and Drop and opt manually transfer the data over, its is however prone to human error. Also upon dispatch and generation of the tracking number doesn't automatically back populate the Square System. It would be lovely to have the integration. Please Square can we have an early Christmas pressie....pretty please 😍

[gazzagee]

Ah ok so its a bit of a task, I think its kind of answered my question, it would need to populate the tracking number back in to square so we can answer customer questions if late or missing 😞 

Shame as I would prefer to use square, I can't see away around it

Thanks for the reply 😉

[grownlocal]

It’s an awful business decision on squares part not to implement click and drop it’s probably cost them thousands of potential customers.

[doc_choc]

@grownlocal we have struggled on for some years now and at Christmas for us it is particularly challenging and very time consuming when we should be focusing our business not dragging and dropping data from Square to Royal Mail and then back with the tracking to Square. Having said this we have stayed with Square for a couple of reasons, mainly as the vast majority of the system is really good, there are always going to be things that don't suit your business the way it operates, but in the main its extremely good. Also we hope one day Square will address this issue and then it will be happy days. Give  Square a little trial run, you might find as we do that it is really good for our business. (plus the community is the best! :))

[Spookytech]

Its a shame there isnt someone that is really technical that would build and app for us that uses Royal Mail. The tools are there on the click and drop website.

if i was clever enough and knew what i was doing i would of done something. But it looks too complicated and i struggle with writing an email.

i don't even know how to ask royal mail if they would look at building an integration for Square.

i feel that there is a massive gap here that needs looking at... we need to create a movement to get it looked at and make it a priority!