In India, Cash on Delivery (COD) remains a widely preferred payment method, especially among first-time buyers and customers in Tier 2 and Tier 3 cities. Offering COD can significantly improve trust and boost conversions for your WooCommerce store. Blue Dart is one of India’s most trusted logistics partners, offering secure COD handling and wide delivery coverage.
This article guides you through the steps to offer Blue Dart COD in WooCommerce, including best practices with a real-world use case.
In This Article
- What is Blue Dart Cash on Delivery?
- Why Offer Blue Dart COD in Your WooCommerce Store?
- Offer Blue Dart COD In WooCommerce
- Real-World Use Case
- Limitations and considerations
- Conclusion
- FAQs
What is Blue Dart Cash on Delivery?
Blue Dart Cash on Delivery (COD) is a payment option where customers pay for their orders in cash at the time of delivery. The courier collects the payment during delivery and remits it back to the seller.
Blue Dart offers this service across a wide range of locations in India and is commonly used for e-commerce shipments.
Blue Dart COD works seamlessly for both the buyer and the seller, ensuring secure payment collection and easy order handling directly through the logistics network.
Why Offer Blue Dart COD in Your WooCommerce Store?
When it comes to offering Cash on Delivery (COD) in India, Blue Dart stands out as a trusted and efficient logistics partner for WooCommerce store owners. Here’s why:
1. Extensive Delivery Network: Blue Dart services cover major cities and remote regions across India, enabling nationwide COD delivery. This helps you reach customers in areas where digital payments are less common.
2. Trusted COD Collection & Remittance: With Blue Dart, COD payments are securely collected by delivery agents and remitted to your account efficiently. This reduces manual effort and ensures reliable cash flow management.
3. Real-Time Shipment Tracking: Blue Dart offers real-time tracking for WooCommerce COD shipments. With reliable Blue Dart tracking, both merchants and customers stay updated, ensuring transparency and trust.
4. RTO (Return-to-Origin) Support: If the customer rejects a COD delivery, Blue Dart ensures the package is returned to the origin with full tracking, helping you manage returns with minimal hassle.
5. Easy Integration with WooCommerce: Blue Dart COD seamlessly integrates with your WooCommerce store using plugins like the PH Blue Dart Shipping Plugin for WooCommerce. It allows you to offer COD, auto-generate shipping labels, and manage orders effortlessly.
Let’s see how to set it up.
Offer Blue Dart COD In WooCommerce
To offer Blue Dart Cash on Delivery (COD) in your WooCommerce store, start by installing the PH Blue Dart Shipping Plugin for WooCommerce. This plugin enables you to manage Blue Dart COD orders directly from your WooCommerce dashboard.
For a detailed guide to configure the plugin in your WooCommerce store, refer to the Woo Blue Dart Plugin setup guide .
Once configured,
Make sure that Cash on Delivery is active as a payment method in your WooCommerce settings, as shown in the image.
This allows customers to choose COD at checkout, and the plugin will automatically detect and process those orders.
Blue Dart doesn’t provide real-time shipping rates via API. To show shipping charges at checkout, you can either set flat rates for each service or use a rate management plugin like the WooCommerce Table Rate Shipping Pro plugin to define rates based on different conditions.
Once a customer places a COD order, the Blue Dart Shipping Plugin lets you print the Blue Dart shipping label directly from the WooCommerce order page.
If you’re offering express delivery with a flat shipping rate and need to generate the appropriate Blue Dart label, refer to this detailed guide: Offer Blue Dart Same-Day or Next-Day Delivery in WooCommerce.
Real-World Use Case: Fashion Store Offering Blue Dart Cash on Delivery in WooCommerce
Let’s say you run a WooCommerce-based fashion store in Mumbai, selling ethnic wear, casual apparel, and accessories to customers across India. Many of your buyers are from Tier 2 and Tier 3 cities like Indore, Kochi, and Ranchi, where Cash on Delivery (COD) is still the preferred payment method.
Challenges You Might Face:
- A large segment of your target audience expects Cash on Delivery before trusting a new brand.
- Without Blue Dart integration, generating shipping labels and handling WooCommerce COD orders requires switching between multiple systems.
- Tracking shipments and manually sharing updates with customers creates delays and reduces customer satisfaction.
How It Can Be Solved:
By using the PH Blue Dart Shipping Plugin for WooCommerce, your store can offer Blue Dart COD with full control over shipping, right from the WooCommerce dashboard.
- Once an order is placed, you can generate Blue Dart COD labels directly from the order page.
- Labels are created automatically based on your preferred settings, no manual input required.
- Pickup requests and tracking numbers are generated in one click, and customers receive shipment updates via email.
The store now offers a seamless purchase and post-purchase experience, and reduces order processing time by managing everything inside WooCommerce.
For deeper insights into shipping and order fulfillment: Top Benefits of Using Blue Dart for WooCommerce Order Fulfillment .
Limitations and Considerations
While Blue Dart Cash on Delivery (COD) is a powerful tool for growing your WooCommerce store, there are certain limitations and operational factors you should be aware of before relying heavily on COD shipping.
- Limited Pincode Coverage for COD: Blue Dart COD is not available for all regions. You’ll need to verify and restrict COD availability to serviceable pincodes, or risk delivery failures and order cancellations.
- Higher Risk of RTO (Return-to-Origin): COD orders generally have a higher return rate, especially from new customers or in remote locations. This can lead to increased shipping costs and operational inefficiencies.
- Cash Handling and Payment Delays: Unlike prepaid orders, COD payments are remitted after delivery, which may result in delayed cash flow. It also requires tracking remittances accurately through Blue Dart’s system.
- Manual Errors in Service Selection or Labeling: Incorrectly selecting the Blue Dart service type (e.g., choosing Surfaceline instead of Apex for urgent deliveries) or manual label errors can cause delays or failed shipments.
Conclusion
Offering Blue Dart Cash on Delivery (COD) in your WooCommerce store is a smart way to serve customers across India who prefer paying at the time of delivery. With the PH WooCommerce Blue Dart Shipping Plugin, you can easily manage COD orders and all shipping requirements within your WooCommerce dashboard.
Need help setting up Blue Dart COD in your WooCommerce store? Contact PluginHive Support – Our team is here to assist you.
FAQs
- What happens if a customer refuses to accept a COD order?
If the delivery fails, Blue Dart will return the package to your store. The PluginHive plugin also tracks Return-to-Origin (RTO) status to keep you updated.
- Can I send automated tracking updates for Blue Dart COD orders via email?
Absolutely. The Blue Dart Shipping Plugin automatically attaches the Blue Dart tracking number to the order and sends it to the customer via email as soon as the order is fulfilled.
- Does this plugin support bulk label generation for COD orders?
Yes. The plugin supports bulk label generation, including for WooCommerce COD orders, helping you save time when fulfilling multiple shipments.
- Can Blue Dart COD be used for international shipments?
No. Blue Dart COD is available only for domestic deliveries within India. For international shipping, only prepaid methods are supported.
