Efficient fulfillment is crucial for WooCommerce stores. Managing pickups, manifests, and end-of-day forms manually can slow operations and cause errors. Automating these tasks in WooCommerce keeps shipments smooth and organized. Using FedEx as the carrier allows you to schedule pickups, generate manifests, and close shipments directly from your dashboard, simplifying the shipping workflow.
This article explains how WooCommerce stores can handle these tasks efficiently and use FedEx integration to streamline shipping.
On This page
- What Are FedEx Pickups, Manifests & End-of-Day Forms?
- Challenges of Managing WooCommerce Orders Manually with FedEx
- WooCommerce Label Printing and Scheduling Pickups using FedEx
- Real-World Example
- Best Practices for FedEx Pickup Automation
- Conclusion
- FAQs
What Are FedEx Pickups, Manifests & End-of-Day Forms?
FedEx Pickups
WooCommerce merchants can streamline shipping by scheduling a FedEx pickup. FedEx collects packages directly from your business instead of you dropping them off. Pickups can be:
- On-call pickups (scheduled for a specific day/time)
- Recurring pickups (daily or weekly, automatically scheduled)
This saves time for WooCommerce merchants who ship regularly and want FedEx to handle collection directly.
FedEx Manifest / End-of-Day Close
WooCommerce merchants can simplify daily shipping by reconciling all outgoing ground shipments using the FedEx Ground End-of-Day Close API. After closing, you can generate a Ground Manifest, which should be printed before handing over the packages to FedEx. This ensures all shipments are accounted for and fulfillment runs smoothly.
Key details:
- The manifest includes all FedEx Ground shipments generated over the last 24 hours.
- You can perform multiple closes per day if needed.
- The manifest can be reprinted for up to 3 days after the close.
- Required input for the close includes the closing date, FedEx account number, and document/report specifications.
- The manifest contains details such as the sender’s account number, tracking numbers of all packages, weights, package counts, and may also include COD amounts, declared values, oversize package counts, etc.
Printing a FedEx manifest saves time by letting FedEx scan the manifest rather than each package, which is particularly helpful when handling multiple shipments.
Every FedEx shipment requires a valid shipping label for processing. For most domestic shipments, generating and attaching the label is enough; FedEx can scan each label individually. A manifest or end-of-day close is only needed for FedEx Ground shipments or to consolidate multiple packages, such as during high-volume or international shipping.
Challenges of Managing WooCommerce Orders Manually with FedEx
Managing WooCommerce shipping processes manually with WooCommerce can be cumbersome and prone to errors, especially as your store grows.
The main challenges merchants face:
- Time-Consuming Processes: Manually scheduling pickups, generating shipping labels, and preparing manifests for each order takes a lot of time. This can quickly become overwhelming for stores handling dozens or hundreds of shipments daily.
- Risk of Human Errors: Manual entry of details increases the likelihood of mistakes, which can lead to delayed shipments, returns, or dissatisfied customers.
- Bulk Order Management Issues: Handling multiple orders simultaneously without automation is complex.
- End-of-Day Challenges: For FedEx Ground shipments, completing the end-of-day close manually is tedious and must be done accurately to reconcile daily shipments. Missing or incorrect data can lead to scanning or billing issues.
- Tracking and Communication Delays: Manually updating tracking numbers in WooCommerce and notifying customers consumes extra time and may result in increased support requests.
- Limited Scalability: Without automation, scaling your shipping operations during peak seasons or sales events becomes difficult. Manual processes require more staff and increase the risk of bottlenecks and errors.
By understanding these challenges, it becomes clear that automating WooCommerce shipping processes with FedEx can make your workflow much more efficient.
WooCommerce Label Printing and Scheduling Pickups using FedEx
To manage FedEx label printing and pickups efficiently, you need to install and activate the FedEx Shipping Plugin for WooCommerce with Print Label. This plugin allows you to generate shipping labels and schedule pickups directly from your WooCommerce dashboard.
- Before scheduling a pickup, ensure that the FedEx shipping labels have been generated for the orders.
- To schedule a FedEx pickup, select the orders for which you want to request a pickup. From the bulk actions dropdown, choose Request FedEx Pickup and Apply.
- You will receive a pickup number, which verifies that FedEx has acknowledged your scheduled pickup. This number is displayed on your orders page for easy tracking.
Prepare your packages by packing them securely and attaching the generated FedEx labels clearly.
Real-World Example
Let’s say you run a WooCommerce store selling custom electronics that ships 50–100 FedEx Ground orders daily.
Challenges you would face without automation:
- Generate shipping labels manually for each order.
- Scanning every package individually when FedEx arrives.
- Logging into the FedEx site to schedule pickups.
- Risk of errors and delayed fulfillment during peak sales.
Solution:
The FedEx Shipping Plugin for WooCommerce with Print Label can automate the whole shipping flow. With this plugin:
- Labels are generated automatically as soon as an order is placed.
- Pickup requests can be scheduled daily directly from the WooCommerce dashboard.
- Tracking numbers sync automatically, and customers receive instant notifications.
- Fulfillment becomes faster, errors are minimized, and your shipping workflow scales smoothly during high-volume periods.
With this plugin, you save time, reduce errors, and provide a seamless shipping experience for both your store and your customers.
Best Practices for FedEx Pickup Automation
To get the most out of WooCommerce shipping automation with FedEx, you can follow these tips:
- Leverage bulk label printing: For high-volume orders, print labels in bulk directly from your WooCommerce dashboard. This saves time and reduces manual errors.
- Minimal manifest handling: While traditional FedEx workflows require printing manifests or completing end-of-day forms, our solution automates label generation and pickup scheduling, so you don’t have to worry about manual manifest management. You only need to check that shipments are processed properly if needed.
- Keep shipping settings updated: Ensure your FedEx account details, package dimensions, and service preferences are accurate. This guarantees correct shipping rates and smooth fulfillment.
- Test automation before peak periods: Before busy times like holidays or major sales, run test shipments to ensure labels, pickups, and notifications are working seamlessly.
With all these best practices in place, make sure to integrate the FedEx Shipping Plugin for WooCommerce with Print Label in your store to fully automate pickups and streamline your shipping workflow.
To learn more about how to make the best use of it, watch this video.
Conclusion
Automating FedEx pickups, manifests, and end-of-day forms in WooCommerce ensures smooth daily fulfillment. Instead of juggling multiple systems, you can manage everything directly from your store, labels, pickups, manifests, and tracking all in one place.
For WooCommerce merchants, this isn’t just a convenience; it’s a must-have for scaling operations and keeping customers happy.
Need help setting it up? Contact PluginHive Support for assistance.
FAQs
- Can I schedule FedEx pickups for multiple orders at once?
Yes. Using the WooCommerce FedEx Shipping Plugin with Print Label, you can request pickups for multiple orders directly from your dashboard via the bulk actions option. Visit- Print Shipping Labels for Multiple Orders in Bulk to learn more.
- Do I need to print labels before scheduling a pickup?
Yes. Packages must have shipping labels attached before a pickup can be scheduled, as FedEx requires labeled packages for collection.
- Does FedEx deliver on weekends?
Yes, FedEx offers weekend delivery with selected services. Availability depends on the destination and chosen service. For more details, see this complete guide: FedEx Weekend Delivery for WooCommerce.
- Can automation handle multiple FedEx services in my WooCommerce store?
Yes. The plugin supports different FedEx services, including Ground, Express, and others. Labels, pickups, and shipment data are managed automatically for each service type.
