Managing the labelling of your parcels may seem trivial, but it’s an essential part of your e-commerce logistics. Every time you make a mistake with an address or a carrier, it means longer delivery times, more dissatisfied customers and an eroding reputation. And yet, with the right tools, this step can become a performance lever.
In this article, find out why automating your parcel label printing is essential to making your shipments more reliable, reducing errors and improving the productivity of your supply chain. And, above all, how Shippingbo can support you in this transition.
- What is a parcel label and what is it used for?
- The limits of manual parcel label management
- How can you automate the printing of your parcel labels?
- The winning trio: TMS + OMS + WMS for smooth shipping
- Why choose Shippingbo to automate your parcel labels?
Parcel labels are one of the small technical details that can have a big impact on your logistics. If you’re an e-tailer, you know that the reliability of your shipment often depends on those few square centimetres of paper. Bad printing, lost time, shipping errors: the consequences can quickly be costly. In this guide, we explain everything you need to know about parcel labels and how to automate them efficiently with a solution like Shippingbo.
What is a parcel label and what is it used for?
A parcel label is a logistical document affixed to each parcel shipped, ensuring its identification, routing and tracking. It provides a direct link between sender, carrier and recipient.
In other words, without this label, the parcel can neither be recognized by sorting systems nor correctly delivered to the end customer. It includesessential information such as the recipient’s address, weight, a tracking barcode and special instructions (“fragile“, “return”, etc.).
This document guarantees the traceability of the parcel throughout its journey, from the warehouse to the customer’s door. In e-commerce shipping, the efficient management of these labels becomes a major challenge in terms of reliability, speed and customer satisfaction.
Information on a parcel label
A shipping label contains several elements:
- Name, address of recipient
- Sender’s contact details
- Tracking barcode
- Weight, package dimensions
- Carrier code (e.g. Colissimo label, Mondial Relay label)
- Specific information (e.g. fragile package label)
This information enables us to manage the traceability of the parcel from end to end. Any error or absence of information disrupts the supply chain.
Who generates the label: e-tailer or carrier?
In fact, it can be both. Some carriers offer portals for generating parcel labels (La Poste, UPS, Chronopost…), but this process remains manual and time-consuming.
On the other hand, more and more e-tailers are using parcel label software to automate the generation of parcel labels based on order data.
The limits of manual parcel label management
Managing your shipping labels by hand may seem trivial when you ship a dozen orders a week. But this method quickly becomes an obstacle to growth as volumes increase.
Indeed, manual data entry, verification and label printing operations become sources of wasted time, stress and, above all, errors. The denser the flow, the greater the risk of entering the wrong address, choosing the wrong carrier or missing deadlines. In e-commerce, these deviations have a direct impact on profitability, internal logistics and customer relations.
Added to this is the multiplication of tools and portals to consult, making each shipment more time-consuming and less reliable. That’s why automating parcel label management is no longer a luxury, but a necessary condition for remaining competitive.
Wasted time, errors, delays
One of the major disadvantages of manual management of parcel labels is the considerable time lost at each stage. Each time you place an order, you have to enter the data, check its accuracy, select the right carrier and start printing.
These repetitive actions eat up precious hours, especially when multiplied by dozens of daily orders. In addition to being time-consuming, this process increases the likelihood ofhuman error: wrong address, forgotten field, wrong label format…
These errors lead not only to shipping delays, but also to returns, additional costs and sometimes even the loss of the package.
Risks to the customer experience
Every mislabeled parcel is a threat to the quality of the customer experience. A simple printing error can cause the parcel to be sent to the wrong address, or prevent it from being automatically sorted by the carrier.
The result: lost, delayed or returned parcels. From the customer’s point of view, this translates into disappointment, and even a loss of confidence in the store.
And in an ultra-competitive e-commerce context, a bad mark or complaint can have a direct impact on your visibility and sales on marketplaces. Manual label management thus becomes a risk factor for your online reputation.
How can you automate the printing of your parcel labels?
Automating the printing of parcel labels relies on the use of digital tools capable of processing orders in real time, selecting the right carriers, and automatically editing the right documents.
This avoids manual handling, reduces errors and frees up time for higher value-added tasks. There are several software solutions available today to support this automation, notably a transport management system (TMS), linked to your OMS and your partner carriers.
Here’s how these tools come into play at every stage.
The key role of an e-commerce TMS
Visit e-commerce TMS plays a central role in the automation process. This software, designed to manage all shipments, connects directly to your sales platforms and carriers. It automatically collects the order data needed to create a compliant shipping label.
Based on the criteria you define (product type, weight, delivery time or geographical area), the TMS selects the most suitable carrier. As a result, parcel labels are generated without manual intervention, in the right formats, and ready for immediate printing.
Carrier centralization
One of the great advantages of a high-performance TMS is the centralization of all your carriers. Whether you use Colissimo, Mondial Relay, Chronopost or a specialized carrier, you no longer need to switch between different portals to generate labels.
The TMS brings together all contracts and label formats in a single interface. This unification simplifies your teams’ tasks, reduces the risk of selection or duplication errors, and ensures greater legibility in tracking your shipments. So you can manage all your shipments seamlessly, whatever the volume.
Automatic rules by weight, zone, SLA
For greater precision and productivity, the TMS lets you set automatic rules. For example, you can decide to use a low-cost carrier for light parcels, and an express service for urgent orders.
You can also automate the addition of a fragile label for certain products, or activate duplicate printing according to shipping zones. These fully customizable rules guarantee standardization of shipments without human intervention, while meeting your cost, lead-time and service quality objectives.
The winning trio: TMS + OMS + WMS for smooth shipping
For e-tailers looking to improve their logistics efficiency over the long term, combining a TMS with an OMS and a WMS is a winning strategy. These three tools form an integrated infrastructure, capable of managing the entire order cycle, from receipt to dispatch, without any break in the flow.
The TMS handles shipping and parcel labels, while the OMS orchestrates orders and the WMS controls preparation in the warehouse. Together, they limit errors, shorten lead times and ensure a smooth, reliable customer experience at every stage.
WHO centralizes information
TheOrder Management System (OMS) acts as the orchestra conductor for your orders. It automatically collects all sales made on your different channels (e-commerce site, marketplaces, mobile applications) and centralizes them in a single interface.
This provides a real-time view of order status and stock levels. Thanks to this continuous synchronization , data is accurate and up-to-date, enabling the TMS toprint parcel labels with reliable information.
OMS thus limits the risk of overselling, out-of-stock or misallocation of products.
The WMS prepares orders
Visit Warehouse Management System (WMS) takes charge of the operational side of the warehouse. It optimizes picking routes, directing pickers to the right locations and organizing picking sessions according to the best methods (batch picking, pick & pack, etc.).
It also enables precise tracking of each stock movement, from receipt to dispatch. Depending on the rules defined, the WMS can trigger the automatic addition of specific indications on packages, such as a fragile label, or manage special cases such as multi-piece shipments or product packs.
The TMS prints and notifies
Finally, the TMS (Transport Management System) completes the process, managing everything to do with shipping. It automatically selects the most suitable carrier according to set rules, issues shipping labels in the right formats, and notifies the customer with the tracking number.
Thanks to integration with OMS and WMS, all data is transmitted seamlessly, without re-keying. The TMS can also manage customer returns by generating pre-filled return labels, and track parcels through to final delivery. It thus guarantees seamless traceability and a more responsive after-sales service.
Why choose Shippingbo to automate your parcel labels?
In an e-commerce environment where every minute counts, Shippingbo is a strategic ally for automating your parcel label management. Unlike other partial or complex solutions, Shippingbo brings together all the essential logistics building blocks – OMS, WMS and TMS – in a single platform. This integrated approach enables you to manage your entire supply chain, from order to delivery, without any interruption of flows or re-entry of information. You benefit from a fluid, reliable and highly customizable process. For growing e-tailers, this is the assurance of being able to absorb volumes without losing efficiency or service quality.
A single interface for 350+ carriers
Shippingbo centralizes over 350 national and international carriers in a single interface. No more multiple connections to Colissimo, Mondial Relay, Chronopost or DHL portals.
Thanks to this centralization, your teams save considerable time on a daily basis. Every order can be processed without format, protocol or transmission errors. You can also easily manage the rates, SLAs and conditions of each carrier according to your own rules. The result: faster, smoother and totally secure management of your parcel labels.
Labels generated at the click of a button
Shippingbo makes printing delivery labels an automated, effortless task. As soon as an order is validated, the system retrieves the necessary information, selects the right carrier and triggers label printing in a matter of seconds.
This automatic generation avoids input errors, omissions and duplications. You can also customize formats to suit your needs (A4, thermal, with or without slip), to adapt to your preparation chain. This simplicity of execution enables logistics teams to remain focused on higher value-added tasks.
Follow-up, tracking, returns… everything is managed automatically
Shippingbo also takes care of thepost-purchase experience. Each time a parcel label is printed, a tracking number is generated and automatically sent to the customer by email or SMS, depending on your preferences. This reduces customer service requests, improves transparency and reassures your buyers.
The platform also manages returns: you can trigger the issue of a return label with a single click, with rules defined according to product or reason. By automating tracking and tracing, Shippingbo enables you to offer a professional-quality logistics service, without the complexity.
Save time and optimize every shipment
Automating parcel labels is a direct driver of productivity and customer satisfaction. Fewer errors, greater speed, reliable shipping on every order.
With Shippingbo, you can automate all your carrier label printing from a single interface. You save precious time and limit logistical risks.
Print your parcel labels in 3x less time. Shippingbo’s TMS automates transport labeling, saving you precious time and reducing your costs. Find out how in our dedicated white paper :
