Too many couriers partners!

And how we fixed that

One of the big problems we have with organizing our couriers is how we should deal with logistics partners that have a centralized global system vs decentralized system.

Let me give you an example. UPS is a great example of a company with a centralized global system. For virtually all UPS Express and Domestic shipments worldwide, you can interface with one team and one system that handles all of your needs. On the totally opposite end would be a company like GLS, owned by IDS, which has a different system for every country like GLS US, GLS Canada, GLS Spain, GLS Poland, GLS Netherlands, etc.

While GLS is separated by country, other carriers may be separated by the services they provide. For example, another logistics partner might have different systems for express, ground, freight, etc.

In the past, we listed every system source as a separate partner on our integrations list at www.aftership.com/carriers. Now the new display consolidates everything under just 1 partner card for GLS.

Clicking into the partner card, you'll now see a new tab called Divisions which will list out each of the separate countries, services, and systems broken down:

Our logic for doing it this way and not doing the other way around was because we spoke to merchants and they told us that when they use GLS in Spain or Netherlands, they don’t call it GLS Spain or GLS Netherlands, they just call it GLS. Just like in France they aren’t called French Fries, they’re just called Fries. Or like in Hainan they don’t call it Hainan Chicken Rice, they just call it Chicken Rice.