Tracking orders and parcels

Learn about the entities supported by the Tracking API to enable tracking orders and parcels.

Track orders prior to allocation by means of a delivery

As soon an order is accepted, you can use the API to create a delivery to start tracking the order from acceptance to delivery.

A delivery is used to enable tracking orders before a carrier is selected. It is a placeholder entity created by a seller while an order is processed and before the parcels are allocated to a carrier. It contains the necessary information required for the delivery of an order. It enables a seller to provide pre-allocation events to describe its operational process by means of a delivery event. It enables accessing the pseudo parcel journey for this order using the order reference access pattern supported in the retrieve parcel journeys endpoint.

Depending on your needs, you can create a single delivery or multiple deliveries to represent an order.

The benefits of creating deliveries include the following:

  • Reassuring shoppers that their orders are progressing.
  • Reducing pre-ship WISMO contacts, especially when delivery lead-times are long or delayed.
  • Displaying product information in your tracking application and notifications communications, which can reduce early queries and reinforce branding.

Track parcels after allocation by means of a delivery leg

As soon as a parcel is allocated, you can use the API to create a delivery leg to start tracking the parcel from despatch to delivery. At least one delivery leg per parcel in an order must be created.

A delivery leg is a stage of the parcel journey defined by a single tracking identifier, such as a barcode. It is created after the carrier is known. It contains the necessary information for the delivery of a parcel and the information about the carrier delivering the parcel, so that the parcel journey can be accessed using the trackingIdentifier access pattern to supplement the order reference access pattern supported in the retrieve parcel journeys endpoint. It enables a seller to provide events after the parcel is allocated to a carrier to describe its operational process by means of a delivery leg event.

A delivery leg can be a full end-to-end parcel journey if the parcel is handled by a single carrier. Alternatively, it can represent one leg of many for things, such as over-labelling or parent-child consolidation.

Linking orders with their parcels

When orders are provided by means of deliveries and parcels by means of one or more delivery legs, all of this information is unified within the corresponding parcel journeys using unique delivery references that link deliveries to their respective delivery legs.

The benefits of linking deliveries and delivery legs:

  • Orders with rich product information can be provided directly from an order management system.
  • Parcels with carrier information can be provided directly from a warehouse management system.
  • Parcel journeys unify this information to provide a rich tracking experience.