PrestaShop courier integration: InPost, DPD, DHL, GLS

Integrating PrestaShop with courier companies brings shipping down to one screen: the order changes status, the store creates a shipment with the carrier, prints the label and saves the waybill number together with a tracking link. Retyping addresses into courier panels disappears, and with it the most common cause of lost parcels – a typo in the address.

What the integration covers

• Creating a shipment with the carrier straight from the order list, one at a time or in bulk.
• Printing labels in the right format for your printer – A4 or a label printer.
• Letting the customer choose a parcel locker or pickup point in the cart, with a map.
• Cash on delivery: the amount and bank account number passed to the carrier.
• Dispatch manifests and pickup requests.
• The waybill number in the customer email and in the order panel, plus an automatic status change.

How it looks on the carriers’ side

Each carrier has its own interface and its own data requirements: InPost provides an API for creating shipments and a parcel locker picker widget, while DPD, DHL and GLS have their own web services with a separate set of fields and lists of additional services. The alternative is a shipping broker that offers one API for many carriers; it simplifies the implementation at the cost of flexibility and your own carrier contracts.

The choice between a direct integration and a broker depends on whether you have negotiated rates with carriers. If you do, a direct integration usually pays off. If not, a broker can cost less than the implementation alone.

Where these implementations usually go wrong

• Addresses. A single “street and number” field has to be split into the parts the carrier requires. Without that, the label is created with an error.
• Dimensions. Missing dimensions and weights on product pages make it impossible to calculate the right service – that is catalogue work to do before the integration.
• Pickup points. The chosen parcel locker has to survive the whole order journey, including after the order is edited in the admin panel.
• Returns. A return label and how it is handled is a separate topic, regularly left out of quotes.
• Carrier API outage. The store must be able to save the order and retry the shipment later instead of blocking fulfilment.

What you get

• Bulk shipment creation from the order list and label printing with one button.
• Mapping of the store’s delivery methods to carrier services, with selection rules.
• Shipment statuses returned to the order and to the customer notifications.
• An operation log that lets you reconstruct the history of every shipment.

Frequently asked questions

Can I use several carriers at once?

Yes, and it’s a typical setup. We then agree the rules: which carrier for which basket, country and parcel size, and what happens when the chosen service is unavailable.

I have the courier’s own module, it’s just unstable. Should I replace it?

Not necessarily. A common cause is incomplete mapping of address fields or a conflict with another delivery module. A diagnosis costs less than a replacement, and that is usually where I start.

Will the customer see a parcel locker map in the cart?

Yes, carriers provide their own widgets for this. You just need to make sure the extra script doesn’t slow down the cart – it is one of the more common reasons for a slow checkout.

Tell me which carriers you ship with and how many parcels a day – I will tell you whether a direct integration or a broker makes more sense.