Shipping API Integration: Labels, Rates, Tracking, and Fulfillment Data Across Carriers

Shipping API integration streamlines logistics data management by providing a standardized interface for handling shipments, labels, rates, and tracking across multiple carriers such as FedEx, UPS, DHL, and USPS. These APIs enable applications to programmatically manage shipping tasks like creating labels, calculating rates, and tracking deliveries without maintaining separate integrations for each carrier, addressing challenges such as inconsistent fulfillment states and limited visibility. Shipping APIs focus exclusively on logistics execution and are distinct from Commerce, Accounting, Payments, and CRM systems, which manage product catalogs, orders, transactions, and customer records, respectively. Real-time updates in shipping systems are primarily tracking-driven, with native or virtual webhooks providing delivery progress updates, although variability among providers often necessitates polling for other shipping objects. Unified's Shipping API enhances the integration process by offering a normalized shipping surface, live access to source platforms, and centralized maintenance, while ensuring data privacy and security through a zero-storage design.