How does Parcel Track work?

Parcel Track turns the tracking numbers you already add to your Shopify orders into a fully branded, real-time tracking experience — with no manual data entry. This article walks through the full journey of a shipment, from fulfillment in Shopify to the moment your customer sees “Delivered”.

1. Orders sync automatically from Shopify

Parcel Track connects directly to the Orders section of your Shopify admin. Whenever you (or your fulfillment service, or your dropshipping supplier’s app) fulfill an order and attach a tracking number, that fulfillment is pushed to Parcel Track automatically. There is nothing to import, upload, or copy-paste.

When you first install the app, Parcel Track also performs a backfill: your past 30 days of orders are synced automatically, quota permitting, so your recent shipments are trackable from day one.

Note: Only fulfillments that include a tracking number can be tracked. Orders without a tracking number appear in the app but stay in the Pending status until a number is added.

2. Carrier detection

Once a tracking number arrives, Parcel Track identifies the shipping carrier. The app recognizes tracking number formats from 1,000+ carriers worldwide — from national postal services to last-mile couriers. If Shopify already specifies the carrier on the fulfillment, Parcel Track uses that; otherwise, the carrier is detected from the number format itself.

3. Real-time tracking updates

After the carrier is identified, Parcel Track polls the carrier for checkpoint updates and keeps the shipment current through delivery. Each checkpoint (scan events like “Departed sorting facility” or “Arrived at local depot”) is normalized into one of the app’s shipment statuses:

Pending — tracking number received, no carrier data yet
Info Received — the carrier has the shipment details but hasn’t scanned the package
In Transit — the package is moving through the carrier network
Out for Delivery — on the vehicle for final delivery
Delivered — successfully delivered
Failed Attempt — a delivery attempt was made but not completed
Exception — something went wrong (customs hold, damage, return to sender)
Expired — no carrier updates for an extended period

You can also add up to 3 custom statuses (for example, “Ordered” or “Order Ready”) that display before the carrier picks up the package. See shipment statuses explained for details.

4. What you see as a merchant

Inside your Shopify admin, open Apps → Parcel Track. The app is organized into these sections:

Dashboard — an at-a-glance overview of your shipments and recent activity.
Orders — every synced order with its current shipment status, carrier, and tracking number.
Tracking Page — design and configure your branded tracking page.
Notifications — set up automated shipping emails for each delivery milestone.
Analytics — transit times, exception rates, and tracking page performance.
Settings — sync options, dropshipping mode, and general preferences.
Billing — your order quota and usage.

Use Analytics to spot slow lanes and problem carriers — see shipments analytics.

5. What your customers see

Customers track their orders on a page hosted on your own store domain, at yourstore.com/apps/parcel-track by default. They can open it from a link in your notification emails or look up their shipment with the order lookup widget (order number + email, or tracking number). The page shows the live status timeline, an estimated delivery date, and — if you enable them — product recommendations.

Because the page lives on your domain with your branding, customers never leave your store or land on a third-party carrier site.

6. How quota consumption works

Parcel Track is free to install, and your first 50 orders are free. After that, pricing is pay-as-you-go: $0.04 per order, with no monthly tiers or subscriptions.

One synced order consumes one unit of quota, regardless of how many tracking updates that shipment receives afterward. Tracking updates, notification emails, and tracking page visits do not consume additional quota. You can monitor usage anytime under Billing.

Tip: Ready to go live? The next step takes about a minute — add the tracking page to your storefront.

Questions? Email us at support@parcel-track.com.