Shipping Label - Integrate with Royal Mail Click and Drop

[Jools]

Royal Mail supports integration with various online stores and marketplaces

Integration with Square would be great so that shipping labels could be automatically created, and postage paid

https://www.royalmail.com/sites/default/files/click-how-to-guide.pdf

https://personal.help.royalmail.com/app/answers/detail/a_id/11716/~/click-%26-drop---connect-your-ch...

Regards

Jools

[#2]

Hello everyone, this is Alex from the Square Online product team. We know how frustrating it is to have been told that a Royal Mail Click & Drop integration is on the roadmap for two years, and we're sorry that we haven't yet been able to launch this for you. Behind the scenes, we're in the process of making some fundamental changes to our shipping product, so we decided to build all shipping carrier integrations (not just Royal Mail) in a way that aligns with our long term strategy. This will take us time to fully execute. We also understand that you have to make decisions about how to operate your business, and that an expectation of a Royal Mail integration has been a key factor in choosing to continue using Square. Unfortunately, we don't have a concrete update that we can share with you on our plans or timeline for this today, but we'll be sure to post in this thread when our beta is ready for you. 

[ShopKeeper1]

I agree, integration with Royal Mail is absolutely essential for the majority UK e-commerce traders.

Their click and collect service software was built to be easily integrated with any platform so don't understand why Square can't easily solve this problem? 

[signature_home]

Hi @Breffni 

Unfortunately EasyShip isn’t an option for Royal Mail integration on the Free Account. 

to be able to integrate with EasyShip you have to pay £19 a month. 

I hope that the development team understand how much this feature is impacting customers. Like many I am trying to balance the needs of my business, but also don’t want the hassle of having to move away. 

Could I suggest that square implement a UK development and support team, that can develop and introduce features dedicated to the UK market needs. As you are advertising heavily in the UK and do offer lots of fabulous features - it’s only right to have a team focussed on the UK market. And have a separate product team for each Territory (US etc).

Don’t get me wrong square POS and sync between online is one of the best selling points you have, but this positive starts to pale into insignificance when it feels as though your customers are not being listened to.

I have suggested previously a Poll to be placed on the seller community with all the features you are currently prioritising for the UK - I am sure this would come out on top of any other feature you are currently planning.

I look forward to hearing shortly, and hope you don’t prove others right by not fixing this in the very short term.

[phillipsrw]

I totally agree with what is being said here. This basic yet essential integration is required by sellers using Square in the UK market, it is a must. We use a number of the integrations with Royal Mail, we even helped out with one. It really isn't that challenging so it is perplexing why the resistance to implementing is there. Royal Mail has integrations with Squarespace, Shopify, Magneto and many others. Why doesn't Square/Block want to be part of it. Is there a reason Square can give us which will explain why they will not do the integration when so many of your customers are asking for it. Seems like a no brainer if you are intent on growing your UK business.

[Andy1981]

I spoke to someone just today that suggested they have absolutely no plans at all to integrate with Royal Mail - or certainly not any time soon. They suggested signing up to a partner called EasyShip which is a pretty substantial subscription cost monthly if you post more than 100 parcels, so I am going to go ahead and assume they're not doing it because they realise they can fleece you for extra cost via a deal with this partner, rather than integrate it with Royal Mail. Not a problem: I will just look at another sales platform instead.

[tonydow]

@BreffniWould someone there care to comment on the previous messge

[Breffni]

Thank you for your feedback @Andy1981. 

Our Product team are looking to support RoyalMail on Square Online site, but we do not have a timeline for this right now. When we do have an update, one of our Community team members or @alexws will be sure to update everyone on this thread.

In cases like these where a solution isn't yet available, our Partnership team would look for a partner software that can help while our Product team continues to build out the feature. You need to do the best things for your business and we understand that the suggested software may not always suited.

We will continue to share your feedback with our team

[SGM1]

@Breffni 

So why did your partner team not look to Royal Mail as a partner???

If you can send shipping details to a 3rd party app you can send them to Royal Mail click and drop!

The difference ? In my opinion Royal mail don't charge users to access click and drop and won't pay Square!

A basic requirment and 2 years in and still no known time line!!!!

[Andy1981]

So, I'm confused why this hasn't been done after two years? Even I could follow the instructions for integration on the Royal Mail website to add these to a selling platform; I would think within a week, if you include testing.

I've been avoiding doing this via a Wordpress plugin because Wordpress isn't so secure as other platforms, and Square's stock management system is better, especially if I want to combine online and offline sales when I go out to craft fairs etc., but I sort of feel like I might not have a choice.

It seems very odd that Square won't do this even after years and many requests to do so. The only conclusion I can come to is the one inferred above: Square have a partnership deal which they make lots of additional money from and so have no desire to support their users by incorporating Click & Drop from which they would (presumably) loose revenue. It seems like such a short-sighted approach when it's clear that many people are holding back from adopting Square as their platform because of this limitation.

[SGM1]

I agree.

First post in this thread on the subject is 18/06/2020

I am also looking for an integrated system to link offline bricks and morter sales (POS) with online sales with a link to a Facebook shop (which has been broken since September but thats another story on no update or response from square) ultimately a link to ebay would be usefull if it removed the need to duplicate items and even better allowed the merging of ebay and local stock (they do support click and drop!)

Square started really well although it is clear that the approach is built on integrating different apps which has lead to some frustrating disconnects.

However the biggest issue is customer service and response times to issues that are by far the worst I have ever experienced.

[Trestigerlily]

Square obviously don't think we are worth the very short amount of time it would take to implement this feature. I'm taking my business elsewhere. 

[alexws]

Hello everyone, this is Alex from the Square Online product team. We know how frustrating it is to have been told that a Royal Mail Click & Drop integration is on the roadmap for two years, and we're sorry that we haven't yet been able to launch this for you. Behind the scenes, we're in the process of making some fundamental changes to our shipping product, so we decided to build all shipping carrier integrations (not just Royal Mail) in a way that aligns with our long term strategy. This will take us time to fully execute. We also understand that you have to make decisions about how to operate your business, and that an expectation of a Royal Mail integration has been a key factor in choosing to continue using Square. Unfortunately, we don't have a concrete update that we can share with you on our plans or timeline for this today, but we'll be sure to post in this thread when our beta is ready for you. 

[Trestigerlily]

Now where have we heard this before...? 

[Andy1981]

Why is it taking so long when most other major selling platforms already have this? As I've said, the only thing I can think is that Square are making more money by directing people to a very expensive third-party partner rather than by introducing the feature. It really doesn't take two years of development to introduce this functionality.

[BeOutsider]

Any news on the integration with Click & Drop? Why didn't I look at this before wasting time building a website?????

[tonydow]

Well, it’s coming up to that time of year again and still no word on Royal Mail integration - how long has it been asked for now?

[SGM1]

Too long like many other requests on the forum.

I don't know why they bother having the feature request section as they seem unable to implement anything unless it comes in the form of a bolt on 3rd party app with associated fees!

Maybe we need a list of all the requests with when they were originally raised and Square night just realise how bad this makes them look.

[phillipsrw]

It does seem to have been some time since there was an update. I suspect they are having to prioritise the whole gamet of feature requests made by users and assess which is the highest priority. To be honest I think the Square team has a mamouth task dealing with all the new requests. There is a new feature request added to the community called ideate, I think if there is enough support put through on this they will raise the priority of the request. So worth popping over and adding support there for the integration.

Personally I do hope they get the integration in place as it would benefit so many UK users, don't fancy another Christmas without it though. 😭

[tonydow]

Do you honestly think putting this on another board is going to make the slightest difference. There have been so many statements of it being ‘imminent’. 

[phillipsrw]

Might be worth giving it a shot, see if it gets some momentum. Nothing to loose except 5 mins of time. 

[SGM1]

@tonydow @phillipsrw

I am afraid I agree with Tonydow.

If square put a quarter of the effort they have put into changing the forum in the last year we could have had at least something implemented as requested.

To be honest the system seams to be stagnant with the little or nothing in the way of real development.

There are numerous threads on the forum going back YEARS regarding requested features like this one or faults like the broken facebook shops link that numerous users have experienced that get repeated placating responses but no action.

Its a shame as in essence square has lots going for it but when nothing happens year after year despite the promises it becomes frustrating and insulting!

[phillipsrw]

Frustrating I agree. We looked at using Zapier to integrate, we got it to work, but it just added additional cost when perhaps the system should deliver some of these basics. I haven't heard anything about the function sometime so maybe they are working on it...Nice suprise for the hectic festive season maybe, or a late pressie feom Santa for the New Year...fingers crossed hey!.