How to connect Advanced Shipment Tracking Pro to TrackShip

You add tracking numbers to orders, mark them shipped, and fire off the “your order has shipped” email. Then the questions start anyway. “Where is my package?” “Has it left yet?” “It says shipped but the link is dead.” Each one is a support ticket you should not have to answer, because the information already exists in a carrier’s system. You just are not pulling it back into your store.

The fix is to connect your tracking data to a service that polls the carriers and writes live status back to your orders.

Advanced Shipment Tracking Pro (AST PRO), our WooCommerce shipment tracking plugin, lets you add tracking numbers, carriers, and ship dates to every order and surface them across your emails, order pages, and account area. Connect it to TrackShip and those tracking numbers stop being static text. TrackShip polls the carriers, pulls live delivery status back into WooCommerce, and drives status-based notifications and a branded tracking page. AST PRO owns the tracking data, TrackShip owns the live updates, and together they close the loop between “shipped” and “delivered” without you touching a thing.

This guide walks you through connecting AST PRO to TrackShip, configuring live tracking, and turning shipment status into automated customer notifications.

What the AST PRO and TrackShip integration actually does

Before the setup, it helps to understand the division of labour, because people often expect one plugin to do the other’s job.

AST PRO is your data layer. It captures the tracking number, carrier or shipping provider, tracking link, and date shipped, then displays that information in order emails, the customer’s My Account area, and the order detail page. It also supports bulk CSV upload, an order-list fulfilment view, and a large carrier library so tracking links resolve to the right carrier automatically.

TrackShip is your live status layer. Once a tracking number exists on an order, TrackShip contacts the carrier, retrieves the current shipment status, and writes it back to the order. That status then powers automated emails, a branded tracking page hosted on your own domain, and delivery analytics. Without TrackShip, AST PRO shows a tracking number. With TrackShip, your store knows whether that package is in transit, out for delivery, or already sitting on the doorstep.

How to connect AST PRO and TrackShip

Follow these steps in order. The connection happens on the TrackShip side, then flows back into AST PRO automatically.

1. Install and activate AST PRO
   Upload the AST PRO zip via Plugins → Add New → Upload Plugin, activate it, and enter your licence key. AST PRO registers a new menu under WooCommerce → Shipment Tracking.
2. Add a tracking number to a test order
   Open any order, scroll to the Shipment Tracking panel, and add a tracking number plus the carrier or shipping provider. This confirms AST PRO is capturing tracking data before you layer TrackShip on top.
3. Install the TrackShip for WooCommerce plugin
   Install TrackShip for WooCommerce from WordPress.org or by uploading the zip, then activate it. It hooks directly into the same Shipment Tracking area AST PRO created, so there is no separate dashboard to learn.
4. Create your TrackShip account and connect
   Go to WooCommerce → Shipment Tracking → TrackShip Settings and click to connect. You will be sent to trackship.com to create or log into your account, then returned to your store with the connection authorised. No API keys to copy by hand.
5. Enable tracking for your carriers
   In your TrackShip account, confirm the carriers you ship with are enabled. TrackShip only polls status for supported carriers, so matching your real shipping providers here is what makes the live updates accurate.
6. Turn on shipment status sync
   Back in WooCommerce → Shipment Tracking → TrackShip Settings, enable status tracking. TrackShip now begins polling every tracked order and writing the current status back to WooCommerce automatically.
7. Configure your notification triggers
   Choose which shipment statuses send a customer email: in transit, out for delivery, available for pickup, delivered, return to sender, and exception. Enable the ones that match how you want to communicate, and leave the rest off.
8. Publish your branded tracking page
   Enable the TrackShip branded tracking page so customers track shipments on your domain instead of the carrier’s site. Add your logo and colours so the page matches your store.

Shipment statuses TrackShip tracks

These are the live statuses TrackShip writes back to your orders, and what each one signals for your customer communication.

Shipment status	What it means
Pre-transit	Label created, not yet scanned
In transit	Moving through the carrier network
Out for delivery	On the vehicle for final delivery
Available for pickup	Waiting at a pickup location
Delivered	Received by the customer
Return to sender	Heading back to you
Exception	Delivery problem needs attention

What each plugin handles

If you are deciding what to configure where, this split keeps it clear.

AST PRO	TrackShip
Add tracking numbers	Poll live carrier status
Carrier and provider library	Status-based notifications
Tracking in order emails	Branded tracking page
My Account tracking display	Delivery analytics
Bulk CSV upload	Late shipment alerts

Notifications you can automate

Once status sync is running, you stop writing shipping updates by hand. A delivered status can trigger a confirmation and a review request. An exception or return-to-sender status can alert you before the customer complains. Out for delivery gives them the heads-up that reduces missed deliveries. Every message fires off real carrier data, not a guess about where the package might be.

Frequently asked questions about AST PRO and TrackShip

Do I need TrackShip if I already have AST PRO?
Only if you want live delivery status. AST PRO on its own adds tracking numbers, carrier links, and a shipped notification, which is enough for many stores. TrackShip adds the live layer: it polls the carrier and writes back in-transit, out-for-delivery, and delivered statuses, which power milestone emails and a branded tracking page. Without it, the tracking number is accurate but static.

Is TrackShip a separate plugin and a separate cost?
Yes. TrackShip is a separate service with its own plugin and its own pricing, connected to AST PRO. AST PRO captures and displays the tracking data; TrackShip provides the live carrier polling and status write-back. You connect the two through your TrackShip account, and there are no API keys to copy manually.

What shipment statuses can TrackShip track?
TrackShip writes back pre-transit, in transit, out for delivery, available for pickup, delivered, return to sender, and exception. You choose which of these trigger a customer email, so you can notify on delivered and out-for-delivery while using return-to-sender and exception as internal alerts before a customer complains.

Will customers still be sent to the carrier’s website?
Not if you enable the branded tracking page. With the AST PRO and TrackShip integration, customers track on a page hosted on your own domain, with your logo and colours, instead of a generic carrier portal. That keeps the post-purchase experience on your store and gives you a place to add promotions.

Does the integration work with any carrier?
TrackShip supports a large carrier list, but it only polls live status for carriers you enable in your TrackShip account, so match those to the couriers you actually ship with. AST PRO’s carrier library resolves the tracking link for hundreds more; the live status layer specifically depends on TrackShip supporting that carrier.

Conclusion

AST PRO captures the tracking data and TrackShip keeps it live, and that combination is what turns a one-time “shipped” email into a full post-purchase experience your customers actually trust. Set it up once and your store answers “where is my order” before anyone has to ask.