Overview
If you’re using Shopify and notice some shipments are marked as Other, it means Shopify was unable to identify the carrier. This can impact your ability to send tracking notifications or display shipment status correctly.
AfterShip allows you to fix this by customizing carrier mapping and enabling carrier auto-detection, ensuring accurate tracking, even for carriers Shopify doesn’t recognize.
This is particularly recommended for merchants who want full tracking accuracy and visibility for all shipments.
How AfterShip carrier mapping can benefit
Shopify uses its own set of recognized carriers. If a carrier used in your store isn’t supported or doesn’t match Shopify’s list, the platform will label it as Other.
This will cause:
Incomplete shipment status updates
No tracking number recognition
Failed notifications to buyers
With AfterShip carrier mapping:
You can manually map Shopify carriers to AfterShip’s database of 1,000+ supported carriers.
AfterShip uses AI-based auto-detection to determine the correct carrier based on tracking number patterns if a match isn’t found.
Map Shopify carriers to AfterShip Tracking
Connect AfterShip to Shopify
Make sure your AfterShip account is connected to your Shopify store.
Go to your AfterShip Tracking admin.
Navigate to Apps > Shopify > Connect store.
Follow the authentication prompts to establish a connection between the two platforms.
Map carriers in AfterShip Tracking
In your AfterShip Tracking admin, go to Apps > Store connections
Select your connected Shopify store.
Click Courier Mapping
Click + Add courier mapping
In the left column, choose the carrier name used in Shopify (e.g.,
Bluedart)In the right column, select the corresponding AfterShip carrier (e.g.,
Bluedard (bluedart))Click Save
This will allow AfterShip to map Shopify carriers with theirs to successfully import shipments and offer accurate tracking details.
Some carriers are automatically mapped to AfterShip Tracking carriers by default.
If you're using a shipping carrier that Shopify doesn't support or recognize, you can manually map it to a Shopify-supported carrier that you don’t actively use in AfterShip settings. In essence, you’re assigning a Shopify-recognized carrier name to an AfterShip carrier that you regularly use. This improves carrier detection accuracy, especially when multiple carriers are enabled in your AfterShip account.
AfterShip auto-detection: a powerful backup
Even if a shipment is marked Other in Shopify and when no carrier mapping is found, AfterShip will attempt to auto-detect the carrier using smart tracking number pattern recognition based on the activated carriers in your AfterShip admin.
AfterShip’s auto-detection feature is:
Enabled by default for all synced Shopify shipments.
Accurate for almost all major AfterShip-supported carriers.
Compatible with CSV imports and API tracking uploads.
Best practices
Practice | Why? |
Map commonly used Shopify carriers to AfterShip | Ensures accurate tracking by matching tracking numbers to the correct carrier service. |
Enable auto-detection (default ON) | Automatically detects the carrier based on the tracking number format, even for Shopify's unmapped or unsupported carriers. |
Review My carriers list in AfterShip | Add and activate carriers you use often to improves AfterShip's ability to auto-detect carriers and match tracking numbers accurately. |
Use slug#tracking_number when importing via CSV | Manually overrides carrier detection when needed and ensuring the correct carrier is used during import. |
Example: fixing shipments marked as “Other” for Bluedart
Let’s say Shopify labels your carrier as Other for a Bluedart shipment.
Go to AfterShip > Apps > Store connections > Courier mapping
Add:
Shopify carrier name:
BluedartAfterShip carrier name:
Bluedard (bluedart)
Click Save.
Future orders with Bluedart (Other) in Shopify will map to Bluedard (bluedart) in AfterShip and display the correct tracking details.
FAQs
1. What if I don’t see my carrier in Shopify?
Map it manually in AfterShip and let AfterShip track it. Shopify’s carrier list is limited, but AfterShip supports many more.
2. What happens if I don’t map a carrier?
AfterShip will attempt to detect the carrier using auto-detection. While effective, we recommend mapping frequently used carriers.
3. Does this work with CSV or API imports too?
Yes. You can also format your tracking number like slug#tracking_number (e.g., bluedart#1234567890) when importing, specify the carrier.
Additional recommendations
Enable advanced carrier detection settings under Settings > Carriers > Carrier auto-detection >Advanced settings for better control. This will enable AfterShip to only auto-detect and correct carriers based on the tracking number format from your active carrier list.
Prioritize your frequently used carriers by dragging and dropping them to the top of your active carrier list.
Use this setup to ensure tracking visibility, prevent errors, and unlock full tracking features for your customers
If you want a fully automated, branded tracking experience? Upgrade your AfterShip account to unlock notifications, analytics, and branded tracking pages. Explore our paid plans.
Need help?
If you’re unsure how to map a specific carrier or auto-detection isn’t working as expected, contact our support team directly from your AfterShip dashboard.