Maximizing Your Online Store’s Shipping Costs

As a business that sells, rents, and modifies shipping containers, we know how important it is to offer competitive and accurate shipping costs to your customers. In this case study, we’ll show you how we developed a script to calculate shipping costs for our online store, Simple Shipping Containers, using the WooCommerce platform and the Google Maps API. And with the help of chat GPT, we were able to streamline the process and maximize our sales and rentals.

When we first started out, we had no experience with the WooCommerce platform or programming in general. But with the help of chat GPT, we were able to ask questions, get recommendations, and see code examples in real-time. It was like having a programming mentor right at our fingertips.

Our first version of the script was able to calculate the shipping cost, but we were unable to display it as a shipping cost in the cart. This required us to go back to the drawing board and find a solution. Chat GPT suggested we try using a library for the Google Maps API instead of the URL request method, but unfortunately, we couldn’t find a library that included the distance matrix feature we needed. So, we had to start over and try using the URL request method for the API.

Using the URL request method, we were finally able to integrate the script with WooCommerce shipping zones and methods. However, we quickly ran into

another problem: the script was only calculating the shipping cost for the first product in the cart. We asked chat GPT for help and it recommended a solution that worked like a charm.

But our journey didn’t end there. We also had an issue where the script would crash if a product without the correct attributes was added to the cart. Chat GPT came to the rescue once again and helped us build a function to handle variations in product attributes.

Finally, we had one last hurdle to overcome: the input check box wasn’t staying checked after the shipping cost was calculated. We turned to chat GPT for a solution and it provided us with a quick and easy fix.

With all of these changes, we were finally able to develop a reliable script for calculating shipping costs for our online store. We offer shipping for both 20ft and 40ft shipping containers, and the script takes into account the length of the container and the distance from the customer’s location to determine the shipping cost. The script is built to work for Oklahoma and Kansas only.

Our prices are some of the lowest in the area, and we have a wide range of options for our customers, including new and used 20ft containers, new and used 40ft containers, custom containers, and rental containers. You can check out all of our options by visiting our website or giving us a call at (316) 500-3334.

It was a long and sometimes frustrating process, but with the help of chat GPT, we were able to overcome every obstacle and come out on top. So, if you’re looking to calculate shipping costs for your own online store, don’t hesitate to use chat GPT. It’s like having a programming mentor right at your fingertips, ready to help you solve any problem that comes your way.

Overall, working with chat GPT was a valuable experience that helped us develop a reliable script for calculating shipping costs on our online store. We were able to learn about new techniques and solve various challenges along the way. We hope this case study has been helpful and provides a roadmap for you to calculate shipping costs for your own online store. And don’t forget to give chat GPT a try – you won’t be disappointed!