Don't lose your shoppers due to speed
Shoppers abandon their cart if shipping rates take too long to show. Most checkouts have a cutoff to make rates show up fast, but that means any rates that take too long are left behind. Plus, carriers can have outages and delays, during which they may not return a rate at all, costing you sales.
Zonos' store-specific Instant rates shrink shipment response times from 1500ms to only 20ms and work even during a carrier outage—so you never lose a sale due to speed.
Example
In this example, the merchant's cheapest shipping rates never showed because the carrier's responses took too long. The lowest shipping rate their shopper saw was 145% ($184) more than their best rate.
Real example with carrier service levels anonymized.
Accuracy you can count on
This accuracy still applies even when cartonization is used or when your negotiated rates change. Most common reasons for inaccuracy >2% are fees that are inconsistently applied by carriers (such as a carrier's "Other" fee) and Saturday pickup fees.
Automatic fallback when accuracy dips
Carrier surcharges can shift without notice—new fees, regional adjustments, or service changes can temporarily reduce Instant Rate accuracy before the model has a chance to catch up. To protect merchants during those windows, Zonos now supports a configurable accuracy threshold.
Set a minimum accuracy percentage over a rolling period. If accuracy falls below that threshold on a carrier-by-carrier basis, Zonos automatically reverts to live rates for that carrier until accuracy recovers—so you're never serving stale rates without knowing it.
How to set your threshold
The lower your threshold, the more protected you are. A threshold of 1% means the system will default to live rates if Instant Rate accuracy drops below 99% for any carrier within the rolling period. Rate-sensitive merchants should set a lower threshold; merchants who prioritize speed above all may prefer a higher one.
Find it in Settings → Shipping / Manage Rates → Advanced Settings — the same location as the Instant Rate toggle.
Works with all major carriers
Works with both express and postal carriers (USPS, APC, UPS, FedEx, and DHL). If other carriers are used in addition to these, accuracy won't decrease. Instead, Instant rates will not be triggered for those services.
Are Instant rates just standard rates?
No, Instant rates are built from actual carrier responses for your specific account and reflect your actual negotiated carrier rates and discounts. They are not just a standard, retail rate.
What happens if my carrier rates change?
You'll always see your most up-to-date rates. If your carrier updates pricing, the system automatically pulls the new rates and updates the Instant rate model for future quotes.
What is the Instant Rate accuracy threshold?
The accuracy threshold is a configurable setting that protects merchants during periods of carrier rate volatility. You set a minimum accuracy percentage over a rolling period. If Instant Rate accuracy drops below that threshold for a given carrier, the system automatically reverts to live rates for that carrier until accuracy recovers. Find it in Settings → Shipping / Manage Rates → Advanced Settings.
How do I choose the right accuracy threshold?
It depends on how rate-sensitive your business is. The lower the threshold, the more aggressively the system will fall back to live rates when accuracy dips. For example, a 1% threshold means the system defaults to live rates if accuracy drops below 99% for any carrier. Rate-sensitive merchants should use a lower threshold; merchants who prioritize speed and availability may prefer a higher one.
What carriers does Instant rate work with?
Instant rate works with both express and postal carriers (USPS, APC, UPS, FedEx, and DHL). In addition, you can still use other carriers without decreasing accuracy. Instant rates will simply not be triggered for other services.
Are Instant rates compatible with flat rates?
Yes, if you offer both flat rates and live rates, your flat rates will remain unchanged and your live rates will be swapped with Instant rates where available. Without having to wait for a live rate, both your flat rate and your Instant rate will be returned instantly.
Are Instant rates compatible with negotiated rates with discounts?
Yes, Instant rates are compatible with your store-specific negotiated rates, so you always get your discounts.
Why use Instant rate?
Instant rate increases speed and reliability. Carriers can have outages or delays, during which they may not return a rate. This can be a critical failure during a checkout if your cheapest rate is not shown (impacting conversion) or, even worse, no shipping options appear at all. Backup rates aren't accurate and may not include prepaid duties and taxes, interrupting your normal fulfillment flow and causing a bad experience for your shopper. Instant rates ensure your best rates are always shown and duties and taxes are always prepaid.
Increase conversion with Instant rates
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Carrier rating is unreliable and slow, which can cost you sales. Zonos Instant rates are the opposite. They're fast, reliable, and always include your best rates and prepaid duties and taxes.
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