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Live Rates & Bacground Loading

Keep working while carrier rates, labels, tracking syncs, and batch shipment actions load in the background. Shipping actions often depend on external carrier APIs, store APIs, and batch processing — Shipdexa keeps the workspace responsive while all of it runs.

Live Rate Loading & Shipment Updates

Live Rate Loading & Shipment Updates allow Shipdexa to keep the workspace responsive while shipment information is being processed.

Instead of freezing the screen while rates are loading or tracking numbers are syncing, Shipdexa should show progress as each result becomes available.

This is especially useful when users are:

  • Checking carrier rates
  • Processing multiple orders
  • Generating labels
  • Syncing tracking numbers
  • Validating addresses
  • Loading shipment history
  • Refreshing shipment statuses
  • Preparing pickup records

The goal is simple: users should not feel stuck while Shipdexa is working.

1. Load Carrier Rates Live

When a user clicks Get Rates, Shipdexa may need to contact multiple carriers.

For example:

  • Canada Post
  • UPS
  • FedEx
  • Purolator

Some carriers may respond quickly, while others may take longer.

Shipdexa should show each rate as soon as it becomes available instead of waiting for all carriers to finish.

Example:

  • Canada Post — Loaded
  • UPS — Loaded
  • FedEx — Still loading
  • Purolator — No service available

This helps the user start reviewing options immediately.

2. Keep the Shipment Workspace Responsive

Live loading should not block the whole screen.

While rates are loading, the user should still be able to:

  • Review order details
  • Check package information
  • Open another shipment
  • Search orders
  • Switch tabs
  • Review shipment history
  • Prepare another shipment

This is important for Shipdexa because shipping users often work under pressure and cannot wait for one slow carrier response before continuing their work.

3. Show Progress for Batch Processing

When users select multiple orders, Shipdexa should show progress for each shipment.

For example, if the user selects 20 orders and clicks Get Rates for Selected, Shipdexa can show live results row by row.

Possible statuses:

  • Waiting
  • Validating Address
  • Loading Rates
  • Rates Loaded
  • Label Ready
  • Failed
  • Needs Review

This gives users confidence that the system is working.

It also makes errors easier to understand because the user can see exactly which shipment failed and why.

4. Load Shipment Updates in the Background

Some shipment updates should continue in the background.

Examples:

  • Tracking sync to Shopify
  • Tracking sync to Etsy
  • Tracking sync to WooCommerce
  • Label status refresh
  • Pickup confirmation
  • Delivery status update
  • Shipment history refresh

Shipdexa should allow users to continue working while these updates run.

The user should see a small progress indicator, but the main workspace should remain available.

5. Show Partial Results Immediately

Shipdexa should not wait for everything to finish before showing results.

For example, when processing 10 shipments:

  • Shipment 1 may load rates successfully
  • Shipment 2 may need address review
  • Shipment 3 may still be waiting for FedEx
  • Shipment 4 may already have a label ready
  • Shipment 5 may fail because weight is missing

The user should see each result as soon as it happens.

This is better than showing a frozen screen or one large loading message.

6. Cancel Live Loading When Needed

Users should be able to stop a long-running shipment action.

Possible buttons:

  • Cancel Loading
  • Stop Rate Check
  • Cancel Batch Process
  • Stop Sync

Shipdexa should explain what will be stopped.

Example message:

> Rate loading will stop for shipments that have not completed yet. Already loaded rates will remain available.

For label generation, Shipdexa must be more careful. If a label has already been created or purchased, the user may need a separate Void Label or refund process depending on the carrier.

7. Retry Failed Updates

Some live updates may fail because of temporary issues.

Examples:

  • Carrier API timeout
  • Internet connection problem
  • Store API unavailable
  • Invalid postal code
  • Missing package weight
  • Tracking sync failure
  • Carrier service unavailable

Shipdexa should allow users to retry failed items without restarting the whole batch.

Useful actions:

  • Retry Selected
  • Retry Failed Only
  • Fix and Retry
  • Retry Tracking Sync
  • Reload Rates

This is very important for real shipping work because not every failure means the whole process failed.

8. Use Status Badges During Loading

Live loading needs clear visual status.

Recommended status badges:

  • Waiting
  • Loading
  • Loaded
  • Ready
  • Needs Review
  • Failed
  • Synced
  • Not Synced
  • Cancelled

These badges help users understand the current state without reading long messages.

For example:

  • Rates Loaded means the user can choose a carrier service.
  • Needs Review means something must be fixed before continuing.
  • Tracking Synced means the store has received the tracking number.

9. Keep User Actions Safe During Background Loading

Shipdexa should prevent unsafe actions while background processing is still running.

For example:

  • Do not allow label generation before rates finish loading.
  • Do not allow tracking sync before a label and tracking number exist.
  • Do not allow pickup scheduling before shipment confirmation.
  • Do not allow deleting a shipment while label generation is in progress.

Instead, Shipdexa can show messages like:

> Rates are still loading. Please select a completed rate before generating a label.

> Tracking cannot be synced until a label is created.

This keeps the workflow controlled and reduces mistakes.

10. Show Background Task Summary

Shipdexa should include a small background task summary so users know what is running.

This can show:

  • Rate checks in progress
  • Labels being generated
  • Tracking sync progress
  • History refresh status
  • Pickup updates
  • Failed background tasks

Example:

  • 3 tasks running
  • 12 of 18 tracking numbers synced
  • 2 shipments need review

This gives users visibility without interrupting their work.