Rename and Reorder Shipping Methods at Shopify Checkout

The shipping step is where a lot of shoppers pause. They see a list of options with names that made sense to a carrier's product team but not to a person buying a candle: "Ground Advantage", "Priority Mail Express", "DHL Express Worldwide", "Economy International". Then they have to work out which one is fastest, which one is cheapest, and which one actually arrives before the weekend.

You can make this step much easier by doing two things: renaming shipping methods so they describe what the customer gets, and reordering them so the option you want most people to pick sits at the top. This guide covers what Shopify lets you do natively, where you need Shopify Functions, and how to set it up without breaking anything.

Why shipping method names and order matter

The shipping step is a decision point, and every decision point is a chance for hesitation. Clear labels reduce that hesitation in a few ways:

• Customers understand the trade-off. "Standard (3-5 business days)" is easier to evaluate than a carrier service code.
• You set expectations. A name that includes a delivery window reduces "where is my order?" tickets later.
• You steer choices. The first option in a list gets a lot of attention. If your preferred option is buried third, fewer people choose it.

Order matters just as much. Shopify generally lists delivery options by price, cheapest first. That is a sensible default, but it is not always what you want. You might prefer a tracked option to appear above an untracked one that costs a little less, or want local pickup to appear first for customers in your city.

What you can do natively

Before reaching for an app or a function, check what Shopify already gives you in Settings → Shipping and delivery.

Renaming your own rates

For rates you create yourself (flat rates or rates based on weight or price), the name is just a text field. Open the shipping profile, edit the rate, and change the name. This is the easiest win and requires no code.

Good naming patterns include:

• Speed plus window, for example "Standard shipping (3-5 business days)"
• Benefit plus window, for example "Free tracked shipping (4-7 business days)"
• Clear local options, for example "Local delivery, same day in Hanoi"

Carrier-calculated rates

If you use carrier-calculated shipping, the rate names come from the carrier integration. You usually cannot edit those names in the native settings. This is the most common reason merchants look for a renaming solution.

Ordering

There is no native drag-and-drop ordering for delivery options at checkout. You can influence order indirectly through pricing, but that is not real control.

Using Delivery Customization functions

Shopify Functions include a Delivery Customization API. A delivery customization function runs server-side at checkout and can hide, rename, or reorder the delivery options a customer sees. Because it runs on Shopify's infrastructure, it is fast and works consistently across checkout.

A few practical points:

• Public apps that use Delivery Customization functions work on all Shopify plans.
• Custom apps you build yourself with functions generally require Shopify Plus.
• Functions only change how options are presented. They do not change the underlying rate price.

The same API is what powers hiding shipping methods, which we cover in detail in our guide to hiding shipping methods with Shopify Functions.

Step-by-step setup

Here is a practical approach, whether you use an app or build your own function.

1. List every option customers can see. Place test orders to a few typical addresses (domestic, remote, international) and write down every delivery option name and price that appears.
2. Decide your naming convention. Pick one format and apply it everywhere, for example "Name (delivery window)".
3. Map old names to new names. Match on the original title, such as "Ground Advantage", and set the new title, such as "Standard tracked (3-5 business days)".
4. Decide the order. Rank options by what you want customers to see first. Usually this is your best-value tracked option, then faster paid options, then pickup or niche options.
5. Add conditions if needed. You might only rename or move an option for certain countries, cart values, or products.
6. Test across markets and currencies. Confirm renamed options still appear, and that the order holds when rates change.

If you are building a function, the logic for renaming looks roughly like this:

for each delivery option in each delivery group:
  if option.title contains "Ground Advantage":
    rename to "Standard tracked (3-5 business days)"
  if option.title contains "Priority Mail Express":
    rename to "Express (1-2 business days)"

And for reordering, you return a move operation for each option with its new index.

Concrete examples

Example 1. Make the free option obvious

You offer free shipping over $75 through a carrier rate called "Economy". Rename it to "Free shipping (5-8 business days)" so customers who qualified actually notice they qualified.

Example 2. Put tracked shipping first

An untracked letter-post option is $1 cheaper than tracked shipping, so Shopify lists it first. Customers pick it, then contact support when they cannot track parcels. Reorder so tracked shipping appears first and rename the untracked one to "Untracked economy (no tracking number)".

Example 3. Surface local pickup for nearby customers

For customers in your city, move "Pickup at our store (ready in 2 hours)" to the top of the list. For everyone else, leave the order as is.

Pitfalls and edge cases

• Do not promise what the carrier cannot deliver. If you add a delivery window to a name, make sure it is realistic. A promise in the rate name is still a promise.
• Carrier names can change. If you match on exact carrier titles and the carrier renames a service, your rule quietly stops working. Match on stable keywords and re-test after carrier updates.
• Multiple delivery groups. Carts with items from different locations or profiles can have more than one delivery group. Make sure your rules apply to each group.
• Order confirmation and fulfillment. Check how the renamed title appears in order details, notifications, and your fulfillment tools so your team still recognizes the service.
• Express checkouts. Wallet-based checkouts may present delivery options differently. Test them, not just the standard checkout.
• Too many options. Renaming does not fix a list that is too long. If an option rarely gets chosen and causes confusion, consider hiding it instead.

How to do it with Blockly Checkout Customizer

Blockly Checkout Customizer, launching soon on the Shopify App Store, is built for exactly this kind of change. Instead of writing and deploying a function, you set up rules in a no-code editor:

1. Create a delivery rule and choose the action: rename, reorder, or hide.
2. Pick the option to target by name or keyword, such as "Ground Advantage".
3. Enter the new name or new position.
4. Optionally add conditions, such as shipping country, cart total, or products in the cart.
5. Save and test with a real checkout.

Because it is built on Shopify Functions, the rules run server-side at checkout and work on any plan. The same app also handles payment method rules, so you can keep shipping and payment presentation consistent. See how to rename payment methods at checkout for the payment side of the same idea.

Takeaway

Shipping method names and order are small details with a real effect on how confident customers feel at checkout. Start by renaming the rates you control in native settings. When you need to rename carrier rates, change the order, or apply rules by country or cart, use a Delivery Customization function, either through an app or your own code. Keep names honest, test across addresses and markets, and revisit your rules whenever carriers update their services.