Connect SendGrid

SendGrid sends an email to your customer when something happens to their shipment, for example when the parcel is on its way. The email goes out from your own SendGrid account, from your own address, using a Dynamic Template you design in SendGrid. Zippendo only tells SendGrid which event happened. Integrations are included on every plan. Testing, the delivery log, editing and disconnecting work the same for every app: see Connect an integration. The longer guide is SendGrid.

Before you start

You need from your SendGrid account:

An API key that is allowed to send mail. Create it in SendGrid under Settings → API Keys.
A verified sender: the address the emails come from must be verified in SendGrid.
A Dynamic Template for each event you want to email about, such as one for “on its way” and one for tracking updates.

Twilio SendGrid documentation for API keys, with the Settings and API Keys path — SendGrid's guide to API keys

The connection window has no field for the Dynamic template ID. A template ID can only be set for each event through the Zippendo API, so ask your developer or contact support to set it. Without a template for an event, SendGrid has no email to send and refuses the delivery.

Find SendGrid in the catalog

Click Apps & integrations in the sidebar, then Catalog. SendGrid is under Apps. Click Connect, or Add connection if you already have one.

Review access

Read what Zippendo will do with the connection and click Continue.

Fill in the connection details

Type a Connection name, such as “Shipping emails”. Paste the key into API key, then fill in From email and From name.

Pick the events

Tick the events that should send an email, or click Select all. See the list below.

Click Connect

You see Integration connected, and SendGrid shows on the Connected tab.

Catalog with the SendGrid card and its Use in automations, Read more and Connect buttons — The SendGrid card in the catalog

Connection window for SendGrid with a connection name, API key, From email, From name and event checkboxes — Connecting SendGrid: a name, API key, From email and From name

Field	Required	What to enter
Connection name	Yes	Any name you will recognize, up to 100 characters.
API key	Yes	The SendGrid API key. It is hidden as you type, stored encrypted and never shown again.
From email	Yes	The address the emails come from. It must be a sender you verified in SendGrid.
From name	Yes	The name your customers see as the sender, such as your webshop’s name.

Events SendGrid can email about

Checkbox	Sent when
Shipment created	A shipment is created
Shipment sent	A shipment is sent to the carrier and has its label
Shipment cancelled	A shipment is cancelled or deleted
Tracking updated	The carrier reports a new tracking scan

SendGrid has no order events. Each email goes to the customer’s email on the shipment, using the template set for that event.

SendGrid connection window scrolled to the event checkboxes, including Tracking updated — The shipment and tracking events for SendGrid

Check the connection

Click the paper plane on the connection row (Send test event), then open the delivery log (the plug icon). A test event has no customer and no template, so SendGrid refuses it even when your details are right. The surest check is a real event for an order with a customer email.

The delivery log shows	What to do
401	SendGrid refused the key. Create a new key and paste it in.
403	The key is not allowed to send mail, or From email is not a verified sender in SendGrid.
400	SendGrid could not build the email, for example because the event has no template or no customer email. Read SendGrid’s reason in the row’s error text.

Connected tab with a SendGrid connection and the test, delivery log, edit and delete icons — A SendGrid connection on the Connected tab

Delivery log window for a SendGrid connection saying No deliveries yet — The delivery log before the first event

Change the details or disconnect

Click the sliders icon to open Edit your SendGrid connection. Leave API key, From email and From name empty to keep what is stored. If you change one of them, fill in all three: whatever you type replaces everything stored for the connection. Click Save changes.

Edit window for a SendGrid connection with the connection name, empty API key, From email and From name fields and the events — Edit a SendGrid connection

To disconnect, click the trash can, type DELETE and click Disconnect. Zippendo stops sending events to SendGrid and deletes the delivery log.

Disconnect integration window asking you to type DELETE — Type DELETE to disconnect

Use SendGrid in an automation

In Automations, add the step Send SendGrid email. It sends the email for the event that started the automation, but only when your conditions match, for example only for shipments abroad. It uses the same template as the connection for that event.

Field	Required	What it does
Connection	Yes	Pick your SendGrid connection from the list. Without it you see Connection is required.
Custom properties	No	Click Add to send extra data to the template, such as the shipment reference.

See Automations for building the rest of the automation.

Connect an integration - test, delivery log, edit and disconnect for every app
SendGrid - the longer guide
Integrations troubleshooting
Automations
Connect a carrier or integration

Overview

Shipments

Orders & channels

Carriers

Connect a carrier

Connect an integration

Printing

Automation

Account

Search & dashboard

API & events

Connect SendGrid

Before you start