Short answer: There are three ways to have PostNL deliver orders from Exact Online— manually (by creating labels separately), using a native integration or portal from PostNL or your fulfilment partner, or via an integration platform that automatically sends the order to PostNL and reports the shipping status and inventory back to Exact Online. Which option is best depends on your order volume and whether you want to keep your inventory and records in Exact Online accurate.
Do you manage your accounting and inventory in Exact Online and ship with PostNL? If so, you’ll want orders to be automatically sent to PostNL and for the shipping status, tracking information, and inventory changes to be automatically synced back to Exact Online—without anyone having to manually enter data. Manual work takes time, leads to errors, and causes discrepancies between your records and your warehouse. Below, you’ll find an honest overview of the available options and when to choose which one.
What data should you actually be sharing?
Before you choose a method, it’s helpful to know exactly what data needs to be exchanged between Exact Online and PostNL:
| Data | From | To | Why |
|---|---|---|---|
| Orders / Deliveries | Exact Online | PostNL | Have orders shipped automatically, without having to retype them |
| Shipping Status & Track & Trace | PostNL | Exact Online | Real-time order status and customer communication directly from your accounting system |
| Inventory | PostNL | Exact Online | Inventory in Exact Online remains accurate; prevent overselling |
| Items (SKUs) | Exact Online | PostNL | Manage products once; ensure accurate matching in the warehouse |
Ways to Integrate Exact Online with PostNL
1. Manually (create labels individually)
For each order, you manually create a shipping label in the PostNL system and update the status and inventory manually in Exact Online. No technical skills are required, but it’s time-consuming and prone to errors. This is manageable with just a handful of shipments per week, but becomes unsustainable as soon as you grow or start serving multiple channels.
2. Native integration or portal from PostNL or your fulfilment partner
PostNL and many fulfilment partners offer their own portal or standard integration for creating labels and processing shipments. This works well if you mainly need shipping labels and your volumes are manageable. Limitations arise if you want shipping status and inventory data to be automatically updated in Exact Online, or if you want to manage other channels or partners in addition to PostNL—in those cases, you’ll still have to switch between systems manually.
3. An integration platform
You connect Exact Online and PostNL once to an integration platform, which automatically orchestrates the data flows: orders go to PostNL, and shipping status, track & trace, and inventory are automatically fed back to Exact Online. Less manual work, a single overview, and the flexibility to add marketplaces, a second fulfilment partner, or additional online stores later on without having to rebuild the system. This is the KoneX approach—an integration platform, not a custom development project.
Comparison at a glance
| Method | Setup | Maintenance | Suitable for |
|---|---|---|---|
| Manual | No technical skills | Lots of manual work | Very low volumes |
| Native integration / portal | Quick for Labels | Limited, but separate from your bookkeeping | Ship only, one partner |
| Integration platform | Connect once | Centralized, scales with growth | Growth, accurate inventory, multiple channels/partners |
Are you doubting between individual connections and a platform in general? Then also read: Individual connections or an integration platform? How to make the right choice .
How does KoneX do it?
With the Exact Online – PostNL Fulfilment integration from KoneX, orders are automatically transferred from Exact Online to PostNL, and shipping status, track & trace, and inventory levels are automatically updated back in Exact Online. This ensures your records and inventory remain accurate— Exact Online remains the master source for your inventory and accounting (with a Retail license). Changes are processed automatically; where it’s more efficient (for example, with large volumes), KoneX also supports batch processing. You connect each system once and can easily add marketplaces, an additional fulfilment partner, or online stores later — Integrate Once. Connect Everywhere.
It’s important to be honest: if you only need shipping labels for low volumes, a direct or native integration is often perfectly sufficient. However, as soon as you want to automatically keep your shipping status and inventory accurate in Exact Online—or if you connect to additional channels or partners in addition to PostNL—an integration platform generally becomes more reliable and less expensive to maintain.
Related
Be sure to check out KoneX’s Exact Online ↔ PostNL fulfilment integration, or read our other integration guides: Integrating Exact Online with Active Ants (Paxon) and Integrating Exact Online with fulfilment.
Frequently Asked Questions
Would you like to know which approach is right for your Exact Online and PostNL setup? Schedule a no-obligation consultation —we’ll give you our honest advice, even if a simple integration is all you need.
