Virtual Tracking Number

A digital service provider system separate from a shipping provider system, the digital service provider system comprising:

• a processing system;
• and
• a computer-readable storage medium having instructions stored thereon that, responsive to execution by the processing system, causes the processing system to perform operations including:
• receiving a request for a shipping address from a client device;
• generating a virtual tracking number configured to track shipping of a physical item;
• outputting the shipping address for receipt by the client device, the shipping address including the virtual tracking number as an integral part thereof;
• receiving a shipping tracking number from the shipping provider system, the shipping provider system being a separate entity from the digital service provider system, the shipping tracking number identified as associated with the virtual tracking number;
• and
• outputting, for display in a user interface, the shipping tracking number as configured to obtain tracking data from the shipping provider system, the tracking data indicative of a shipping status of the physical item.

A shipping provider system comprising:

• a virtual tracking number identification module implemented at least partially in hardware to detect a virtual tracking number included as part of a shipping address;
• a service provider system identification module implemented at least partially in hardware to identify a digital service provider system based on the virtual tracking number, the digital service provider system being a separate entity from the shipping provider system;
• a tracking number determination module implemented at least partially in hardware to identify a shipping tracking number used by the shipping provider system to track shipping status a physical item to a physical address included as part of the shipping address;
• and
• an output module implemented at least partially in hardware to form a communication for receipt by the identified digital service provider system that is the separate entity from the shipping provider system, the communication indicating the shipping tracking number as associated with the virtual tracking number.