Why AI Is the Conversation at Parcel Forum

Let’s cut to it: 70% of retailers say shipping costs are their biggest headache. Margins are shrinking, surcharges keep multiplying, and customers still expect fast, free, flawless delivery. The old fixes—contract tweaks, extra labor—just don’t cut it anymore.

What does? Artificial intelligence. That’s why AI is the headline conversation at Parcel Forum this year—and why EasyPost is the event’s official AI sponsor. 

By spotting patterns across billions of shipments, predicting cost spikes, and automating the fixes, AI turns firefighting into foresight. It’s the difference between scrambling after losses and staying ahead of them.

Why is EasyPost the official AI sponsor of Parcel Forum?

EasyPost is the AI sponsor at Parcel Forum for a reason—we’re not following the conversation, we’re leading it. While others are still testing “what AI might do someday,” we’ve already baked it into the way shippers cut costs, speed up delivery, and run operations smarter.

And the proof is in the results. Our customers are already out in front—using our AI platform (called Luma) to turn billions of past shipments into predictive insights. They’re spotting cost spikes before they land, automating the headaches of label creation and carrier selection, and scaling without piling on overhead.

Being the AI sponsor isn’t just a title—it’s recognition that the smartest shippers are leveraging EasyPost to stay ahead. At Parcel Forum, we’ll be showing exactly how they’re doing it—and how you can too.

Luma is the AI engine that makes shipping smarter

Think of EasyPost Luma like a super-smart brain that’s seen billions of shipments before. Because it’s “watched” so many packages move through the world, it can spot patterns and give shippers answers regular systems can’t.

That means it can tell you things like:

• How long a package will really take to arrive—not just what a carrier promises.
• Which carrier will give you the best rate for a shipment right now.
• When costs might spike so you can avoid surprises.
• Which tasks to automate so your team doesn’t waste time on labels and tracking updates.

In short: Luma takes the guesswork out of shipping. Instead of crossing your fingers and hoping deliveries go smoothly, you know what’s coming—and how to fix it—before it becomes a problem.

And because our customers are already putting AI like Luma to work, we get a front-row seat to where the industry is heading. Here are three big AI themes we expect to dominate the Parcel Forum conversation.

3 AI trends shaping the Parcel Forum conversation

1. Predictive beats reactive. Expect to hear plenty of conversations about moving beyond guesswork. Instead of waiting until a package is late or a surcharge lands, AI is giving shippers real foresight—accurate delivery times, early warnings on cost spikes, and visibility into risks before they become problems. McKinsey reports predictive AI can cut logistics costs by up to 20%, so it’s no surprise this shift toward forward-looking planning will be a major theme at Parcel Forum.
2. Automation takes the grunt work. Manual and repetitive tasks are a huge time sink. In logistics, one in three workers spends more than half their day on manual, repetitive tasks—things like data entry, label printing, and spreadsheet updates. Automation frees up that time for meaningful work. Expect automation to be one of the most practical and talked-about applications at Parcel Forum.
3. Scalability for every shipper. AI isn’t just for the giants anymore—and that democratization will be a hot topic at Parcel Forum.With engines like EasyPost’s, SMBs can tap into the same predictive power as enterprise players—competing on speed, cost, and reliability without enterprise-sized budgets. And the timing is right: the AI in logistics market hit $20 billion in 2024 and is projected to grow nearly 26% annually over the next decade, showing just how central AI will become for shippers of every size.

These trends aren’t abstract—they’re what EasyPost customers are already living every day. From predictive insights to automation and scalability, we’re seeing shippers put AI into action and change how logistics really works. And at Parcel Forum, we’ll be bringing those conversations to life.

What to expect at Parcel Forum

As the official AI sponsor, we’ll be bringing these conversations to life at Parcel Forum. Stop by Booth 515 to see how EasyPost customers are already using AI to cut costs, speed up delivery, and take the guesswork out of shipping. Whether you’re looking to predict true time-in-transit, find the best rates in real time, or finally automate the shipping tasks that eat up your team’s day, we’ll be showing how it’s all possible.

If you’re attending Parcel Forum, come chat with us—we’d love to hear about your shipping challenges and share how the smartest shippers are tackling them with AI. And if you’re not, don’t worry: you can still explore how EasyPost Luma makes shipping faster, cheaper, and more reliable by clicking here.