For growing ecommerce businesses, fulfillment often feels like a balancing act.
You’re juggling rising customer expectations, tight margins, fluctuating volumes, and systems that weren’t designed with smaller teams in mind.
These challenges were the focus of a recent webinar hosted by Scott Luton and Tevon Taylor from Supply Chain Now. They were joined by Lori Boyer, host of the Unboxing Logistics podcast.
Scott framed the session around a question many businesses ask daily: “How can we make our shipping operations more scalable, reliable, sustainable, successful?”
In this article, you’ll find just a few answers to Scott’s question, and you can watch the full webinar for even more expert insights.
Why does shipping feel harder for small and mid-size businesses?
Early in the conversation, Lori put words to a frustration many ecommerce operators recognize immediately.
“Logistics wasn’t built with SMB in mind.”
Most shipping networks, carrier tools, and processes were designed for large enterprises with dedicated teams and deep resources. Smaller players face the same customer expectations but with fewer levers to pull.
Scott added important context, noting that these challenges tend to fall into two buckets. “There are timeless challenges, and then there are timely challenges,” he said, pointing to rising expectations layered on top of disruptions like weather events, labor uncertainty, and global instability.
For logistics teams, these pressures often show up as:
- Limited leverage with carriers
- Less room for error when deliveries go wrong
- Higher impact from negative customer reviews or platform penalties
As Tevon pointed out, smaller sellers often feel the consequences faster. “[If] something doesn’t deliver on time … that has a huge impact on the smaller players out there,” he said.
Start with customer expectations, not assumptions
One of the first strategies Lori emphasized was stepping back from day-to-day firefighting and thinking longer term.
Long-term thinking starts with understanding what your customers actually want. Speed still matters, but it’s no longer the only priority. Many shoppers are willing to wait longer if the cost is lower or the option feels more sustainable.
Tevon reinforced that point from a buyer’s perspective. “If I’m shipping something to my house, I’m okay if it takes three days and I [can] pay less,” he said.
Transparency also came up repeatedly. Lori explained, “Transparency today is almost more important than speed,” noting that customers should be able to see where their order is and when it will arrive.
Quick transparency wins include:
- Offering multiple shipping options with clear delivery timelines
- Being upfront about delays instead of staying silent
- Improving tracking notifications and status updates
Scott put it bluntly: “The quickest way to not delight the customer is [to] not give them accurate, timely, and regular updates.”
Use rate comparison and packaging optimization to control shipping costs
When the discussion shifted to cost control, Lori highlighted a tool that continues to be underused by smaller shippers: rate comparison.
Relying on default carrier services often means paying more than necessary. Rate shopping with a tool like EasyPost allows businesses to evaluate cost, speed, and reliability across multiple carriers in real time, instead of guessing or sticking with what feels familiar.
Lori also pointed out that optimization isn’t only about carrier choice. Packaging plays a major role too, with oversized boxes increasing dimensional weight charges and wasting money.
Tevon gave a memorable example: “I’ve never met a customer who enjoys receiving a chicken nugget-sized product in a pizza box.”
Areas where many businesses uncover savings include:
- Right-sizing packaging to reduce dimensional weight
- Comparing regional and national carrier options
- Using data to balance cost against on-time delivery performance
Scott summed it up simply—better options lead to “better, faster, and more confident decision-making” for warehouse teams.
Prepare for growth before it arrives
Growing order volume is a good problem, but only if your business is ready for it. Lori encouraged shippers to rely on historical data and forecasting, especially when heading into busy periods.
At the same time, flexibility matters. Viral demand or sudden spikes can overwhelm rigid systems. That’s why Lori returned to a framework she uses often.
“I like to focus on three things: people, processes, and technology.”
Each element needs to scale together. As volume increases, you need:
- Cross-trained team members who can shift roles as needed
- Standardized processes that reduce errors under pressure
- Technology that supports automation without locking you into today’s limits
Tevon shared that order matters; people and processes have to come first. If you try to put technology on top of broken processes, things likely won’t work the way you hope.
Keep up with technology without feeling overwhelmed
Shipping technology continues to evolve quickly, and it’s easy to feel behind.
AI can be especially daunting. Many have heard that AI can improve productivity, but they aren’t sure how to reap the benefits themselves. Lori’s advice was to start small by simply “[getting] yourself exposed to it.”
Keep in mind that learning doesn’t require immediate adoption. Attending webinars, following industry voices, and running small tests can build confidence without overwhelming your team.
Lori also encouraged businesses not to overlook smaller technology providers, noting that sometimes smaller companies are more agile and can work more closely with SMBs to help them meet their goals.
Turning insight into action
Shipping will always involve trade-offs. The goal isn’t to eliminate complexity entirely, but to manage it in ways that feel predictable and reliable for your team and your customers.
As Lori advised near the end of the webinar, “Pick one area where you feel like maybe this is a little bit of a bottleneck. Get boots on the ground.”
In other words, make a single improvement, implement it well, and build from there.
To hear the full discussion, including additional examples and audience questions, watch the complete webinar recording here.
Improve shipping without adding friction
EasyPost makes it simple to integrate with multiple carriers, compare rates, automate shipping decisions, and improve visibility. If you’re looking for practical ways to simplify shipping and control costs, get in touch with our team.
