How to Automate Warehouse Shipping and Avoid Peak Season Failures
by Marilyn Bunderson
How was your peak season last year? If your shipping went well and you don’t feel the need to change anything, good for you! If you experienced disruption, shipping delays, or downtime, or if you’re planning for higher order volume this year (what a great problem to have!), let’s talk efficiency.
For high-volume shippers, even a short disruption can come with a steep price tag. Idle employees, missed pickups, rush shipping fees, and SLA penalties all add up fast. And the impact doesn’t end there. A missed delivery window can turn into a customer service headache, a refund, or worse—lost customer loyalty. According to Voxware, 30% of consumers are less likely to order from a retailer again if their delivery is late.
The good news? You can break the cycle by automating what you can, starting with your warehouse shipping workflows. Smart automation transforms vulnerabilities into operational strengths that keep orders flowing, even under pressure.
Implementing workflow automation
Automating workflows can significantly improve your warehouse efficiency. By reducing manual steps and accelerating routine tasks, you can boost throughput, lower your labor costs, and improve order accuracy. Especially during peak shipping times.
These five key workflows will benefit the most from automation:
- Job creation: Automate the grouping of your orders based on priority, destination, or delivery deadlines to ensure that your team is always working on the right orders at the right time.
- Inventory management: Real-time inventory tracking allows you to monitor stock levels, forecast demand, and trigger replenishment automatically. It will also help you avoid stockouts, as Fenix Outdoor found out first hand. Implementing automation here will give you tighter control over your warehouse operations. (embed code: <iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/YWXNV5NokKI?si=m-Zm8FC6ypXTNM0V" title="YouTube video player" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" referrerpolicy="strict-origin-when-cross-origin" allowfullscreen></iframe> ))
- Order routing: With smart automation, orders are automatically routed to the optimal fulfillment center based on inventory availability and proximity to the customer. This minimizes shipping times and costs while improving delivery reliability.
- Walking path optimization: Automated systems can determine the most efficient picking routes in real time, reducing the distance workers travel and significantly increasing picking speed. This is especially valuable during peak season when every minute counts.
- Receiving & shipping: From automating the receiving process to generating shipping labels and documentation, automation helps eliminate errors and accelerate the final steps before orders leave the warehouse. It also ensures compliance and consistency across all shipments.
Workflow automation lays a strong foundation for efficiency, but it’s just the beginning. To truly future-proof your operations, warehouses are turning to advanced technologies that go beyond process automation and introduce intelligent, flexible solutions that scale with demand.
Incorporating advanced technologies
Modern warehouses are under more pressure than ever to do more with less. They’re expected to move faster, operate with smaller budgets, and make fewer errors. Advanced technologies can fill the gap to get you there. By layering automation with intelligent systems, warehouses can significantly increase efficiency and accuracy.
Automated storage and retrieval systems (ASRS)
ASRS solutions streamline the way products are stored and retrieved, reducing manual handling and making better use of vertical space. These systems enable faster picking, tighter inventory control, and fewer fulfillment errors, which is especially important in high-volume environments.
Autonomous mobile robots (AMRs)
AMRs move goods around the warehouse autonomously, adapting to real-time changes in layout and traffic. Unlike a traditional conveyor system, they offer flexibility and scalability, making them ideal for dynamic operations. They also reduce labor costs and increase picking speed by minimizing the distance workers need to travel.
Robotic process automation (RPA)
While robots handle the physical movement of goods, RPA tackles the digital side, automating repetitive, rules-based tasks like data entry, order processing, and customer notifications. This frees up human workers for more strategic tasks and reduces the risk of clerical errors.
Together, these technologies create a more responsive, efficient, and future-ready warehouse. One that can adapt to changing demand and scale without sacrificing speed or accuracy.
That said, not every warehouse is ready to jump into robotics or large-scale infrastructure changes. For many, the immediate and impactful gains come from automating what happens after the pick—especially in shipping. That’s where the right automation strategy can deliver major wins without massive investment.
The power of automation in shipping
Shipping is often the final step in the warehouse, but it’s one of the most critical to get right. It’s where delays, errors, or downtime can directly impact customer satisfaction and your bottom line. Automating shipping workflows is one of the fastest, most cost-effective ways to increase speed, reduce errors, and scale up without adding headcount.
But not all automation delivers the same results. As Bill Gates once said, “The first rule of any technology used in a business is that automation applied to an efficient operation will magnify the efficiency. The second is that automation applied to an inefficient operation will magnify the inefficiency.”
That’s why a smart approach to shipping automation starts with eliminating friction. If your current shipping process involves manual rate shopping, carrier decisions, or label generation, you’re likely leaving time and money on the table.
You can build a more efficient, future-ready shipping operations by taking the following steps:
- Audit your current processes: Before automating, thoroughly evaluate your existing shipping workflows. Identify specific bottlenecks, manual processes prone to errors, and tasks that consistently delay shipments. Root out and fix the problems and then standardize your efficient processes. Standardizing first ensures your automation will boost efficiency rather than magnify your existing problems.
- Integrate your shipping technology: Your shipping software should seamlessly integrate with your WMS, OMS, and ERP systems. When your systems communicate with each other it prevents errors, eliminates duplicated tasks, and enhances visibility across your fulfillment chain.
- Automate your carrier selection and rate shopping: Your shipping software should be able to instantly choose optimal carriers based on factors such as delivery time, cost, reliability, and shipping location. This removes the guesswork, reduces manual oversight, and saves you money.
- Automate your label generation and documentation: Your shipping solution should be able to produce the labels and documentation you need very quickly. A high-performing shipping engine can process shipments in less than a second and support your volume, even if you’re sending out a million shipments a day.
- Implement real-time visibility and analytics: An essential part of automation is the ability to automatically track shipment statuses, delivery estimates, and exceptions. Real-time visibility allows for immediate intervention if delays occur.
How EasyPost Enterprise simplifies shipping automation
EasyPost Enterprise delivers shipping automation designed to address the real-world challenges warehouses face today. Built to scale with businesses, it transforms shipping workflows into streamlined, automated operations that keep your business moving.
Here’s a peek under the hood:
- Real-time carrier rate comparisons
Instantly compare shipping rates across multiple carriers to find the best price and service level. No manual lookup required.
- Automated carrier selection based on business rules
Set the rules. EasyPost handles the logic. Whether you prioritize cost, speed, delivery zone, or a mix of factors, the system automatically chooses the best-fit carrier for each shipment.
- Seamless integration with warehouse systems
Eliminate system silos. EasyPost integrates with your existing WMS, OMS, and ERP tools, enabling real-time data exchange that keeps your fulfillment engine running smoothly.
What Fenix Outdoor gained from smart shipping
Fenix outdoor, a global retailer of outdoor gear, needed a shipping system that could keep up with growing order volumes—especially during busy seasons. After implementing EasyPost Enterprise, the company experienced a 30% decrease in per package shipping cost, a 60% reduction in stockouts on the website, and 100% uptime, even during peak season. Read the full case study.
Please reach out to learn more about EasyPost Enterprise.