What Is High-Performance Shipping?
by Marilyn Bunderson
How many companies have lost business or closed their doors because their logistics infrastructure could not keep up with their growth? It’s important to keep your entire supply chain running smoothly, and one essential piece of the tech stack for a growing company trying to scale with increasing demands is a high-performance shipping platform.
Keeping your supply chain running smoothly—including your intra-company logistics—can be tricky. You may not have heard about the time the chickens apparently “flew the coop” in the UK, but you can be sure KFC enthusiasts were impacted. In 2018, more than 250 KFC outlets in the UK ran out of chicken and had to close their doors for a few days. The issue? Trouble getting the chicken, original spice blend, and other ingredients from the single warehouse in the area to the many store outlets. The shortage was blamed on a whole flock of reasons.
Would a high-performance shipping platform have helped? Maybe. But the point is, they weren’t set up to succeed when their smooth process was disrupted. They weren’t set up to be resilient. And, sadly, KFC-lovers across the UK and Ireland were left to carry on without satisfying their cravings. In the spirit of KFC’s supply chain disaster, we’ll explore the chicken analogy a bit further as we discuss what high-performance shipping is.
Cracking the egg: Understanding high-performance shipping
You can’t see the inside of an egg without first cracking it open. Let’s scratch under the surface a bit and get to know how high-performance shipping takes it up a notch, starting with the missing ingredient from the story above: resiliency. When some unforeseen event occurs that impacts the movement of goods from one place to another, companies that have built resilient supply chains fare better. The right shipping platform plays a huge role.
A highly performant shipping engine has several characteristics that help with resiliency:
- Rapid scaling and integration with your other systems
- Customizable business rules
- Rate shopping and route optimization
- Shipment tracking from origin to destination
- Multiple carriers
- Excellent reliability
- Enhanced security
- Sustainable practices
- Load planning and cartonization optimization
- Advanced analytics across your supply chain
- 24/7/365 support
Standard shipping APIs and platforms will help your package get from point A to point B. A high-performance shipping solution will make sure the process is as efficient and cost effective as possible, allowing you to carry on when the unexpected happens and saving you thousands of dollars in the process.
Feathering your nest: Benefits of high-performance shipping
We’ve lined our nest with the capabilities; it’s time to uncover the benefits you’ll see from implementing a modern shipping platform. It’s not just about bells and whistles, it’s about the measurable impact you’ll see with the right tech stack in place.
Improved delivery times and customer satisfaction.
Sub-second shipment processing endemic to enterprise-level shipping platforms allows you to move a million packages through your systems in a single day. Getting those parcels out the door quickly means they’re in your customer’s hands as fast as possible.
A high-performance shipping platform does more than just move packages, though. It plays well with all your other supply chain systems, optimizes delivery routes, and helps you pivot in the face of unforeseen events.
Increased operational efficiency.
Integrating with your WMS, OMS, and other systems is important for optimizing efficiency. Communication between systems streamlines your operations and improves data accuracy.
When Phoenix Outdoor upgraded to EasyPost Enterprise, integrating the shipping software with its Manhattan WMS allowed the company to access products from any store or warehouse to fulfill online orders. The increased efficiency made a huge impact in many ways. Watch this video to learn more.
The automation of repetitive tasks, faster processing speed, configurable business rules, more comprehensive data, enhanced tracking, and on-tap support you’ll find with a high-performance shipping solution also play huge roles in improving efficiency.
Cost savings.
It probably goes without saying that a high-performance shipping system offers rate shopping and does it well. It will tell you how to ship your parcels in the most efficient way possible to get deliveries to your customers on time in the most cost effective way.
A note on discounted shipping rates: Most shipping solutions will have discounted shipping rates, but if your shipping volume is extremely high, you likely have negotiated your own special rates. A high-performance shipping solution will allow you to use your own rates if you choose to do so.
Beyond shipping basics, a top-tier shipping system should include extensive data analytics and load planning. Toysmith increased its revenue per package by 12% to 15% when they implemented MagicLogic’s load planning software, a part of our EasyPost Enterprise Suite of solutions. And a large luxury jeweler saved $1M a month thanks to an EasyPost Analytics assessment. Don’t overlook the savings to be uncovered with a fully comprehensive suite of high-performance solutions.
Enhanced scalability for peak seasons and growth.
You can’t afford to be limited by your shipping software during peak season and when you’re rapidly growing. Uptime reliability and streamlined processing are important here so you can meet your capacity, whether you need to ship 5k or 500k orders in an hour. You need shipping software that can easily scale to meet your needs.
Taking flight: Implementing high-performance shipping in your business
If you’re looking to fly a bit higher with a high-performance shipping platform, the first step is to take a good look at where you are. This 2024 High-Performance Shipping Audit will help you uncover any holes in your system. For a more in-depth evaluation, reach out to Summit Advisory Team. They’ll help you transform your supply chain with the solution mix that’s best for your business.
Either way, follow these steps to level up your shipping strategy:
- Evaluate: Evaluate your current system, determining where your gaps are and what you want to accomplish.
- Plan: Set up a plan to put the right technology in place to get things running smoothly.
- Act: Implement a highly performant shipping software like EasyPost Enterprise.
- Train: Enact a change management plan and make sure employees are trained on the new software.
- Measure: Continuously measure your performance and improvement so you can adjust as necessary.
The chicken or the egg: The future of high-performance shipping
Just as a chicken has to work its own way out of a shell to embrace its future, ecommerce companies will need to embrace forward-thinking tech to remain competitive. The future of high-performance shipping is a complex dance between advanced technologies, ecommerce growth, and the growing need for sustainability. (Am I the only one with the Chicken Dance going on in my head?)
From drone delivery to machine learning, AI, IoT, and other emerging technologies, the ecommerce landscape is rapidly changing, opening up to more efficient—and even predictive—operations. As demands rise, partnering with technology providers that make use of innovative advances will enable faster, more reliable delivery.
As the industry evolves, the challenge lies in integrating these technologies to create a seamless, high-performance shipping ecosystem that satisfies the market’s staggering pace. Using legacy shipping strategies will leave you in the dust.
Take action
Set up a demo to learn how EasyPost Enterprise can secure your resilience in our fast-paced ecommerce environment and keep your customers happier than a hen in a cornfield. The road may be busy, but we’ll help you cross it safely. EasyPost Enterprise is here to help you fly.
Talk to a shipping expert today.