Do You Really Need a Shipping API This Peak Season?

Peak season is the busiest time of the year for online stores, with more sales, more new customers, and more packages shipped. And while revenue adds up fast, so do logistics expenses.

In this blog, the first in a three-part series, we’ll explore two different peak season scenarios for a small ecommerce brand. The brand might not be real, but the struggles it faces are very real for small businesses—including yours!

First, we’ll look at a low-tech peak season, one where shipping tasks are mostly manual. Then, we’ll see how a shipping API changes the game. 

The brand: Evergreen Coffee Co.

Before diving into peak season shipping, let’s meet Evergreen Coffee Co. 

They’re a small-batch ecommerce brand that sources ethically grown beans from farms across Latin America. What sets Evergreen apart is their focus on freshness—each order is roasted to order and shipped within 24 hours—paired with transparent sourcing that highlights the farmers behind every bag.

The holiday season is a busy time for Evergreen, with customers excited to try limited-time holiday blends and purchase subscription boxes as gifts.

Peak season WITHOUT a shipping API

In scenario number one, Evergreen Coffee Co. decides that their current shipping process—which depends on manual data entry and label creation—will get them through this peak season. Currently, they only ship with one carrier, USPS, since it’s a reliable, relatively low-cost option.

As orders start picking up in October, the team at Evergreen starts feeling the pressure. They face several challenges:

• Manual tasks = time (and money) wasted. The fulfillment team has to spend time creating individual labels, which means they’re working overtime—and getting paid more. If an error is made, it takes lots of time to correct it.
• Fast shipping drives up costs. Evergreen takes pride in selling the freshest coffee there is, which means orders have to be sent as quickly as possible. But the cost of pricey expedited shipping services (plus peak season surcharges) adds up fast.
• No rate discounts. Evergreen doesn’t yet have the volume to negotiate significant rate discounts, so they’re stuck paying near-retail prices. They’re not sure if they’re getting the best deals, but they don’t have the time or development resources to integrate with other carriers.
• Delayed shipments and frustrated customers. USPS is busy this year, and the huge influx of packages makes it hard to keep up. Occasionally USPS is late picking up or delivering packages, orders get delayed, and Evergreen receives worried messages from customers asking when their order will arrive.

When January rolls around, everyone on the team breathes a collective sigh of relief. They decide that next year, they need a new solution.

Peak season WITH a shipping API

In scenario number two, Evergreen decides to use a shipping API to take some of the pressure off this peak season. Once they get up and running with their new API, shipping goes smoother than ever before. 

The benefits they see include:

• Time and money saved with automation. When a customer places an online order, EasyPost automatically verifies their address and creates a shipping label. It’s fast, easy, and accurate.
• Access to national and regional carriers. Evergreen can try out new carriers without needing to build their own integrations. They discover carriers like UniUni, a last-mile carrier with a focus on speed, reliability, and adaptability.
• Easy rate shopping, fast shipping. With so many carriers to choose from, Evergreen can compare rates and choose the most cost-effective services that still meet their delivery speed requirements.
• Built-in rate discounts for major carriers. When Evergreen ships with select carriers, including USPS, they get steeply discounted rates. They always know they’re getting the best deal—no negotiation needed.
• Fast response to disruptions. A diversified strategy not only gives Evergreen the flexibility to choose affordable options, it also lets them shift volume around if one carrier’s performance dips.

Meet the EasyPost Shipping API suite

If scenario two sounds more your speed, you could benefit from a shipping API like EasyPost. 

EasyPost helps with everything from address verification to shipping insurance, helping small ecommerce businesses speed up the shipping process, save money, and find the most reliable carriers.  

The APIs

Our API suite includes solutions for shipping, address verification, tracking, and insurance.

• Shipping API. The Shipping API gives you access to dozens of carriers, making it easy to rate shop, buy and print labels, and more. Plus, you get built-in rate discounts regardless of your volume. 
• Address Verification API. Wrong address can lead to misdelivered packages or carrier fees. The Address Verification API automatically checks for missing or incorrect information, ensuring deliverability. 
• Tracking API. With branded tracking pages, delivery estimates, and shipping notifications, the Tracking API lets you provide full transparency to customers and easily monitor carrier performance. 
• Insurance API. The Insurance API helps you protect your shipments from loss, theft, and damage by adding shipping insurance for a flat 1% rate. 

Hassle-free shipping with Wallet Carriers

Wallet Carriers offer the fastest, easiest experience for shippers using EasyPost APIs. 

These carriers provide instant access to discounted rates and top carriers, and they don’t require accounts, contracts, or volume minimums. And because billing is centralized, you don’t need to chase down invoices for different carriers.

Wallet Carriers include:

• USPS
• UPS
• FedEx
• DHL eCommerce
• DHL Express
• Canada Post
• USA Export – Powered by Asendia
• Maersk

Smarter shipping with Luma

Luma is an AI tool that makes the EasyPost APIs even more powerful. It gives you access to your parcel shipping data, reveals cost- and time-saving opportunities, and automatically puts its recommendations into action to optimize your logistics.

Crush this peak season with EasyPost

The customer experience is always important, but during peak season, it becomes even more critical. Business owners and logistics managers aren’t the only ones who stress during the holiday season—consumers do too! If their end-of-year shopping doesn’t go as planned, they’ll find new stores to buy from next time.

With EasyPost’s API suite, you can provide a great customer experience. On-time delivery, affordable shipping, and seamless issue resolution? Check, check, and check. 

The best part? You’ll be saving money, not spending more. It might just be your best peak season yet.

Sign up for free to start shipping with EasyPost today.

P.S. Interested in more tools that take small business shipping to the next level? Read the other articles in this series:

• Do You Really Need Shipping Insurance This Peak Season?
• Do You Really Need Package Tracking This Peak Season? (Coming soon!)