Enterprise-Level Ecommerce Company Uses SmartRate API to Save Money, Increase On-Time Deliveries

Fact Sheet

• Customer Since: 2013
• Website: www.stickermule.com
• EasyPost APIs Used: SmartRate API

Our client needed to optimize shipping decisions on a more granular level, and the solution they found allowed them to both serve their customers better and save on shipping costs in the process.

The Background

An enterprise-level ecommerce business that prides itself on being the fastest and easiest way to buy custom printed products has been using EasyPost since 2013.

The business built a reputation of being steadfast about time-in-transit SLAs and was not willing to compromise meeting on-time delivery percentages to save themselves money. With very strict delivery deadlines, the business always shipped packages within two days or less.

Originally, the business approached their shipping strategy on a state-by-state level and selected service levels based on the shipment's state of destination, an old-school method of shipping optimization. Our customer knew that for shipment destinations that bordered state lines, there had to be a better way to optimize rates on a more granular level.

They defaulted to selecting the guaranteed two day service level for specific states close to their distribution hubs rather than selecting ground service levels that would still arrive on time and potentially save them money. They needed to optimize their shipping decisions between UPS Ground and 2-day service levels.

While they had previously wanted to conduct an analysis using historical data to optimize service level selection by zip code, they didn't have the time or resources to do so. Enter SmartRate.

The Solution: EasyPost's SmartRate API

SmartRate is EasyPost's innovative API that uses shipment-level transit time predictions to help save customers time, improve on-time delivery percentiles, and provide customers with the most reliable delivery estimates. Employing SmartRate will also cut costs significantly for businesses.

Our ecommerce customer needed a fast, straightforward solution that could produce immediate results without bogging down their developers with additional work. Integration of the SmartRate API took 13 days, and they noted that if that process had required more time and involvement, they likely wouldn't have been open to the solution.

"If it weren't so easy and fast to implement, we wouldn't have done it. SmartRate unlocks the shipping optimization we've wanted to do for years but just haven't had the time and resources to do," their supply chain manager said.

Now, all shipment volume flows through SmartRate for them. Customer experience is at the forefront of this business' shipping strategy, and they have been thrilled with the results thus far. Not only are their customers receiving their packages faster than ever, but their average monthly savings is $6,000 on the conservative side.

Our customer only ships with UPS at the moment, but were they to add another carrier, they would look into optimizing shipments across all carriers through the SmartRate API.

"In many cases, [EasyPost] has been an extension of our team," the supply chain manager said.

SmartRate API has proven to be a valuable asset, saving money with data-backed optimization for every shipment. Contact one of our shipping experts for more information on SmartRate or our other API solutions.