Ship Happens. We talk about it.
Recent Posts
Zone Skipping Isn't Just for Enterprise
If you've ever shipped a package across the country and quietly winced at the cost, zone skipping might be the strategy you didn't know you were missing. And no, you don't need to be an enterprise shipper to use it.
Most parcel carriers price shipments based on two things: density and distance. That distance is typically measured in zones, a numbering system that reflects how far a package travels from its origin point. The further it goes, the higher the zone number, and the more expensive the shipment. Basically, Zone 2 is practically your neighbour. Zone 8 is across the continent. Every zone in between has your shipping bill increasing.
Consultant or Clarity? What Your Supply Chain Really Needs
Not every supply chain issue requires a logistics consultant. But not every problem can be solved by Googling “why are my freight costs so high?” at 11:47 p.m on a Sunday night.
For small and mid-sized businesses, knowing the difference can save serious money. I’ve seen companies spend tens of thousands on consulting when what they really needed was education and resources. I’ve also seen companies try to “figure it out internally” while quietly bleeding cash for years.
The question isn’t whether consultants are good or bad. The question is: what kind of problem are you actually dealing with?
The Boring Fixes That Actually Reduce E-Commerce Returns
E-commerce returns are unavoidable. Regardless of if you sell on Amazon, Shopify, marketplaces, or your own website, some percentage of orders will come back. Online shopping has removed the ability for customers to touch, test, or try-on products before buying, and nothing can completely fix that.
What can be fixed is how often customers feel disappointed once their order arrives. Most e-commerce returns don’t happen because customers are malicious or trying to game the system. Most of the time, returns happen because the product that arrived didn’t match what the customer expected, simple as that. That gap between expectation and reality is why most returns happen.
Reducing e-commerce returns doesn’t need to involve fighting customers or tightening return policies. It’s about managing expectations before checkout. Below are eight simple, but boring ways to reduce return rates by closing that gap.
11 Simple Supply Chain Problems Costing You Money (That Have Nothing to Do With Rates)
When companies talk about “cutting logistics costs,” the conversation almost always goes straight to rates. But for most businesses, the real money leaks are not from rates, they’re buried in timing, processes, and people's decisions that quietly add cost every single day.
Here are 11 fixable problems that cost you money long before a carrier ever sends an invoice.
Alibaba.com’s CoCreate: The Future of Business, Straight Out of Vegas
Vegas is known for neon lights, roulette wheels, and questionable buffets. But when I landed there for Alibaba’s CoCreate event, I didn’t hit the jackpot on the strip, I hit on something else: a glimpse of the future of entrepreneurship.
Here’s the gossip from the desert.
Why Over-Engineered Tech Is Quietly Wrecking Your Supply Chain
In supply chain, just like in day to day life, tech is supposed to make life easier. Instead, a lot of companies are slowly drowning in all the “solutions” they have been sold.
Every year, a shiny new platform promises to revolutionize your operations or optimize scalability or maximize profits. A dashboard here, a tracking widget there, maybe a warehouse robot that looks like it rolled straight out of a sci-fi movie. And before you know it, your team has six logins, a 40-step procedure for booking a truck, and no one can agree which report has the “real” numbers.
If that sounds familiar then your tech stack isn’t helping you. It’s got you working for it.
Your Products Deserve Better: 8 Questions to Choose the Best Warehouse Partner
For small and medium-sized businesses (SMEs), choosing the right warehousing partner isn’t just about finding a place to store your products, it’s about finding a reliable extension of your business. The wrong partner can cost you time, money, customer satisfaction, and frankly, your sanity. The right partner, on the other hand, can help you grow, scale, and operate smoothly.
Before signing any contracts or moving any inventory, here are 8 key questions SMEs should ask when deciding on potential warehousing partners.
Understanding Tariffs: What They Are, Who Pays, and Why They Matter
A tariff is essentially a tax placed on goods brought into a country from another country. For example, when a company in the United States imports sneakers from Vietnam, a tariff might be applied to the price of those sneakers when they enter the country. This extra charge makes imported goods more expensive and can encourage buyers to choose similar products made domestically instead.
Is Your Tech Sabotaging Your Supply Chain?
In today’s fast-paced business environment, technology is often hailed as the key to unlocking supply chain efficiency. However, not all tech solutions are created equal, and the wrong choices can actually hinder your operations. Many organizations fall into the trap of over-engineering their systems, addressing only the symptoms of problems rather than their root causes. As a result, they may find themselves overwhelmed by incompatible tools and processes that complicate rather than simplify. In this post, we’ll explore five reasons your technology might be doing more harm than good to your supply chain.
5 Myths About the Supply Chain Industry
There are many misconceptions regarding supply chain management. Some are pretty straightforward and well-documented, but recently, additional myths seem to have surfaced. From assumptions about who supply chain management is for, to misunderstandings about events in recent years, debunking these myths is crucial for anyone wanting to understand the industry better. Whether you’re a small business owner, an aspiring supply chain professional, or just curious about how goods move from one place to another, it’s important to separate fact from fiction. Let's dive into some of the most common myths and set the record straight!
5 Paperwork Issues in Logistics and How to Manage Them
The documentation of how products move throughout the supply chain is crucial but also tedious and very unsexy. The problem is when you get complacent with paperwork, it can cause very real consequences with the actual product and end customer experience. Here are 5 issues that come up often in shipping and logistics and how to avoid or manage them.
Understanding Back-order and Out-of-Stock: What Businesses Need to Know
One thing that is agreed on for the success of a business is inventory management, however, there is a lot that goes into inventory management, two of them being back-orders and out-of-stock. Let’s look at these two scenarios, what they mean, the difference between the two, how they affect a business and tips on how to manage them effectively.
What are Incoterms? A Beginners Guide to International Trade
Navigating the complex world of international trade can be very intimidating, especially when it comes to understanding everyone’s terms and responsibilities. One especially confusing concept is the use of Incoterms or International Commercial Terms. This post will break down the current Incoterms and provide simple explanations to help you understand their significance to your business.
What is Reverse Logistics?
As its name suggests, reverse logistics is the movement of a product from the end user back to the company that made or sold it. This can happen for many reasons and in many different ways. Many considerations come into play when crafting a comprehensive reverse logistics strategy.
An Unlikely Duo: The Impact of Packaging and Product Design on Shipping Costs
So you design this awesome product that people need and want, then you figure out a beautiful package thats sustainable and gives the customer a great first impression of your company. BUT THEN, you contact shipping companies to get rates of how much it will cost to send your awesome, beautifully packaged product to your customers…and it's way, way more than anticipated. How can that be?
Why Is Shipping So Expensive? 10 Key Factors Explained
Shipping costs can be a significant expense for consumers and businesses. Many people do not have an understanding of the factors that contribute to these costs. Due to this they may have unrealistic expectations of how much shipping should or will cost. For small businesses, these costs must be known and understood for appropriate decision-making. Let’s look at 10 of the factors that may affect your shipping costs.
What is Supply Chain Mapping and Why is it Important to Your Business?
Supply chain mapping is one of the best secret weapons a business can utilize to ensure an effective, efficient, and resilient supply chain. A business’s supply chain is arguably the most important part of your business, without it your product never gets to your customers and no amount of sales and marketing can fix that.
What You Need to Know About Customs Brokers: A Beginners Guide
For the day-to-day consumer, the path that products take to get to them is somewhat of a mystery most of the time. They don’t really need to know the ins and outs of a product’s supply chain. So when someone decides to start a business selling a product, there are gaps that need to be filled. One of these unknowns is the concept of a customs broker, among other things. Let’s clarify what a customs broker is, what they do, and factors to decide if one is required and if so which one to choose.
10 Ways Small Businesses Mess Ship Up
One of the biggest misconceptions that small businesses make is thinking they should be able to instinctively know how to set up and manage their supply chain. Nothing could be further from the truth.