Shippo’s Year in Review: A Look Back at 2021

What a year 2021 has been – we’ve survived ups and downs, back and forths, and everything in-between. Those of us in the e-commerce space have seen a continued increase in consumer demand online, while simultaneously managing constraints from overwhelmed carriers, supply chain snafus, and shipping disruptions and delays. But despite the proliferation of alpha, beta, delta, and now omicron (here we go again…), we’ve seen our customers not only survive, but thrive throughout what can only be described as a one-of-a-kind year.

Reflecting back on what 2021 has brought here at Shippo, it’s amazing to see just how much the team has built, accomplished, and grown as we work together to simplify e-commerce shipping. We wanted to take a brief moment to acknowledge what’s gone down this past year, highlighting our inspiring customers, rockstar partners, and stellar Shippos who make all the hard work so worthwhile and – well – fun!

Customer Growth

Many small businesses that moved online in 2020 as a result of the global pandemic got creative with their e-commerce strategies in 2021 – and enjoyed significant growth and loyal fans as a result. In addition to growing their own businesses online, e-commerce merchants also took the opportunity to share the wealth in 2021, giving back to their communities and those less fortunate in a variety of inspiring ways.

Business Growth

We had plenty to celebrate this year, raising two rounds of funding – the second solidifying our place in the unicorn club – and launching several exciting new partnerships, including these highlights:

• Our partnership with Canada Post, which expanded our global reach and extensive carrier network, simplifies the e-commerce experience for merchants shipping north of the border.
• We also announced partnerships with CASHDROP, Cahoot, CommentSold, and Fulfil this year to deliver deeply-discounted rates, robust end-to-end shipping capabilities, and worry-free label printing to even more merchants.

Product Growth

The Shippo Team made strides to improve the shipping experience for our customers this year as well, from launching shipping defaults and automations that speed up operations by up to 50% through improved workflow efficiencies, to providing rates at checkout that let you surface more transparent and accurate shipping options for consumers. We also updated our search and filter feature so merchants can more intuitively sort results, and revamped functionality around packing slips and manifests.

“The team and I have been hard at work [in 2021], building momentum as we partner with businesses large and small, up-level the Shippo experience with new features and integrations, and continue making shipping easier for everyone,” Shippo’s SVP of Product Brandon Terry shared earlier this year.

Culture Growth

2021 was a huge year for us culture-wise as well – we more than doubled the size of our team, opened a brand new hub in Austin, Texas, and officially became remote-first to accommodate awesome hires in whichever environment is best for them – in fact, we now have Shippos in 131 cities across 25 states!

Shippo’s Senior Director of People Operations May Feng (who’s been cultivating the inclusive and supportive culture here at Shippo for over 5 years!) summed up our point of view on people best, especially coming out of the wild ride that was 2021: “Employee experience is front and center at Shippo. All of us are juggling a lot right now, and we are building a company that reflects and respects both the work and personal lives of everyone on our team. We’re living in a moment of firsts, and it’s critical that our people process reflects that.“

One of the many wonderful ways Shippo helps us maintain that balance so we can continue performing at our best is by giving us a full week off over the holidays, leaving us free to spend that time unwinding, recouping, and sharing time with friends and family. We’re thankful to be part of an organization that cares so much about the well-being and success of its customers, partners, and employees – and we can’t wait to jump back in and hit the ground running in 2022 (and p.s., our team is very actively hiring for a variety of positions this new year!).

All in all, while 2021 undoubtedly presented its fair share of challenges, we’ve still been lucky enough to have much to be grateful for this year here at Shippo. To our customers, partners, teammates, and friends, we wish you the happiest of holidays, and look forward to sharing more e-commerce tips, tricks, updates, and trends with you in the new year!