What we learned about shipping in 2024—and how you can apply it to 2025

The 2024 shipping season was one for the books. From record-breaking package volumes during peak holiday shopping to navigating unexpected carrier disruptions, small businesses like yours showed incredible growth and resilience. As we reflect on the past year, here are five powerful lessons we learned—and actionable insights to help you level up your shipping strategy for a successful 2025.

Takeaway 1: Every second counts in fulfillment

What we saw in 2024:
Shippo customers saved 16 million hours by automatically importing orders into the platform.

Insight:
Small changes in your fulfillment workflow can save hours of manual work—time you can reinvest in growing your business. Fulfilling orders faster also allows you to ship more in a day, delighting your customers and building stronger relationships with them.

Imagine this:
You’re managing a holiday sale, and orders are pouring in. Instead of spending hours manually typing in shipping addresses, you’ve set up automation to handle it instantly whenever a new order comes in. With the time you save, you can focus on building customer relationships or planning your next promotion.

Next step:
Connect your store to automatically sync orders to Shippo, or use our CSV upload tool to quickly upload names and addresses with just a few clicks (pro tip: Shippo’s template makes it extra simple!). In 2024, Shippo users saved millions of hours—imagine what you could achieve with the extra time next year!

Takeaway 2: Choices matter—build a resilient shipping strategy

What we saw in 2024:
153 carrier outages occurred—but Shippo’s multi-carrier software kept businesses moving.

Insight:
The more carrier options you have, the more resilient your shipping operations are when disruptions strike.

Imagine this:
Your favorite carrier experiences an outage just as you’re shipping your biggest holiday orders. Instead of panicking, you seamlessly switch to another carrier within Shippo that offers similar delivery windows and rates that fit your budget, ensuring your customers still get their packages on time without extra costs.

Next step:
Choose from up to 40 carriers in Shippo to keep your packages moving, no matter what challenges arise. Empowering your business with carrier options means you’re always in control, regardless of obstacles.

Takeaway 3: Better shipping rates mean higher profits—and loyal customers

What we saw in 2024:
Shippo customers saved $216MM with Shippo’s discounted USPS rates.

Insight:
Offering competitive shipping costs can help you attract customers, while saving on rates boosts your profit margins.

Imagine this:
You want to encourage customers to spend more, so you decide to run a promo offering free shipping on orders over $50. But the cost of shipping eats into your profit margins—unless you can lower your shipping costs. With Shippo’s USPS discounts, you reduce costs and keep your promotion profitable.

Next step:
Utilize Shippo’s discounted USPS rates—as well as discounts across 40+ other carriers, including FedEx, UPS, and more—to pass savings on to your customers. Implement pricing strategies such as:

• Offering free shipping over a certain order amount to increase average order value.
• Including a “low-cost shipping” option to appeal to price-sensitive buyers while maintaining your margins.
• Testing flat-rate shipping based on your average package size and weight. By leveraging these strategies, you can enhance customer satisfaction and drive business growth.

Takeaway 4: Protect your shipments and build trust with customers

What we saw in 2024:
5,500 claims handled for customers by Shippo’s support team.

Insight:
Quickly resolving shipping issues like lost and damaged packages can turn frustrated buyers into repeat customers.

Imagine this:
A customer emails you, frustrated that their package was lost in transit. Instead of scrambling, you quickly provide a replacement, confident that your insured shipment will cover the costs. Your customer is impressed by the hassle-free resolution and eager to order again.

Next step:
Add shipping insurance coverage to protect against lost and damaged packages. Demonstrating reliability in challenging situations fosters customer loyalty and sets your business apart.

Takeaway 5: Scale your shipping operations with confidence

What we saw in 2024:
During Black Friday Cyber Monday, our shipment volumes surged 38% year over year, and Cyber Monday was Shippo’s busiest day ever—it saw a 30% increase over last year’s record-setting day!

Insight:
Leveraging a trusted and robust shipping platform enables you to handle your growing orders seamlessly, ensuring timely deliveries and satisfied customers.

Imagine this:
Your business is growing, and order volumes are doubling. Instead of being overwhelmed by the surge, your shipping platform handles everything—getting real-time shipping rates, printing labels, facilitating returns, and ensuring your customers get their packages on time.

Next step:
Utilize all of Shippo’s features—designed to help you streamline shipping—to manage your growing order volumes efficiently. By partnering with a platform trusted for millions of shipments, you can focus on expanding your business without worrying about logistics.

Looking ahead to 2025, small changes can make a big difference for your business. From saving time with automated order syncing to offering competitive shipping rates that delight your customers, Shippo is here to help you ship smarter, faster, and more affordably. Let’s make 2025 your best year yet.

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