Unboxing Logistics

Returns have come a long way since the early days of ecommerce, but they still have a long way to go. Eric Wimer, co-founder and CEO at Sway, envisions a future where returns are easy, fast, and cost-effective for both businesses and consumers. In this episode of Unboxing Logistics, he and Lori discuss what it will take to make that vision a reality.A short history of returnsWhen ecommerce was just starting, Eric explains, “most sellers didn't accept returns.” Later, as ecommerce became more popular, sellers began accepting returns—but the process was cumbersome and slow. It involved filling out a form, then waiting weeks or months for the return to be processed.According to Eric, Amazon helped pave the way for a smoother returns system. “Historically your only option would have been, I have to mail this thing. … I've got to package everything up, box it, label it, and go drop it off. … Well, Amazon really led the way [by] starting to offer multiple options for how you would send these items back.”Three ways to handle returnsToday, consumers have three options for returning products (depending on what the merchant supports):Shipping. Eric calls this the “traditional option.” The consumer prints a shipping label, packages the product themselves, and ships the package back to the seller.Drop-off. This option involves dropping a product off at a local retail location like Staples, Whole Foods, or a carrier store. Because it only requires a QR code scan, this option allows for boxless and labelless returns.Home pickup. Eric explains that with home pickup, “you can drop an item outside your door or choose to hand it to a driver directly, and that item gets picked up from your home. The driver scans the item in, and there's the ability for that refund to get released upon pickup.”Tips for a great returns policy and processA great returns policy starts with simplicity, clarity, and visibility. Eric notes that many customers appreciate “getting an email once the brand receives the item in their warehouse and is actually processing it and then getting another notification once the refund has been released.” He also points out that fast returns benefit ecommerce merchants more than you might think. “The faster that you get someone their refund, the quicker they get back into the ecosystem to shop. So there's a business case for this.”LinksConnect with Eric on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/wimes/ Visit Sway’s website: https://www.shipsway.com/

In this EasyPost Insider episode, John Wharff introduces us to EasyPost Enterprise and explains how it helps businesses solve their most pressing shipping challenges.What is EasyPost Enterprise?John explains that EasyPost Enterprise is “software that is geared towards … really high performance, high complexity [shippers]. It opens the door to things like routing logic, business rules, [and] custom labels.”Lori raises a question that might be on listeners’ minds: who should be using EasyPost Enterprise? John mentions that Enterprise is perfect for businesses in complex industries like pharmaceuticals or food. But any company that ships high volumes “can benefit from the type of processing speeds that EasyPost Enterprise can offer, as well as that business rule and logic layer.”The importance of custom business logicCustom business logic is one of EasyPost Enterprise’s most important features. “One of the core components of the EasyPost Enterprise software is this idea of working with you to build business logic,” John explains. “[When] an order comes in from one of your customers, it's running through all of our logic gates. We are picking the best possible service that meets all of your different commitments and then getting you that label so that you can get the box out the door.”He continues, “The idea is really understanding what's important to you as a shipper and then building the system custom for you so that we're accomplishing those goals.”A system that grows with your businessUnlike software providers that nickel-and-dime their customers, EasyPost Enterprise works to understand your business needs so you pay for exactly what you need, with no surprise fees. John says, “We want you to have a full understanding of what you're getting. And through [the] discovery process … we can give you an all-in idea of exactly what we think you need to solve [your] problem[s] so that you can avoid fees in the future.”The model is designed to scale with your business. As John puts it, “You always have to be planning for what comes next, because the idea and the goal is always growth. You want to be shipping more. You want to be moving more things. And it's really important to anticipate that so that you can think toward the future.”LinksConnect with John on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/john-wharff-7423403a/ Visit EasyPost’s website: https://www.easypost.com/

In this special episode for EasyPost customers, Olivia Qin and Brittany Williams introduce the new and improved claims process for EasyPost Shipping Insurance. What sets EasyPost Shipping Insurance apart?For customers not currently using EasyPost’s insurance, Brittany and Olivia share some key features that set the offering apart from other insurance services on the market. Olivia says, “What's great … is that it's one pricing. It's from anywhere to anywhere, except for U.S.-sanctioned countries. And it's also carrier agnostic.”“It is insurance that the business buys, but they can pass on that cost to their customers if they want to,” Brittany adds. A better claims experienceNow, businesses purchasing insurance through EasyPost will have access to a smoother, more streamlined claims experience. Brittany explains what’s changing: “What is rolling out here in the end of July is a fully rebuilt claims experience. So we're adding the ability to file claims via API. We're adding a new web form to file claims with just a few clicks. And we're also creating a dashboard in the EasyPost web application where you can go and view the claims that you submitted, view what status they're in, watch them live as they're being processed on our side.”Why purchase shipping insurance?Brittany, Olivia, and Lori discuss the importance of shipping insurance for ecommerce businesses. As Brittany points out, package loss, theft, and damage is inevitable. When shipping disasters strike, insurance “will guarantee that your customers are going to be happy with how you're handling their experiences.” Olivia offers a quick tip for companies using shipping insurance for the first time: understand your policy’s requirements. “Make sure that you know what evidence is required when you file a claim. [And] make sure that you are telling your customers what's needed in case something happens.” LinksConnect with Olivia on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jingchen-olivia-qin/ Connect with Brittany on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/brittany-williams-597289124/ Visit EasyPost’s website: https://www.easypost.com/

Finding, hiring, and training warehouse workers has become more difficult through the years—and it won’t get any easier. At the same time, manual processes aren’t scalable or sustainable. The solution? Invest in technology that helps employees do their jobs more efficiently. Jeremy Bodenhamer, founder and CEO of ShipHawk, explains why this gives businesses an edge.Why flexibility is essentialJeremy explains that as ecommerce has gained popularity, some sellers have struggled to keep up with rapidly shifting consumer expectations. But that’s exactly what they need to do to stay afloat. “Buyers are expecting smaller brands to be up to speed like they were giant brands. … Merchants have to get their operations to scale on day one, no matter what. There's no learning curve. There's no grace period. I've seen buyers completely abandon brands over slow or error-prone fulfillment or shipping or even communication.”Solving labor problems with technologyIt’s a big issue in the logistics space: labor is scarce, with few people willing to take physically demanding warehouse jobs. According to Jeremy, he hears “from customers every day how hard it is not just to find, but to hire and train workers.”Technology can help. “These companies need to think about training and more importantly, repurposing the people they have. How do [they] make training easier? How do [they] make sure they can fill roles in multiple areas of the business? … If I'm using dated, very difficult to use, expensive to operate, expensive to train, laborious products, software, hardware … I'm compounding my labor problem.”Measuring warehouse performanceLori and Jeremy discuss a few things you should know about your logistics operations: What job needs to be done? Who is doing it? And how are you measuring the results? That final question is especially crucial. For organizations that haven’t been collecting and analyzing fulfillment data, Jeremy suggests starting small. “Start with one metric … [and] make sure the new systems that are purchased or implemented can support that one. And if [they] can't, or you're not buying something new, look at what your current systems can support. What's the path of least resistance to start measuring something?”LinksConnect with Jeremy on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jbodenhamer/ Visit ShipHawk’s website: https://shiphawk.com/ 

What is ESG, how is it different from sustainability, and when should your company start an ESG program? Alanna Fishman, managing director at FTI Consulting, joins us on this episode of Unboxing Logistics to share why ESG is critical to a business’s long-term success. ESG vs. sustainabilityAlanna explains, “ESG literally stands for environmental, social, governance.” ESG programs focus on minimizing risks and bringing value to businesses. To illustrate the difference between ESG and sustainability, Alanna shares an example. “Here's a sustainability statement: We believe in minimizing our footprint on the environment by reducing the amount of carbon we emit into the atmosphere. … An ESG statement would be, we are going to reduce our carbon footprint by X percent by 2025 because we can see that … this could result in millions of dollars of fines or fees or compliance costs.”Why ESG?Currently, the U.S. has fewer environmental regulations than many other countries. Because of this, many organizations wonder if investing in ESG is really worth it. Alanna assures us that it is. “You have to identify the risks that could potentially impact you from a financial or brand perspective. That includes environmental and social indicators—they're huge. You wouldn't run a good business by turning a blind eye to things that have an impact on you.”She adds, “[ESG is] what brings in the best talent. It's what makes you want to stay for the long term. It's what makes you a better citizen of the world. It's what makes your company a better business.”Technology’s role in ESGAlanna believes that “the future is regulation.” But a regulated future doesn’t have to be stressful or scary. The rise of technology like AI will make it far easier to measure your business’s impact. “Particularly in retail and logistics, keep your eye on technology changes. [Technology] is going to facilitate so much of the burden of reporting and tracking and trending your data. The future might be regulation, but it's … easier than you think.”LinksConnect with Alanna on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/alanna-fishman-25301615/ Visit FTI Consulting’s website: https://www.fticonsulting.com/

Every company approaches automation differently. Some fill their distribution centers with high-tech goods-to-person systems, autonomous vehicles, and robots that imitate human abilities, while others don’t even use simple barcode scanners. If you haven’t dabbled much with automation yet, no worries; you can improve your processes gradually to create a delivery experience that outshines the competition. Kevin Gaul, product manager at RF-SMART, explains how to get started. The ideal warehouseWhat does the ideal warehouse look like? According to Kevin, the answer is different for every organization. He says, “There is no ideal warehouse. The same solution that works really well for commoditized CPG is not the same solution that's going to work well for very fragile, one-off, niche items, which is not the same solution that's going to work for the healthcare vertical.”Where to start with automationKevin recommends automating your shipping first and foremost. He gives two reasons:Cost savings. “Shipping costs are going to eat almost all of your other costs bar none. So you're going to get a much bigger return on your time and technology investment [with shipping automation].”Delivery experience. “Shipping … is your last opportunity to touch your customer before you let that package out into the universe … and put it in the hands of whoever your elected carrier is.”Spending time on the warehouse floorLeaders, take note: to truly understand how your facilities operate and what automation tools you need, you should spend time observing how things work in the warehouse.Kevin points out, “All too often … shipping automation projects … are done from offices, from conference rooms, from on high. And yes, that's one of the cardinal sins of product management, but it's certainly one of the cardinal sins of warehouse management too. So the moral of the story here is get out, spend time on the floor.”LinksConnect with Kevin on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kevin-gaul-14166a41/ Visit RF-SMART’s website: https://www.rfsmart.com/

Although generative AI first became popular several years ago, it’s still making waves as new tools are released and existing ones are improved. And people still have questions: what can AI be used for? How will it help my business? And what are the risks? Ibrahim Ashqar, CEO and co-founder of Lumi AI, joins Lori on this episode of Unboxing Logistics to answer these questions and more, explaining how to get the most out of AI when it comes to your logistics. Three types of AI What counts as AI? As Ibrahim explains, different people have different definitions. He finds it helpful to break AI into three levels, which vary in sophistication and can be used to solve different types of problems. Statistical models. “There's your statistical models, your advanced analytics that add a tremendous amount of value for things like sorting inventory in your warehouse according to strategic pick locations. It's not really AI. But it's advanced analytics … and it's very valuable.”Narrow AI or machine learning. “[These] predictive models have been trained on a large corpus of data, and they do a very specific thing. Like, I'm going to predict how much demand we're going to see next week, and you can take this demand prediction to help inform labor planning decisions downstream.”Generative AI. “It can create content, it can summarize content, it can create images, and it can code. There's a really cool use case there. Logistics companies aren’t software companies—we don't code or anything like that. But [generative AI coding can be used] to extract data insights from your database.”Embracing innovationAdopting new technology can be scary. Businesses face concerns about cost, change management, and more, but they also fear being left behind if they don’t move fast. Ibrahim recommends embracing AI gradually. “The benefits are truly incredible. Don't be scared to embrace the change. … Be very strategic and deliberate with your implementation of AI. Pick easy use cases with high ROI. Start small, prove the value, and then use the excitement and momentum to scale across the organization.”Freeing up data teams for high-value tasksAI can help you access logistics data without overtaxing your data team. Ibrahim explains that data teams are often swamped with ad hoc data requests, spending up to 50% of their time on low-level tasks. With generative AI, non-data professionals can easily create code that gives them access to the information they need. Ibrahim also addresses a common concern: “Aren't you replacing data analysts? No, we're empowering them to work on the things that are actually driving value.”LinksConnect with Ibrahim on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ibrahimashqar/ Visit Lumi AI’s website: https://www.lumi-ai.com/

March is Women’s History Month—a time to focus on the accomplishments and contributions of women who have helped shape the world. In honor of the occasion, we’ve decided to highlight some modern-day women who have used their knowledge, experience, and leadership skills to influence the world of logistics. This special episode features our women guests from seasons one and two of Unboxing Logistics. Although they all specialize in different areas of logistics—from warehouse management to shipping to supply chain technology—they share something in common. Each of them is helping to pave the way for women in a traditionally male-dominated industry. This episode contains key insights and advice from our women guests. To hear more, make sure to check out their individual episodes: Jessica Lowrance’s episode: https://www.easypost.com/podcast/how-to-fight-porch-piracy Kelli Martin’s episode: https://www.easypost.com/podcast/shipping-resources-for-small-businesses Jill Barron’s episode: https://www.easypost.com/podcast/building-better-supplier-relationships Nancy Seaboldt’s episode: https://www.easypost.com/podcast/navigating-the-erp-implementation-highway Kylie Schafer’s episode: https://www.easypost.com/podcast/navigating-omnichannel-commerce Gemma Shaw’s episode: https://www.easypost.com/podcast/leveraging-an-oms-for-growth Veena Harbaugh’s episode: https://www.easypost.com/podcast/sustainable-shipping-tips-for-small-businesses Kim Baudry’s episode: https://www.easypost.com/podcast/warehouse-automation-and-sustainability Jicara Gorski’s episode: https://www.easypost.com/podcast/carbon-neutral-shipping-how-does-it-work Ching Pei’s episode: https://www.easypost.com/podcast/leveling-up-product-management Anna Podolskaya’s episode: https://www.easypost.com/podcast/empowering-women-in-logistics 

Last-mile delivery is one of the most important parts of the logistics process, playing a huge role in the customer experience. But it’s also one of the hardest things to get right—and carriers aren’t the only ones responsible. In this episode of Unboxing Logistics, Nicholas Daniel-Richards, CEO at Packiyo, lays out some last-mile challenges and explains how warehouse optimization streamlines the delivery process.Why the last mile mattersAs CEO of Packiyo, a warehouse management system, Nicholas is very familiar with the ins and outs of logistics. But when it comes to the importance of last-mile delivery, he shifts to his consumer mindset. “I'm still a consumer that's receiving packages … and I think the complications around last mile [involve] convenience. You know, do I have tracking information? Do I know when that package is going to arrive or when it has arrived?  Is it the right thing (or things) inside the package?”The answers to those questions can make or break the delivery experience—and mean the difference between loyal and lost customers.The hidden side of last mile logisticsWho’s in charge of making sure last-mile delivery goes smoothly? Nicholas says, “A lot of people put an emphasis on … the carrier. But ultimately, there is that step of how packages get to the carrier in the first place.”He explains that businesses are responsible for receiving customer orders, picking products, packing boxes, and coordinating shipping. If those tasks lead to inaccuracies or wasted time, the last-mile delivery experience suffers. How to improve last mile speed and accuracyWhen picking, packing, and shipping decisions are made in the moment by individual employees, there’s a lot of room for error. If it takes too long to pack boxes, last-mile shipping could be delayed. If the wrong product gets added to a package, you’ll face a frustrated customer. And the list of potential issues goes on.The solution? Make decisions before it’s time to prep packages, so warehouse workers know exactly what to do.Nicholas puts it like this: “You don't want to make decisions on how an order should be packaged and fulfilled and shipped at the time that you're trying to process the order. That’s a repetitive thing. [The] factors that affect that should be automated.”LinksConnect with Nicholas on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/nicholasdr/ Visit Packiyo’s website: https://www.packiyo.com/

As businesses expand into new sales channels, order management gets complicated—and time-consuming. Gemma Shaw, head of partnerships at Order Desk, explains what order management systems do and shares tips for using yours effectively.Benefits of an order management system (OMS)What are order management systems, and how do they benefit businesses? Gemma explains, “An OMS enables businesses to centralize all of their orders. This is particularly beneficial if you've got multiple sales channels. [If] you're selling in various markets, maybe even globally, all of your orders are housed in one place for visibility.”Challenges when setting up an OMSOne major challenge when setting up an OMS? Identifying your workflow. Before diving into the implementation process, Gemma recommends determining what the system needs to do and how it needs to work. “Knowing exactly what you want to achieve with your OMS is helpful.”Gemma also notes that it takes time and patience to learn how OMSs work. She says, “There's a learning curve with any new piece of software. And with something robust and technical like this, there's a particularly steep learning curve at the start.” Getting the most from your OMSOMSs serve a very practical purpose: centralizing order information from various sales channels. But that isn’t all they’re useful for. As Gemma points out, these systems capture a lot of data: order volumes, inventory numbers, and much more. To get the most out of your OMS, “use that single source of truth to inform your strategic decision-making.”LinksConnect with Gemma on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/gemma-shaworderdesk/ Visit Order Desk’s website: https://www.orderdesk.com/unboxing-logistics/