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Today's shippers are facing more significant challenges than anytime before. Planning and optimizing around the five final-mile value pillars can help them succeed. 

We’ve written plenty about the power of packing for profits. Packing efficiently can also help reduce returns due to damage adding to your profitability and customer satisfaction.

With more people handling and shipping goods than in traditional warehouses or distribution centers, understanding and managing dangerous goods, such as Lithium Batteries, has become a bit more difficult to control and train staff about.

While the peak shipping season may have just passed, it’s never too early for retail, eCommerce, and other shippers to start planning for this year’s holidays.

*UPDATED* It is possible for shippers to deliver sustainable shipping that consumers desire while holding costs down. Here are three ways.

As shippers face increasing costs, while supply chain issues slowed down parcel volume at the end of 2021, it doesn’t mean that they can sit back and assume that continuing supply chain troubles will keep parcel volume low and carriers with space to ship all of them.

Two years after the COVID-19 pandemic forced companies to quickly shift to a work-from-home-office model, many workers are still working from home at least part-time. Implementing a multi-carrier management solution that enables home office shipping ensures that employees are able to work safely from home, while businesses control cost-effective and efficient processes.

For years, companies have debated whether to build their own shipping software or buy from a vendor. And, a case can be made for either. A growing option provides shippers with the best of both worlds.

There was one thing guaranteed after a robust holiday shopping season. Retailers and ecommerce companies were bound to have a busy returns season. And, so far, they have not been let down.

*UPDATE* A recent study showed that 99% of retailers worldwide plan to offer same-day delivery by 2025, up from today’s 35% that are delivering same-day. However, many still face obstacles in launching or expanding their same-day final-mile delivery offerings. 

Sometimes the best way to get ahead of final-mile shipping trends for the new year is to look at the last-mile delivery trends of 2021.

With parcel and LTL carriers straining to keep up with the crunch of the peak shipping season, it is even more important than ever for shippers to pack efficiently—especially as customers buy more big and bulky, or heavy-goods items, online. Here are six tips for packing your shipments to save time and money.

Lower Black Friday and Cyber Monday sales may not spell doom-and-gloom for retailers this year. It may just be that shoppers took the advice to get an early start for the holidays. As the holiday shopping and shipping season heats up early this year, many consumers are worried about the supply chain issues impacting retail inventory. That, however, is not going to slow down shoppers. But will shipping be able to keep up with consumer expectations?

With the 26th United Nations Climate Change (COP26) conference being held at the SEC Centre in Glasgow, Scotland, winding down the state of the environment –and sustainable packaging and delivery - has taken center stage once again.

They say what goes up must come down. Well, apparently, what gets shipped must come back or so it would seem from the 2020/21 holiday return statistics.

And managing returns and keeping customers happy and costs in-check is vital — especially for online merchants, who often need to incur the expenses of offering free return shipping. 

The pandemic accelerated customer acceptance of eCommerce and further upended the traditional retail supply chain. As a result, retailers, manufacturers, and supply chain partners scrambled to adjust to the new landscape.

Holiday forecasts show a significant increase in year-over-year spending amid a supply chain logjam that could spell trouble for retailers not prepared from the first mile through the last mile. Keeping an eye on important deadline dates for FedEx, UPS, and USPS is part of the preparation.

As the Delta Variant of COVID-19 forces companies to continue a fully work-from-home or hybrid scenario, challenges in shipping remain. Learn how a cloud-based multi-carrier management solution provides businesses with a way to maintain centralized control while giving employees the tools they need to ship efficiently, cost-effectively, and safely from home offices.

If you didn’t realize it already, the recently released Pitney Bowes Parcel Index showed that the parcel shipping industry was busy in 2020.

Being a shipper today is tough. It is also busy. As COVID-19 gripped the world, more shoppers looked online to make purchases. COVID-19’s accelerated shift to eCommerce has created a prolonged peak shipping season and they are increasingly turning to 3PLs for help with omnichannel shipping.

Just as consumers were beginning to go back to some pre-covid, in-store shopping, the Delta variant may have dampened some of that and might be sending more of them back online to purchase goods. What does that mean in the short- and near-term for eCommerce and retail logistics?

As the major carriers strain under the torrent of parcel shipping volume, limiting service and boosting fees, shippers are increasingly looking to regional carriers to get items to customers’ porches. However, managing an expanded network of regional carriers can be tricky without the right retail shipping technology.

Carrier surcharges are a way of life for retailers and eCommerce companies. And the pandemic only accelerated them. So, this holiday season, shippers can expect even more surcharges from the top three U.S. parcel carriers.

Retailers are rushing to meet consumer demands with 51% offering same-day delivery and 65% plan to offer it within two years. And this is reflected in the growth of the same-day delivery market. However, increasing same-day delivery takes more than just a promise. It takes a multi-pronged approach to make it a reality.

Many carriers and technology providers are enabling “cargo chains”: end-to-end global logistics services that provide first-mile international pickups, consolidation, customs clearance, deconsolidating, and injection into domestic parcel networks.

We may be a little more than halfway through the year, but that doesn’t mean we can’t gaze into our crystal ball and take a look at parcel shipping and logistic trends for the rest of 2021.

One of the most significant shifts to come out of the eCommerce boom of the past year-plus has been the increased involvement of 3PLs and other service providers in the omnichannel strategy of retail. And for many, this is a different role than they are used to with B2B logistics.

Retailers and 3PLs must incorporate as many best practices as possible to make sure their omnichannel fulfillment strategy is one that works best for their business.

*UPDATED* Despite a worldwide pandemic, the growth of eCommerce fueled global shipping in 2020. And there are no signs of it slowing down. 

Even amid the COVID-19 pandemic and an unprecedented parcel carrier capacity crunch that has been steadily driving up shipping costs to residential addresses, consumers still expect free and fast delivery.

In the same-day delivery arena, physical locations available for ship-from-store logistics that incorporate powerful enterprise shipping software to help manage shipping from one to 1,000 locations or more, as well as a bevy of local carriers, are the ones that will not only survive but thrive.

*UPDATE* As the job market remains competitive--and employees continue to work from home--companies can enhance benefits programs, reduce shipping costs, improve cost accountability, and keep people safe, secure, and productive with Transtream Personal Shipping.

According to a report in DigitalCommerce 360, 93% of consumers want to stay informed throughout the delivery process, from in-transit status to final arrival date. Even more critical to your brand and delivering an exceptional customer delivery experience, more than 40% said they wouldn’t buy from the company again if you don’t provide that visibility.

 Pierbridge was recently cited as a representative vendor for multi-carrier parcel management solution providers in the February 2021 Gartner Market Guide for Multicarrier Parcel Management Solutions, and as a sample multicarrier parcel management vendor in the January 2020 Warehousing and Fulfillment Vendor Guide.

The past year-plus has been the most difficult most can remember. From lockdowns to supply shortages to working from home offices, the COVID-19 pandemic has impacted personal and professional lives, and parcel shipping and logistics are no exception.

*UPDATE* This information-packed blog covering our webinar last October on shipping as consumers purchase globally is still relevant. In fact, looking at some of the latest international eCommerce numbers show it may be more relevant than it was then. 

Throughout this week’s Earth Day celebration, there has been a renewed focus on the question of “what can be done to take care of the planet?” Consumers are asking retail, eCommerce, 3PLs, and other shippers the same question regarding packaging and sustainable shipping

*UPDATE* While managers may still be losing sleep over these six challenges, the past year has added even more. COVID-19 has changed the way people shop and the way shippers ship.

While Spring may have just sprung in the U.S., many retail and eCommerce organizations have already set their sites on the 2021 holiday season, and with good reason. With online sales expected to continue to grow and more items being shipped from more places thanks to a more common retail omnichannel shipping strategy, being prepared early for the holiday shipping season can mean the difference between a happy holiday or not.

*UPDATE* As COVID vaccines continue to roll out across the country, many can see the end of the long road of the past year nearing an end. Of course, that doesn’t mean that things will go back exactly as they were pre-pandemic and that includes the way consumers shop. And in turn the way retailers and eCommerce players ship.

*UPDATE --With recent announcements from Walmart, Target, and others revolving around their same-day logistics, we thought it might be time to revisit this blog on same-day delivery.

As more As same-day shipping becomes a pillar of the omnichannel shipping strategy of today’s B2B or B2C retail world, having the right tools in your utility belt can help you become a shipping superhero.

A lot has been written [and much of it by us] about the impact of COVID-19 on shipping. However, we haven’t really touched upon the effect of the pandemic on Dangerous Goods shipping. Primarily, we’ve skipped it because while Transtream can help ship hazmat, we aren’t Dangerous Goods experts. Our partner Labelmaster, on the other hand, is. That's why we turned to them for an update.

*UPDATED* There are many new “normals” as the world slowly emerges from the COVID-19 pandemic, both in personal life and business. One of the new “normals” for companies is a more robust remote employee culture. As more companies decide to continue to have employees working from home offices, they need to find a new way of managing decentralized mailing and shipping processes and expenses.

Pierbridge is honored to see that its hard work and innovation in the multi-carrier parcel management solution space has been recognized with us achieving Platinum Tier Status with FedEx.

Being a shipper today is tough. It is also busy. As COVID-19 gripped the world, more shoppers looked online to make purchases. COVID-19’s accelerated shift to eCommerce has created a prolonged peak shipping season. Carriers’ space is limited, they have to make more residential deliveries, and they are passing the costs along to shippers in the way of increased surcharges and volume restrictions.

A look around the internet during the holiday season showed that it indeed wasn’t a holiday for shipping. There were stories of late and missing packages, unhappy customers, and shippers with lost revenue. But, despite the doom and gloom –and some real difficulties—carriers did an admirable job delivering parcels during an unprecedented carrier capacity crunch.

Last year was filled with uncertainty, unrest, and change. Through it all, Transtream helped shippers not only survive but thrive in what is becoming a new normal in logistics. Here is a look back at some of the biggest challenges and changes that led to successful shipping in 2020.

Following what is expected to be a record-setting holiday season for online sales and residential deliveries, retailers and eCommerce players are going to need a powerful multi-carrier management solution to help them process what is bound to be an equally busy returns season.

Booming eCommerce sales, the COVID-19 surge, and now the holiday shipping rush are all contributing to carrier capacity woes. This means higher shipping costs with peak season surcharges and impending carrier general rate increases (GRI).

Thanksgiving is a great time to sit back, reflect, and appreciate everything for which there is to be grateful.

Shippers need to know the major U.S. carriers’ deadlines, so we have compiled this infographic with some of the key deadline dates for FedEx, UPS, and USPS.

Using a multi-carrier parcel management solution that can automate interaction with a diverse network of local delivery services is essential to implementing omnichannel shipping strategies in an attempt to beat the carrier capacity crunch and deliver what the customer wants this holiday season and beyond.

While the holiday shopping and shipping season will be unlike any seen before, early planning and the right technology, like Transtream multi-carrier parcel management solution, can help shippers keep it a profitable one.

Transtream’s integration with iDimension devices enables shippers to check parcel and freight shipment weight and dimensions at the point of shipping for more accurate rating, error reduction, and packing content image verification.

Utilizing a multi-carrier parcel management solution helps shippers find the best rates for the delivery window needed early in the online shopping process. This helps shippers save money while letting customers know what to expect, reducing shopping cart abandonment, and boosting loyalty and repeat business.

For those lucky enough to be able to work from home over the last few months, the next few may be more of the same for many. Even as the economy tries to re-open, several companies are considering keeping their remote employees at home for the long-term.

As you’ve read here before, Transtream has helped shippers pack for profits with its cartonization artificial intelligence (AI) capabilities. Well, did you know that the same technology that determines how to pack the perfect carton can be used to create plans for loading containers? What? You didn’t?! Well, read on.

While eCommerce returns are inevitable, keeping online shoppers happy during the process is vital to getting them to buy in the first place, and come back again. A multi-carrier management solution can help.

Many supply chain partners are supplementing their legacy systems with a “warehouse-in-a-warehouse” system that can help ease their transition into omnichannel fulfillment.

Before shipping your next international container full of items to be delivered to doorsteps around the world, watch this video to see how Transtream multi-carrier management solution can help you manage UPS Worldwide Economy services.

In the end, controlling costs and meeting customer expectations are vital for parcel delivery success now and in the future.

Find out why it is vital that eCommerce shippers, 3PLs, and manufacturers focus on reinventing packaging that delights customers, is compliant with supply chain partners, reduces waste, and minimizes costs.

Find out how retailers and businesses can use multi-carrier shipping solutions to save money while satisfying customer demands. Read our top tips now.

Watch this on-demand webinar as technology leaders share insights into how COVID-19 is impacting the shipping and delivery industry.

Having the right technology in place, such as Transtream multi-carrier management solution, can help your organization manage shipping costs.

As brick-and-mortar stores start to reopen, the way many consumers will shop will continue to drive omnichannel shipping. A multi-carrier management system can help retailers ship efficiently and cost-effectively from warehouses, stores, and suppliers on a single cloud platform.

Pierbridge’s Transtream University wants to make using and administering its multi-carrier management solution as seamless as possible for every role, so companies get the maximum benefit, with a minimum learning curve.

Join Pierbridge, Banyan Technology, and ConnectShip leaders as they share their insights into how COVID-19 is impacting the shipping and delivery industry.

Learn how Colorado State University turned to Transtream multi-carrier management solution to make shipping processes more efficient, cost-effective, and safe for its faculty and students.

Pierbridge has been selected by Inbound Logistics as a Top 100 Logistics IT Provider for 2020.

In a 30-minute webinar, Pierbridge’s Bob Malley and Mike Graves answer questions on how a multi-carrier management solution like Transtream can help companies maintain control of mailing and shipping processes across their remote working enterprise.

Pierbridge’s Transtream Home Office provides enterprises with a cloud-based multi-carrier management solution to enable remote visibility and control over employees’ no-contact shipping processes, regardless of their location.

Listen to children’s author Ty Allan Jackson tell how Transtream Home Office helps him build his business, Big Head Books, and enables him to ship more efficiently, cost-effectively, and safely, while working from home.

During the COVID-19 pandemic, those working on the front lines of the logistics and shipping industry have continued to reveal their unrivaled character by ensuring that the flow of vital goods remains uninterrupted..

As more employees are working from home than ever before, companies are facing new business continuity challenges, including managing shipping from remote locations efficiently, cost-effectively, and safely.

Listen to an expert logistics panel touch upon several important market factors and trends impacting shippers today and into the future, while highlighting the impact on omnichannel shipping.

Having the best multi-carrier management solution can help not only lighten the load for logistics managers, but also cut costs and keep customers coming back.

Transtream’s enterprise shipping solutions and AI capabilities provide retailers with all the tools they need to support omnichannel shipping – improving customer satisfaction while reducing costs.

One of the most versatile omnichannel shipping strategies gaining traction is the warehouse-in-a-warehouse concept.

Transtream provides a convenient, efficient, and cost-saving way for employees and businesses to accommodate the rise in personal shipping volumes.

We turned to our partners at Labelmaster to shed light on some of the biggest shipping myths the Dangerous Goods Information System (DGIS) provider has been seeing and find out what the real deal is.

As global eCommerce continues to grow, the right technology partner will be key to shippers staying compliant and reducing costs as they implement an omnichannel strategy that can deliver from the endless aisle.

As the new decade begins, it is a great time to look back while we continue to move ahead. 2019 was a busy year in parcel shipping with a number of trends worth noting.

Getting an item to customers fast and cheap takes an omnichannel, multi-carrier approach and the right transportation management system. Using that same formula to make returns as painless as possible for shoppers is almost as important to success.

Retailers and eCommerce players are turning to omnichannel, multi-carrier shipping software to optimize sales, reduce shipping costs, and mitigate the impact of annual carrier general rate increases (GRI).

As we in the U.S. get ready this week to spend time with friends and family to give thanks for what we have received the past year in our personal lives [and eat that pumpkin pie], here are some of the things for which we, as a company, are thankful.

As 3PLs grapple with the challenge of booming eCommerce shipping, they have increasingly turned to omnichannel shipping strategies across the supply chain. One strategy gaining a hold is to create a warehouse-in-a-warehouse.

With lots of packages to ship as more retailers take an omnichannel and ship-from-store approach to meeting the holiday crunch—what do shippers need to keep in mind this short holiday season?

Going to PARCEL Forum in Dallas Oct. 28-30? Visit us at Booth #416 to learn how Transtream TMS can help you manage your enterprise-level global cargo chain through the last inch, from wherever you are shipping to wherever you are shipping.

While the Internet enables businesses to sell to anyone, anywhere, anytime, it has also added an extra layer of parcel shipping complexity for retailers to manage.

This holiday season, more online consumers are expected to buy goods from overseas merchants. The challenge for retailers and supply chain partners is to make cross-border last-mile parcel delivery processes as seamless and invisible to the end consumer as possible.

As businesses adopt an omnichannel shipping approach, it becomes more important to prioritize DG compliance not only at the traditional distribution locations but throughout the organization as picking, packing and shipping functions are undertaken by employees not normally tasked with those duties.

Employers could avoid incurring unexpected shipping and administrative costs, while improving productivity by providing their employees with a no-cost, valuable benefit: Transtream’s Personal Shipping app.

With the correct technology and strategy, companies can offer personal shipping as an employee benefit without adding any costs or administrative workload.

Transtream Personal Shipping gives businesses an opportunity to provide a no-cost, low-maintenance option to add to its employee benefits menu that not only saves on losses from rogue shipping, but can be used to recruit, engage, and retain the best and the brightest in an industry.

Smart companies are starting to offer personal shipping as an employee benefit to alleviate the drain on company resources and reduce employee time away from their desk to take care of shipping personal parcels.

One of the impacts of the regulations will be to enable more freight forwarders and customs brokers to file electronically and compete with global parcel carriers who have had their own freight forwarding and customs brokerage operations.

2018 was a relatively quiet year in the Dangerous Goods (DG) galaxy, with few major new regulatory changes and no unexpected surprises from domestic or international regulatory bodies. But that doesn’t mean there aren’t important changes you need to take into account.

For a deeper dive into the state of today’s global, omnichannel retail and shipping world, download our latest eBook, “Parcel Cargo Chains Coming of Age.”

To keep up with the accelerating growth of eCommerce, shippers will have to work diligently to shore up their global cargo chain from the first mile through the last inch.

To take advantage of the U.S. Customs and Border Protection’s upcoming system changes, logistics service providers will need to rely on systems that have the combined capabilities of both parcel shipment processing and cross-border customs compliance.

Watch this month’s Tech Tip Tuesday to see how Transtream’s automated end-to-end process allows you to compare ground and LTL more efficiently and accurately, all from a single system, saving your operators time and your company money.

Get a handle on the complexities, challenges, and solutions for navigating the omnichannel shipping world while handling Dangerous Goods.

There are plenty of challenges being faced by global shippers, which is why many rely on best-in-class international transport management software to automate end-to-end first-mile, cross-border, and last-mile delivery.

Learn how enterprise-class shipping software can help you manage the many moving pieces of international shipping, from packing correctly, rate shopping services, consolidating and deconsolidating shipments, and injection into the local market, wherever it may be.

Without the best technology, managing networks that include international, national, regional, and local carriers remains a challenge.

The best shipping software can determine the most transportation-cost effective packing process, saving you time and money while reducing waste.

Today, shipping is an omnichannel, multi-carrier landscape. It takes good people and best-in-class technology for organizations to optimize delivery.

With so many delivery options to choose from, shippers’ guesstimates can prove to be very costly. Using the right shipping software can ensure you make transportation cost-effective carrier service decisions while meeting customer delivery expectations every time.

Innovations in live carrier connectivity technology means there's no reason shippers can’t apply the same rate shopping strategies to small parcel that are used in freight to realize significant savings.

One of the ways freight carriers are approaching LTL or parcel shipping is through the introduction of new last-mile delivery services. All of this change — and rapid change at that — is adding to the complex management of transport to keep costs in line.

ranstream users understand the value of Intelligent Rate Shopping because it ensures they meet customer expectations for delivery at the lowest cost while helping shippers provide consumers more options for carriers and servic

By implementing omnichannel ship-from-store and ship-from-supplier strategies, retailers can offer consumers an endless aisle of products to choose from and also ship orders from inventory sources that are closer to their customers.

Pierbridge is quadrupling its U.S. footprint with a move into new office space in Marlborough, Mass.

Shippers are accessing an expanding global network of local carrier services in a way that will enable retailers, eCommerce merchants, and 3PLs to meet rising consumer expectations.

By using multi-carrier shipping APIs across the enterprise, merchants can realize the best of both worlds: customer loyalty and reduced costs.

The achievement demonstrates not only the presence of a robust quality management system (QMS) operating across the organization but is an indicator of how committed Pierbridge is to meeting, and wherever possible, exceeding customers’ expectations.

In today's eCommerce-fueled shipping world, it is vital that shipping systems can handle the challenges of going global.

No longer is shopping or shipping limited by borders. Today’s retailers and pure-play eCommerce companies need to have the right tools and partners to handle the complexities of cross-border consolidation.

Global eCommerce is growing quickly, which has led to a surging wave of cross-border shipping throughout the world. To be successful, shippers will need the people, processes, and technology to manage an omnichannel, multi-carrier global supply chain from the first mile to the last inch.

As shippers look to LTL and parcel carriers to handle their omnichannel delivery needs, having a multi-carrier shipping system that can help manage the dynamic parcel and LTL environment is more important than ever.

eCommerce as a global phenomenon is just getting started. Logistics and technology companies that can simplify complex international processes will emerge as winners in the race to deliver on time and at a cost that retailers can absorb.

With local delivery becoming an increasingly important part of a multi-carrier and omnichannel shipping plan, automating with a parcel shipping system can take the time and guesswork out of getting packages to people quickly, efficiently, and cost-effectively.

As 3PLs continue to see the growth of eCommerce resulting in smaller, more frequent shipments delivered locally, the Banyan and Pierbridge partnership will help shippers navigate the multi-carrier environment, saving them time and money.

As Pierbridge continues to grow, we need to rapidly expand our team in both North America and Europe to meet the demand for our industry-leading parcel transportation management platform, Transtream.

The challenge will be for the new generation of TMS providers to figure out a way to simplify and automate local and specialized services alongside, and sometimes in coordination with, traditional parcel and freight services.

Staying on top of transportation spend can be difficult without the help of the right multi-carrier parcel shipping system.

The announced carrier GRI is averaging 4.9 percent, or 2 times the inflation rate, making it more important than ever for shippers to utilize a multi-carrier shipping strategy.

When kicking around ideas for our end-of-the-year list, we decided to look at ourselves.

While rate increases are a way of life for parcel shippers, armed with information, processes, and parcel shipping software, it is possible to keep costs in line, while meeting the demands of customers.

The right Dangerous Goods Information System (DGIS) and parcel shipping software can help your hazmat parcel shipments stay compliant.

We all know that too many businesses have too many people wearing too many hats, and as parcel shipping becomes more complex, more shippers are turning to 3PLs to help them take off a hat or two.

Parcel shipping has become a multi-carrier, omnichannel endeavor and a robust parcel shipping platform is needed now more than ever.

As our U.S. team prepares for Thanksgiving, we wanted to share some of the reasons we are so thankful.

There are five things shippers should consider when evaluating production-level performance of their cloud-based parcel shipping system in a business environment where every second counts.

Dealing with the shipping of hazmat items, whether obvious or not, is not easy. Luckily, with the right Dangerous Goods Information System (DGIS) and parcel shipping software, hazmat shipping is a breeze.

The NRF predicts that retail sales during the holidays will increase as much as 4.8 percent compared to 2017. With all this growth—and lots of packages to ship—what do shippers need to keep in mind this holiday season?

With the right parcel software and some know-how, it is possible to minimize unexpected and unnecessary surcharges and fees that are feasting on your bottom line.

3PLs looking to expand their parcel shipping services and customer base need to go where the business is — and that is everywhere.

Forget the Last Mile, 3PLs Need to Focus on Last-Yard Delivery. The use of 3PL firms grows. Not every parcel shipper has turned, but the odds are that they will.

There is still plenty of life and learning at trade shows. If you missed PARCEL Forum 2018 we’ve got you covered.

Today’s logistics world is complex. No longer is a one-size-fits-all TMS solution approach going to work. Read on to find out why this is the case.

How much is air worth to you? When you are thinking of breathing, it is priceless. The cost of air for shippers is becoming quite pricey. Learn more.

The race to meet the expanding expectations of eCommerce customers has led shippers to find ways to deliver parcels faster and cheaper. A new model is here…

When the need to manage shipping spend outpaces internal capacity, more shippers are turning to 3PLs to find them the right systems and software to keep ahead of rising costs.

To compete in the rocky waters of eCommerce, and maintain customer loyalty, processing returns quickly, easily, and for free is as important as selling them.

Free and fast shipping doesn’t come cheap. But today’s customers expect it. They expect a lot from their online shopping experience from order, delivery and returns.

IoT has changed changes the parcel shipping landscape. Now large organizations can automate high volume shipping across their enterprise using cloud-based solutions.

This podcast with Inbound Logistics, Pierbridge Managing Director Bob Malley expands on our recent white paper looking at the “Amazon Effect” on eCommerce logistics.

eCommerce isn’t all about retail. Manufacturers are taking on more of a B2C role as they are called upon to ship directly to eMerchant customers, on top of having to manage an increasingly complex supply chain. And traditional TMS systems aren’t equipped to untangle that complexity.

​Global logistics solutions group, WiseTech Global, announced the acquisition of Pierbridge, a leading parcel shipping transportation management solution (TMS) provider to medium and large shippers in the United States.

The current carrier capacity crunch that the logistics industry is experiencing may seem like something shippers have weathered before, but this time it’s different.

Not all Enterprise Shipping APIs are created equal. Here’s what you need to consider when evaluating how to augment your enterprise systems with multi-carrier shipping capabilities.

How can e-tailers control their shipping costs, remain competitive, and retain margins all at the same time? Improving the customer experience is the second prong in a two-pronged approach.

To reduce the cost of free shipping, you’ll need cartonization technology that can handle the complexities of zone-based rating by looking at your negotiated rate table and making sophisticated snap decisions for each shipment.

Pierbridge sat down with Brian Bourke, VP of Marketing, SEKO Logistics, to discuss the explosion of global retail and eCommerce and how companies can use supply chain strategies to differentiate themselves.

How do other pure-play e-tailers and hybrid retailers deliver the high expectations of customers while maintaining profit margins they need to keep their businesses thriving? The answer is to ship like an Amazon—or at least as close as possible.

UPS CIO Juan Perez stressed the three “C”s at Modex 2018: Convenience, Choice, and Control. But we think that Cost and Customer Experience are two other critical “C”s if shippers want to stay a player in the eCommerce game.

With ELD enforcement now in full swing in the U.S., truckers have less time to deliver loads and are picking and choosing their lanes. Shippers are paying the price.

Survive the global growth of parcel shipping by getting creative, taking chances, placing bets on technology, and partnering with companies that will help.

If Maersk can successfully develop those digital legs, and build a simplified, transparent supply chain, it will be able to run with technology-driven customers like Amazon, minimizing the risk of losing business or being trampled by competition.

Many of the items going in and out of a warehouse on any given day are regulated hazmat. They need to be labeled and documented in compliance with federal (and sometimes international) regulations.

With parcel shipping in the eye of the e-commerce last mile storm, it is more important than ever to use advanced analytics to monitor delivery performance and look for cost savings opportunities.

As delivery technology evolves and e-commerce continues to power parcel shipping, so has the need to build warehouses and distribution centers closer to customers.

Given the enormous cost advantage Amazon already has over its competitors, how many of them will risk exposing their business to the e-commerce giant?

The integration of Pierbridge’s Transtream Parcel TMS with Labelmaster's Dangerous Goods Information System (DGIS) helps companies streamline the shipping process of dangerous goods while ensuring regulatory compliance..

Shippers now have more control, visibility, and management when it comes to transportation management for all over-the-road modes with the Cerasis Rater inclusion of the innovative multi-carrier parcel shipping solution in partnership with Pierbridge, powered by Transtream.

One of the most effective ways to lower shipping costs is by negotiating better rates with your carriers. To get the best carrier rates, it may be advantageous to work with an expert who can provide the information and data a company needs to negotiate in an informed way.

Driving the need for speed is the fact that online retailers are not only competing against each other, but they are also competing against the immediacy a physical store offers. Consumers, understandably, are happiest when they get what they want right away..

Negotiations are heating up between UPS and the Teamsters with several sticking points that the two are disputing, including the use of technology.

Analytics are the brains of enterprise shipping. These insights power intelligent shipping decisions that will improve parcel shipping.

IoT technology has led more high volume shippers to consider SaaS parcel TMS solutions as a viable and lower cost alternative to on-premise systems.

Freight companies are now seeing opportunities for themselves in the high-growth last-mile delivery segment.

Multi-carrier parcel shipping software is evolving into Parcel Transportation Management Systems (Parcel TMS) that deliver value across the enterprise.

Unless you compare your expected costs against actual costs, you are making it tougher on your business to contain the cost of free shipping.

Whether you are a retailer, carrier, cloud services provider, or eCommerce merchant, Amazon is after your margins even at the expense of its own.

Parcel TMS platforms recognize the need to take an enterprise approach to managing transportation planning, execution, reconciliation, and analytics.

The fast delivery that was expected by consumers during the holidays will force carriers to be creative in how they meet evolving customer expectations.

Enterprise parcel shipping trends include omni-channel shipping, new delivery models, predictive analytics, cartonization, parcel TMS, and blockchain.

Amazon loses over $7 billion a year on free shipping. Here are 5 things eCommerce businesses can do to compete and protect their margins.

The parcel industry is paying attention to blockchain because it’s a technology that could streamline complex parts of last-mile parcel delivery.

Amazon has transformed retail by changing what it means to buy online. Free 2-day shipping is the new normal – but even that’s not enough anymore.

eCommerce returns are a pain but are also an excellent upselling and SEO optimization opportunity.

Moore will play a key role in bringing Pierbridge's enterprise-class Cloud-based solutions to market under its own brand, Transtream.

Healthcare companies are increasingly seeing the benefits of streamlining parcel TMS automation and improving healthcare delivery.

Choosing a parcel carrier service is not simple anymore. The pressure has never been greater to make the most cost-effective routing decision every time.

There are things you can do today to reduce transportation costs without affecting delivery.

Smart companies are using technology, like Pierbridge’s Opdimizer, to automatically calculate the most cost-effective way to build shipments.

Parcel rates are going up in 2018. Are you prepared?

Pierbridge’s TMS platform, Transtream, automates regulatory customs compliance and reduces cost by integrating FedEx international consolidation services.

GlobalPost services will be available in the next release (8.17) of Pierbridge's multi-carrier enterprise shipping software, Transtream.

Pierbridge's latest release of its Transtream enterprise shipping platform enables desktop and mail center shippers to take advantage of Deliv same-day shipping services in over 1,300 U.S. cities.

Pitney Bowes measures parcel spend globally and found a 48 percent increase over the last 3 years.

Today's Trucking magazine offers some interesting takeaways in an article about the impact that eCommerce is having on the freight transportation industry.

Pierbridge is featured in Parcel Magazine’s annual ‘Hot Companies’ listings. The company’s profile can be found in the July/August 2017 issue.

Pierbridge CEO Bob Malley's recent article in Logistics Viewpoints describes the 10 most important things shippers should consider when selecting an enterprise shipping platform.

For the second year in a row, Pierbridge has been named one of 2017’s Top Transport Management Solution Providers in Logistics Tech Outlook magazine.

Transtream, integrated with QubeVu dimensioning and cubing systems, enables shippers to calculate charges and reduce unexpected dimensional rate fees.

Pierbridge CEO's recent Parcel e-Newsletter article on cartonization describes how shippers can avoid or reduce the impact of dimensional weight rating.

A recent article in ARC Advisory's Logistics Viewpoints highlights differences between old cartonization technology and Transtream's new Opdimizer feature.

Pierbridge added A Ship With Other Goods (SWOG) feature to Transtream, which enables shippers to record multiple orders packed within a single shipment.

Pierbridge and Postea will integrate Transtream with QubeVu dimensioning and cubing systems as a way to reduce unexpected dim weight charges.

Arc Advisory’s Steve Banker on the release of Pierbridge's Opdimizer: "Cartonization already had a great ROI; it is about to get better."

Transtream 7.18 includes certified integration with the latest version of FedEx Ship Manager Server (FSMS) as well as new DHL services.

Pierbridge’s Transtream multi-carrier rating widget augments order entry, procurement, or shopping carts with more accurate rate and delivery estimates.

Pierbridge's free white paper provides insight into how its cartonization technology can help you avoid or reduce unexpected dimensional rates.

Members of the Pierbridge team attended the 2017 Stamps.com Partner Conference where they gained insight into Stamps.com's future plans and strategies.

Pierbridge CEO Bob Malley participated on the "Innovations in Supply Chain IT" panel at BB&T Capital Markets’ annual Logistics & Transportation Conference.

Pierbridge's new Opdimizer service instantly calculates the most cost-effective way to pack an order.

Agile Network's TME achieved FedEx Diamond certification status. Pitney Bowes' SendSuite Live and Pierbridge's cloud solution, Transtream, earned Gold.

Pierbridge’s Transtream Cloud solution earned FedEx Gold level certification status.

Pierbridge announced plans to expand its staff to support accelerating growth of its Transtream Cloud TMS community.

Pierbridge integrated Falvey’s web services with Transtream, making it easier for shippers to insure parcels and freight, and save on insurance premiums.

Pierbridge was once again recognized by ConnectShip as a Platinum Partner, representing the highest tier achievable for ConnectShip technology partners.

Pierbridge CEO Bob Malley will participate on the Innovation in Supply Chain IT panel at the BB&T Capital Markets Logistics & Transportation Conference.

Agile Network and Pitney Bowes earned FedEx's highest certification levels for 2017, recognizing excellence in technology and customer support.

For eCommerce vendors, some of the changes, like dimensional weight rate changes, are expected to have a significant impact.

Pierbridge CEO Bob Malley was among the market leaders Logistics Viewpoints interviewed for its article Multi-Carrier Solutions Save Shippers Money.

Pierbridge's next generation Transtream Office app is designed to help select the best parcel carrier service, automate shipping labels, and track delivery

Logistics Tech Outlook magazine included Pierbridge in its 2016 listing of 10 companies that are at the forefront of TMS solutions.

Pierbridge’s Transtream Cloud provided a NetSuite user with a tightly integrated TMS to streamline multi-carrier rating, shipping, and tracking processes.

Courier Magazine interviewed members of the Pierbridge team to find out how the company has survived and thrived over the years.

Pierbridge congratulates their partners at Agile Network on joining with JDA to provide their clients with advanced global shipping capabilities.

Pierbridge's Transtream version 8.5 includes a new onboarding wizard feature.

HubCapp makes it easy for shipping apps to securely print carrier labels and shipping documents on printers outside of the corporate network domain.

Pierbridge has formally launched its ISO 27001 certification initiative, which is expected to be complete by second quarter 2017.

Pierbridge congratulates their partners at Agile Network on their acquisition of Pantechnik, a transportation execution technology provider in Europe, Asia

Pierbridge and Cerasis have reached a cross-licensing agreement that will enable Cerasis to expand its freight processing capabilities.

Pierbridge and LSO have reached an agreement that will enable LSO to roll out a suite of advanced cloud-based shipping solutions to their customers.

Pierbridge congratulates their partners at Agile Network on their purchase of Ajilus, a shipping systems and supply chain software consultancy.

Pierbridge will offer NADL members lab logistic solutions that will provide a convenient way for their dental office clients to ship cases to lab locations

Pierbridge appointed Brian McDonald as its new CFO. McDonald will be replacing Richard Broad, one of the company's original founders.

Pierbridge was recognized as their "2015 International Partner of the Year" and "2015 Sales Growth Leader" at the ConnectShip Partner Conference in June.

For eCommerce retailers, one of the biggest factors in establishing customer loyalty is implementing a hassle-free returns policy.

Agile Network and Pierbridge collaborated with Manhattan Associates to extend its WMOS warehouse management platform with powerful shipping capabilities.

Pierbridge has opened new offices in UK for its growing development team in the historic downtown York area, just steps away from York Minster Cathedral.

Pierbridge and Agile received a "FedEx Diamond Partner" award in recognition of their outstanding performance as an integrator of FedEx technology.