Five Ways Parcel Shippers Can Navigate Peak-Season Rate Increases

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This year’s higher-than-normal general rate increases for parcel shipping caught many companies by surprise. But there’s still room for action.

Following are five steps shippers can take to help ensure that their peak-season plan succeeds despite higher-than-expected rate increases:

1. Ramp up communication with carriers. Reach out to carriers before holiday shipping ramps up, and make sure they’re on the same page as to the volume of parcels they’ll handle for your business.
2. Keep in touch with customers. To help keep customers tethered to your brand, reach out to them via e-mail and social media to let them know about the more aggressive order-by shopping dates, and encourage them to shop early. 
3. Assess distribution and fulfillment center health. Meet early this season with warehouse and fulfillment center leaders, and have frank discussions about current inventory levels and the overall health of the operation. 
4. Prepare to increase budgets. Forecast the impact of the higher costs of premium services, and use this information to make the case for increasing your parcel shipping budget during peak season.
5. Don’t go it alone. A professional data analytics shop has intimate knowledge of carrier pricing structures and philosophies, to accurately re-rate all parcels. 

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