{"id":101247,"date":"2026-09-15T10:27:08","date_gmt":"2026-09-15T15:27:08","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.shipstation.com\/?post_type=guides&#038;p=101247"},"modified":"2026-09-15T11:10:13","modified_gmt":"2026-09-15T16:10:13","slug":"shipping-as-a-growth-lever-lessons-from-the-experts","status":"publish","type":"guides","link":"https:\/\/www.shipstation.com\/en-ca\/guides\/shipping-as-a-growth-lever-lessons-from-the-experts\/","title":{"rendered":"Shipping as a Growth Lever"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<section class=\"wp-block-shipstation-hero block not-prose padding-top--sm padding-bottom--sm\">\n    <div class=\"bg-deep-indigo background--full content-theme--dark content--lg \">\n        <div class=\"container\">\n            <div class=\"hero items-center\">\n                <div class=\"hero-content \">\n                                                    <p class=\"eyebrow\">Fulfillment Guide<\/p>\n                                                    <h1>Shipping as a Growth Lever<\/h1>\n                                                    <div class=\"lead\"><p style=\"font-size: 34px;line-height: 38px\">Lessons from the operators doing it right<\/p><\/div>\n                                                                                \n                            <\/div>\n                            <div class=\"hero-media \">\n                                            <img fetchpriority=\"high\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.shipstation.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/Group-2147216010-1024x567.png\" alt=\"lessons from top operators\" width=\"1024\" height=\"567\" loading=\"eager\" \/>\n                                    <\/div>\n                                    <\/div>\n        <\/div>\n    <\/div>\n<\/section>\n\n\n\n\n<section class=\"wp-block-shipstation-content-section block not-prose\">\n    <div class=\"bg-white background--full content-theme--light content--lg \">\n        <div class=\"container\">\n            <div class=\"content content-align-left items-start content-width-full\">\n                                \n                                \n                                                    <div class=\"content-section-body body-size-lead\">\n\n<style>\n  .da-toc-card { margin: 28px 0 0; background: #ffffff; border: 1px solid #E2E6ED; border-radius: 16px; padding: 32px; box-sizing: border-box; font-family: 'Figtree', -apple-system, sans-serif; }\n  .da-toc-title { font-size: 16px; font-weight: 700; color: #11003A; margin-bottom: 20px; }\n  .da-toc-grid { display: grid; grid-template-columns: repeat(3, 1fr); gap: 14px 32px; }\n  .da-toc-item { display: flex; align-items: baseline; gap: 10px; font-size: 15px; font-weight: 600; color: #11003A; text-decoration: none; padding: 4px 0; }\n  .da-toc-item:hover { color: #00873B; text-decoration: underline; }\n  .da-toc-num { font-size: 13px; font-weight: 700; color: #00873B; flex-shrink: 0; min-width: 20px; }\n  @media (max-width: 700px) { .da-toc-grid { grid-template-columns: repeat(2, 1fr); } }\n  @media (max-width: 460px) { .da-toc-grid { grid-template-columns: 1fr; } .da-toc-card { padding: 24px; } }\n<\/style>\n\n<div class=\"da-toc-card\">\n  <div class=\"da-toc-title\">In this guide<\/div>\n  <div class=\"da-toc-grid\">\n    <a class=\"da-toc-item\" href=\"#ch-intro\"><span class=\"da-toc-num\">&mdash;<\/span> Introduction<\/a>\n    <a class=\"da-toc-item\" href=\"#ch1\"><span class=\"da-toc-num\">01<\/span> Reframe<\/a>\n    <a class=\"da-toc-item\" href=\"#ch2\"><span class=\"da-toc-num\">02<\/span> Fix the foundation<\/a>\n    <a class=\"da-toc-item\" href=\"#ch3\"><span class=\"da-toc-num\">03<\/span> Scale it<\/a>\n    <a class=\"da-toc-item\" href=\"#ch4\"><span class=\"da-toc-num\">04<\/span> Feel the payoff<\/a>\n    <a class=\"da-toc-item\" href=\"#ch-closing\"><span class=\"da-toc-num\">&mdash;<\/span> Putting it all together<\/a>\n  <\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<h3 id=\"ch-intro\" class=\"wp-block-heading\">A playbook for turning shipping into growth\u2014reframe, fix, scale, and feel the payoff.<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Delivery used to be the last thing anyone talked about. Now it&#8217;s the first thing your customers judge.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">This guide pulls together on-the-record insight from operators, analysts, and logistics leaders who are rethinking what shipping means for ecommerce\u2014people who run carrier networks processing millions of parcels, mid-market brands scaling past their first hires, and founders who&#8217;ve lived through every version of &#8220;it broke, and we had to fix it live.&#8221;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Four themes shape the chapters ahead: reframe how you think about shipping, fix the process before you automate it, scale without breaking, and feel the payoff when customers notice the difference. Every chapter ends with something you can use today, not just a lesson.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<style>\n  .da-chapter-divider {\n    width: 100%; box-sizing: border-box;\n    margin-top: 48px; margin-bottom: 8px;\n    background: #11003A; padding: 56px 40px;\n    opacity: 0; transform: translateY(24px); transition: opacity .7s ease, transform .7s ease;\n  }\n  .da-chapter-divider.da-in-view { opacity: 1; transform: translateY(0); }\n  .da-div-inner { width: 100%; margin: 0; display: flex; align-items: center; gap: 28px; }\n  .da-div-num { font-size: 76px; font-weight: 800; color: #00E664; line-height: 1; flex-shrink: 0; font-family: 'Figtree', -apple-system, sans-serif; }\n  .da-div-label { font-size: 13px; font-weight: 700; letter-spacing: 0.1em; text-transform: uppercase; color: #00E664; margin-bottom: 6px; font-family: 'Figtree', -apple-system, sans-serif; }\n  .da-div-title { font-size: 34px; font-weight: 800; color: #ffffff; line-height: 1.25; margin: 0; font-family: 'Figtree', -apple-system, sans-serif; }\n  .da-div-dots { width: 100%; margin: 32px 0 0; display: flex; gap: 8px; }\n  .da-div-dot { flex: 1 1 0%; height: 4px; border-radius: 2px; background: rgba(255,255,255,0.15); }\n  .da-div-dot-done { background: #00E664; }\n  .da-div-dot-active { background: #ffffff; }\n  @media (max-width: 600px) {\n    .da-chapter-divider { padding: 32px 20px; }\n    .da-div-inner { flex-wrap: wrap; }\n    .da-div-num { font-size: 48px; }\n    .da-div-title { font-size: 22px; }\n  }\n<\/style>\n\n<div class=\"da-chapter-divider\" data-da-scroll-reveal id=\"ch1\">\n  <div class=\"da-div-inner\">\n    <div class=\"da-div-num\">01<\/div>\n    <div>\n      <div class=\"da-div-label\">Chapter one<\/div>\n      <div class=\"da-div-title\">Reframe<\/div>\n    <\/div>\n  <\/div>\n  <div class=\"da-div-dots\">\n    <span class=\"da-div-dot da-div-dot-active\"><\/span>\n    <span class=\"da-div-dot\"><\/span>\n    <span class=\"da-div-dot\"><\/span>\n    <span class=\"da-div-dot\"><\/span>\n  <\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n<script>\n(function() {\n  var targets = document.querySelectorAll('[data-da-scroll-reveal]');\n  if (!targets.length) { return; }\n  if (!('IntersectionObserver' in window)) {\n    Array.prototype.forEach.call(targets, function(el) { el.classList.add('da-in-view'); });\n    return;\n  }\n  var observer = new IntersectionObserver(function(entries) {\n    entries.forEach(function(entry) {\n      if (entry.isIntersecting) {\n        entry.target.classList.add('da-in-view');\n        observer.unobserve(entry.target);\n      }\n    });\n  }, { threshold: 0.35 });\n  Array.prototype.forEach.call(targets, function(el) { observer.observe(el); });\n})();\n<\/script>\n\n\n\n<h3 id=\"h-cost-still-matters-pricing-it-on-purpose-is-what-s-changed\" class=\"wp-block-heading\">Cost still matters; pricing it on purpose is what&#8217;s changed<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">For years, most operators have run shipping the same way: minimize the line item, negotiate a better rate, and move on. That math made sense when customers didn&#8217;t expect much else. It doesn&#8217;t anymore.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n<section class=\"wp-block-shipstation-testimonial block not-prose\">\n    <div class=\"\">\n        <div class=\"container\">\n                        <div class=\"testimonial-contained-bg bg-cobalt-lightest\">\n            \n                            <div class=\"testimonial-stack\">\n                                                    <div class=\"testimonial-item testimonial-item--align-left testimonial-item--quote-large testimonial-item--pos-side testimonial-item--img-avatar\">\n                            <div class=\"testimonial-item__media testimonial-item__media--avatar\">\n                    <img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.shipstation.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/RickWatson_PS15230_22-JPEG-Full-size-highest-quality-scaled.jpg\" alt=\"rick watson\" loading=\"lazy\" \/>\n                <\/div>\n            \n            <div class=\"testimonial-item__content\">\n                                    <div class=\"testimonial-item__quote\">\n                        <p>&#8220;There are so many heads of logistics that still view shipping as a cost center: &#8216;This number for this route needs to be this number. Don&#8217;t talk to me about anything else.&#8217; Fifteen to 20 years ago, that made a lot of sense. It doesn&#8217;t now.&#8221;<\/p>\n                    <\/div>\n                \n                                    <div class=\"testimonial-item__attribution\">\n                                                    <div class=\"testimonial-item__person\">Rick Watson \u2014 Founder<\/div>\n                                                                            <div class=\"testimonial-item__business\">RMW Commerce Consulting<\/div>\n                                            <\/div>\n                \n                            <\/div>\n        <\/div>\n                                            <\/div>\n            \n                        <\/div>\n                    <\/div>\n    <\/div>\n<\/section>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Here&#8217;s why that mindset is outdated: delivery cost is the single biggest factor shaping how customers feel about the whole delivery experience.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<section\tclass=\"wp-block-shipstation-stats block not-prose padding-top--md padding-bottom--md\">\n\t<div class=\"content--lg\">\n\t\t<div class=\"container not-prose\">\n\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"stats-grid stats-grid--bar\"\n\tstyle=\"--stats-cols-mobile: 1; --stats-cols-desktop: 1;\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"stat-item\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"stat-number countup\"\n\t\t\t\tdata-countup-value=\"36\"\n\t\tdata-countup-duration=\"2000\"\n\t\tdata-countup-prefix=\"\"\n\t\tdata-countup-suffix=\"%\"\n\t\t><\/div>\n\n\t\t\t<div class=\"stat-label\">of consumers say delivery cost is the single most important aspect of the online delivery experience<\/div>\n\t\n\t\n\t\t\t<div class=\"stat-source\"> Source: 2026 Ecommerce Delivery Benchmark Report<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t<\/div>\n<\/section>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Free shipping isn&#8217;t the only lever left to pull, either. At the same live debate, Watson argued that most consumers are willing to pay more for delivery on their own terms. Free shipping, he said, isn&#8217;t the only thing that converts anymore.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">ShipStation Global data shows exactly where that willingness to pay sits: a $5 to $9 sweet spot for premium delivery. But most retailers aren\u2019t actually pricing inside it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<style>\n  .da-barchart {\n    background: #ffffff; border: 1px solid #E2E6ED; border-radius: 12px; box-shadow: 0 1px 3px rgba(0,0,0,0.08); padding: 28px 26px 24px; margin: 22px 0;\n    opacity: 0; transform: translateY(28px); transition: opacity .7s ease, transform .7s ease;\n  }\n  .da-barchart.da-in-view { opacity: 1; transform: translateY(0); }\n  .da-barchart-title { font-size: 15px; font-weight: 700; color: #11003A; margin-bottom: 20px; }\n  .da-bar-row { display: flex; align-items: center; gap: 16px; margin-bottom: 14px; }\n  .da-bar-row:last-of-type { margin-bottom: 0; }\n  .da-bar-label { width: 190px; flex: 0 0 auto; font-size: 13.5px; font-weight: 500; line-height: 1.35; color: #11003A; text-align: right; }\n  .da-bar-track { flex: 1 1 0%; height: 32px; background: #F0F1F5; border-radius: 6px; overflow: hidden; }\n  .da-bar-fill {\n    height: 100%; background: #00E664; border-radius: 6px; box-sizing: border-box;\n    display: flex; align-items: center; justify-content: flex-end; padding-right: 10px;\n    transform: scaleX(0); transform-origin: left center; transition: transform 1s cubic-bezier(.22,1,.36,1) .1s;\n  }\n  .da-bar-fill.da-bar-fill-grey { background: #DDE0EA; }\n  .da-barchart.da-in-view .da-bar-fill { transform: scaleX(1); }\n  .da-bar-val { font-size: 12.5px; font-weight: 700; color: #11003A; white-space: nowrap; }\n  .da-barchart-caption { font-size: 13px; color: #8A8F99; margin-top: 18px; }\n  @media (prefers-reduced-motion: reduce) {\n    .da-barchart, .da-bar-fill { transition: none !important; }\n    .da-barchart { opacity: 1; transform: none; }\n    .da-bar-fill { transform: scaleX(1); }\n  }\n  @media (max-width: 560px) {\n    .da-bar-label { width: 120px; font-size: 12.5px; }\n  }\n<\/style>\n\n<div class=\"da-barchart\" data-da-scroll-reveal>\n  <div class=\"da-barchart-title\">Premium delivery: The pricing gap<\/div>\n  <div class=\"da-bar-row\">\n    <div class=\"da-bar-label\">Priced in the proven $5&ndash;$9 sweet spot<\/div>\n    <div class=\"da-bar-track\"><div class=\"da-bar-fill\" style=\"width:44%;\"><span class=\"da-bar-val\">44%<\/span><\/div><\/div>\n  <\/div>\n  <div class=\"da-bar-row\">\n    <div class=\"da-bar-label\">Priced outside the range shoppers said they&#8217;d pay<\/div>\n    <div class=\"da-bar-track\"><div class=\"da-bar-fill da-bar-fill-grey\" style=\"width:56%;\"><span class=\"da-bar-val\">56%<\/span><\/div><\/div>\n  <\/div>\n  <p class=\"da-barchart-caption\">Source: 2026 Ecommerce Delivery Benchmark Report<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<noscript><style>[data-da-scroll-reveal]{opacity:1!important;transform:none!important}[data-da-scroll-reveal] .da-bar-fill{transform:scaleX(1)!important}<\/style><\/noscript>\n\n<script>\n(function() {\n  var targets = document.querySelectorAll('[data-da-scroll-reveal]');\n  if (!targets.length) { return; }\n  if (!('IntersectionObserver' in window)) {\n    Array.prototype.forEach.call(targets, function(el) { el.classList.add('da-in-view'); });\n    return;\n  }\n  var observer = new IntersectionObserver(function(entries) {\n    entries.forEach(function(entry) {\n      if (entry.isIntersecting) {\n        entry.target.classList.add('da-in-view');\n        observer.unobserve(entry.target);\n      }\n    });\n  }, { threshold: 0.35 });\n  Array.prototype.forEach.call(targets, function(el) { observer.observe(el); });\n})();\n<\/script>\n\n\n\n<script>\n(function() {\n  var targets = document.querySelectorAll('[data-da-scroll-reveal]');\n  if (!targets.length) { return; }\n  if (!('IntersectionObserver' in window)) {\n    Array.prototype.forEach.call(targets, function(el) { el.classList.add('da-in-view'); });\n    return;\n  }\n  var observer = new IntersectionObserver(function(entries) {\n    entries.forEach(function(entry) {\n      if (entry.isIntersecting) {\n        entry.target.classList.add('da-in-view');\n        observer.unobserve(entry.target);\n      }\n    });\n  }, { threshold: 0.35 });\n  Array.prototype.forEach.call(targets, function(el) { observer.observe(el); });\n})();\n<\/script>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Getting that price right takes more than picking one number and sticking with it. The same report found that willingness to pay for delivery isn&#8217;t flat: it shifts by market, order value, and urgency. A customer buying a last-minute gift will pay more than one restocking something they order every month. Price by customer context instead of charging everyone the same flat fee.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<style>\n  .da-check-wrap { max-width: 820px; width: 100%; margin-top: 28px; position: relative; left: 50%; transform: translateX(-50%); box-sizing: border-box; }\n  .da-check-header { background: #11003A; color: #ffffff; padding: 20px 24px; border-radius: 12px 12px 0 0; }\n  .da-check-header .da-title { font-size: 18px; font-weight: 700; font-family: 'Figtree', -apple-system, sans-serif; }\n  .da-check-header .da-sub2 { font-size: 14px; color: #80F3B1; margin-top: 4px; line-height: 1.5; }\n  .da-check-body { background: #ffffff; border: 1px solid #E2E6ED; border-top: none; }\n  .da-check-item { display: flex; align-items: flex-start; gap: 12px; padding: 12px 24px; cursor: pointer; border-top: 1px solid #EEF1F5; }\n  .da-check-item:hover { background: #F7F9FC; }\n  .da-check-item input { flex-shrink: 0; width: 18px; height: 18px; margin: 2px 0 0; accent-color: #00E664; cursor: pointer; }\n  .da-check-item label { font-size: 15.5px; line-height: 1.5; color: #11003A; cursor: pointer; margin: 0; font-family: 'Figtree', -apple-system, sans-serif; }\n  .da-check-item.da-checked label { color: #8A8F99; text-decoration: line-through; }\n  .da-counter-bar { background: #FAFBFC; border: 1px solid #E2E6ED; border-top: none; border-radius: 0 0 12px 12px; box-shadow: 0 1px 3px rgba(0,0,0,0.08); padding: 14px 24px; font-size: 15px; color: #11003A; font-weight: 600; display: flex; justify-content: space-between; align-items: center; gap: 12px; font-family: 'Figtree', -apple-system, sans-serif; }\n  .da-counter-bar button { background: none; border: none; color: #00873B; font-size: 14px; font-weight: 600; cursor: pointer; text-decoration: underline; padding: 0; }\n  .da-progress { height: 4px; background: #E2E6ED; overflow: hidden; }\n  .da-progress span { display: block; height: 100%; width: 0; background: #00E664; transition: width 0.25s ease; }\n  @media (max-width: 600px) {\n    .da-check-header, .da-check-item, .da-counter-bar { padding-left: 18px; padding-right: 18px; }\n  }\n<\/style>\n\n<div class=\"da-check-wrap\">\n  <div class=\"da-check-header\">\n    <div class=\"da-title\">One thing to check this week<\/div>\n    <div class=\"da-sub2\">Pull your own order data and look at it by order value and urgency before you touch a single delivery price.<\/div>\n  <\/div>\n  <div class=\"da-check-body\" id=\"daCheckList1b\">\n    <div class=\"da-check-item\"><input type=\"checkbox\" id=\"daC1bQ1\"><label for=\"daC1bQ1\">Where are you leaving money on the table? Flag order segments priced below what shoppers already said they&#8217;d pay.<\/label><\/div>\n    <div class=\"da-check-item\"><input type=\"checkbox\" id=\"daC1bQ2\"><label for=\"daC1bQ2\">Where might you already be pricing yourself out? Flag segments priced above that range and check them against conversion.<\/label><\/div>\n  <\/div>\n  <div class=\"da-progress\"><span id=\"daProgressBar1b\"><\/span><\/div>\n  <div class=\"da-counter-bar\">\n    <span id=\"daCounterText1b\">0 of 2 checked<\/span>\n    <button type=\"button\" id=\"daResetBtn1b\">Reset checklist<\/button>\n  <\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n<script>\n(function() {\n  var checklist = document.getElementById('daCheckList1b');\n  if (!checklist) { return; }\n  var checkboxes = checklist.querySelectorAll('input[type=\"checkbox\"]');\n  var counterText = document.getElementById('daCounterText1b');\n  var progressBar = document.getElementById('daProgressBar1b');\n  var resetBtn = document.getElementById('daResetBtn1b');\n  function update() {\n    var checked = 0;\n    Array.prototype.forEach.call(checkboxes, function(cb) {\n      var item = cb.closest('.da-check-item');\n      if (cb.checked) { checked++; item.classList.add('da-checked'); }\n      else { item.classList.remove('da-checked'); }\n    });\n    counterText.textContent = checked + ' of ' + checkboxes.length + ' checked';\n    progressBar.style.width = (checked \/ checkboxes.length * 100) + '%';\n  }\n  Array.prototype.forEach.call(checkboxes, function(cb) { cb.addEventListener('change', update); });\n  resetBtn.addEventListener('click', function() {\n    Array.prototype.forEach.call(checkboxes, function(cb) { cb.checked = false; });\n    update();\n  });\n  update();\n})();\n<\/script>\n\n\n\n<h3 id=\"h-the-competitive-bar-is-higher-than-you-think\" class=\"wp-block-heading\">The competitive bar is higher than you think<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">&#8220;Amazon is a direct competitor in package delivery,&#8221; Watson said. &#8220;Amazon delivers something like seven billion packages a year. Everybody should acknowledge that Amazon&#8217;s a competitor.&#8221;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Reframing the mindset is step one. Getting the operation to actually deliver on it is step two, and that starts with a hard look at what&#8217;s still being done by hand.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<style>\n  .da-chapter-divider {\n    width: 100%; box-sizing: border-box;\n    margin-top: 48px; margin-bottom: 8px;\n    background: #11003A; padding: 56px 40px;\n    opacity: 0; transform: translateY(24px); transition: opacity .7s ease, transform .7s ease;\n  }\n  .da-chapter-divider.da-in-view { opacity: 1; transform: translateY(0); }\n  .da-div-inner { width: 100%; margin: 0; display: flex; align-items: center; gap: 28px; }\n  .da-div-num { font-size: 76px; font-weight: 800; color: #00E664; line-height: 1; flex-shrink: 0; font-family: 'Figtree', -apple-system, sans-serif; }\n  .da-div-label { font-size: 13px; font-weight: 700; letter-spacing: 0.1em; text-transform: uppercase; color: #00E664; margin-bottom: 6px; font-family: 'Figtree', -apple-system, sans-serif; }\n  .da-div-title { font-size: 34px; font-weight: 800; color: #ffffff; line-height: 1.25; margin: 0; font-family: 'Figtree', -apple-system, sans-serif; }\n  .da-div-dots { width: 100%; margin: 32px 0 0; display: flex; gap: 8px; }\n  .da-div-dot { flex: 1 1 0%; height: 4px; border-radius: 2px; background: rgba(255,255,255,0.15); }\n  .da-div-dot-done { background: #00E664; }\n  .da-div-dot-active { background: #ffffff; }\n  @media (max-width: 600px) {\n    .da-chapter-divider { padding: 32px 20px; }\n    .da-div-inner { flex-wrap: wrap; }\n    .da-div-num { font-size: 48px; }\n    .da-div-title { font-size: 22px; }\n  }\n<\/style>\n\n<div class=\"da-chapter-divider\" data-da-scroll-reveal id=\"ch2\">\n  <div class=\"da-div-inner\">\n    <div class=\"da-div-num\">02<\/div>\n    <div>\n      <div class=\"da-div-label\">Next chapter<\/div>\n      <div class=\"da-div-title\">Fix the foundation<\/div>\n    <\/div>\n  <\/div>\n  <div class=\"da-div-dots\">\n    <span class=\"da-div-dot da-div-dot-done\"><\/span>\n    <span class=\"da-div-dot da-div-dot-active\"><\/span>\n    <span class=\"da-div-dot\"><\/span>\n    <span class=\"da-div-dot\"><\/span>\n  <\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n<script>\n(function() {\n  var targets = document.querySelectorAll('[data-da-scroll-reveal]');\n  if (!targets.length) { return; }\n  if (!('IntersectionObserver' in window)) {\n    Array.prototype.forEach.call(targets, function(el) { el.classList.add('da-in-view'); });\n    return;\n  }\n  var observer = new IntersectionObserver(function(entries) {\n    entries.forEach(function(entry) {\n      if (entry.isIntersecting) {\n        entry.target.classList.add('da-in-view');\n        observer.unobserve(entry.target);\n      }\n    });\n  }, { threshold: 0.35 });\n  Array.prototype.forEach.call(targets, function(el) { observer.observe(el); });\n})();\n<\/script>\n\n\n\n<h3 id=\"h-automation-can-t-fix-a-process-problem\" class=\"wp-block-heading\">Automation can&#8217;t fix a process problem<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Automation can fix lots of things, but not everything. Watson has spent years advising ecommerce operators on their shipping stack, and he has a warning for anyone about to buy new software before fixing what&#8217;s underneath: &#8220;You can&#8217;t automate a snowflake. Automation could save a lot of time and money, but the problem isn&#8217;t always a technology problem\u2014it&#8217;s sometimes a business-will problem. If your process isn&#8217;t well defined and your data isn&#8217;t sound, automation just means a lot more mistakes than you had before.&#8221;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Daniel Oh, who leads business development at the ERP provider Acumatica, sees the same failure pattern from the systems side.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">&#8220;This is where organizations pay a massive hidden tax on growth,&#8221; he said. &#8220;When your ERP and shipping platform operate in data silos, you&#8217;re forcing your warehouse staff to act as human middleware\u2014manually reconciling data, duplicating entries.&#8221;&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The result: one manual typo or one misplaced number can cause a misshipment or a broken financial ledger.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 id=\"h-the-same-breakdown-shows-up-in-visibility\" class=\"wp-block-heading\">The same breakdown shows up in visibility<\/h3>\n\n\n\n\n<section class=\"wp-block-shipstation-testimonial block not-prose\">\n    <div class=\"\">\n        <div class=\"container\">\n                        <div class=\"testimonial-contained-bg bg-cobalt-lightest\">\n            \n                            <div class=\"testimonial-stack\">\n                                                    <div class=\"testimonial-item testimonial-item--align-left testimonial-item--quote-large testimonial-item--pos-side testimonial-item--img-avatar\">\n                            <div class=\"testimonial-item__media testimonial-item__media--avatar\">\n                    <img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.shipstation.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/PK_kd-global-USA.jpg\" alt=\"patrick koehler\" loading=\"lazy\" \/>\n                <\/div>\n            \n            <div class=\"testimonial-item__content\">\n                                    <div class=\"testimonial-item__quote\">\n                        <p>&#8220;Sometimes the first thing that breaks isn&#8217;t actually shipping. It&#8217;s trust in the data. As brands scale, carriers, warehouses, and sales channels all start looking at different systems and getting different answers.&#8221;<\/p>\n                    <\/div>\n                \n                                    <div class=\"testimonial-item__attribution\">\n                                                    <div class=\"testimonial-item__person\">Patrick Koehler \u2014 Founder<\/div>\n                                                                            <div class=\"testimonial-item__business\">KD Global USA<\/div>\n                                            <\/div>\n                \n                            <\/div>\n        <\/div>\n                                            <\/div>\n            \n                        <\/div>\n                    <\/div>\n    <\/div>\n<\/section>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Dan Caldwell of Klaviyo sees the human side of the same problem: the logistics and marketing teams often aren&#8217;t even talking.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">&#8220;The customers doing this successfully are the ones where those two people are very close, and their tools are speaking to each other,&#8221; he said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Bethany DeAngelo, who works on ShipStation Global&#8217;s carrier strategy team, sums up why fixing the process has to come first.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n<section class=\"wp-block-shipstation-testimonial block not-prose\">\n    <div class=\"\">\n        <div class=\"container\">\n                        <div class=\"testimonial-contained-bg bg-cobalt-lightest\">\n            \n                            <div class=\"testimonial-stack\">\n                                                    <div class=\"testimonial-item testimonial-item--align-left testimonial-item--quote-large testimonial-item--pos-side testimonial-item--img-avatar\">\n                            <div class=\"testimonial-item__media testimonial-item__media--avatar\">\n                    <img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.shipstation.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/BethanyDeangelo1-scaled.jpeg\" alt=\"BethanyDeangelo\" loading=\"lazy\" \/>\n                <\/div>\n            \n            <div class=\"testimonial-item__content\">\n                                    <div class=\"testimonial-item__quote\">\n                        <p>&#8220;Technology always fails when you don&#8217;t have clean and scalable processes. When there&#8217;s too much ambiguity or too many human decision points, you can&#8217;t scale your operation. Adding new technology won&#8217;t fix a broken process\u2014it&#8217;ll actually exacerbate it.&#8221;<\/p>\n                    <\/div>\n                \n                                    <div class=\"testimonial-item__attribution\">\n                                                    <div class=\"testimonial-item__person\">Bethany DeAngelo \u2014 VP of Product &amp; Delivery<\/div>\n                                                                            <div class=\"testimonial-item__business\">ShipStation Global<\/div>\n                                            <\/div>\n                \n                            <\/div>\n        <\/div>\n                                            <\/div>\n            \n                        <\/div>\n                    <\/div>\n    <\/div>\n<\/section>\n\n\n\n<section class=\"wp-block-shipstation-cards-v2 block not-prose\" id=\"block-cards-6aad449388d63\">\n            <div class=\" \">\n        <div class=\"container\">\n                        <div class=\"content content-align-center items-center\">\n                                \n                                    <h2>The finding:<\/h2>\n                                \n                                    <div class=\"lead\">Readiness, not ambition, is the real constraint. Fragmented systems, integration complexity, governance gaps, and inconsistent data are the top barriers preventing retailers from realizing real value from automation and AI.<\/div>\n                                \n                                \n                                    <div class=\"secondary\">Source: 2026 Ecommerce Delivery Benchmark Report<\/div>\n                            <\/div>\n                        \n            \n                    <\/div>\n    <\/div>\n<\/section>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Once the process is clean, scale stops being scary.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<style>\n  .da-check-wrap { max-width: 820px; width: 100%; margin-top: 28px; position: relative; left: 50%; transform: translateX(-50%); box-sizing: border-box; }\n  .da-check-header { background: #11003A; color: #ffffff; padding: 20px 24px; border-radius: 12px 12px 0 0; }\n  .da-check-header .da-title { font-size: 18px; font-weight: 700; font-family: 'Figtree', -apple-system, sans-serif; }\n  .da-check-header .da-sub2 { font-size: 14px; color: #80F3B1; margin-top: 4px; line-height: 1.5; }\n  .da-check-body { background: #ffffff; border: 1px solid #E2E6ED; border-top: none; }\n  .da-check-item { display: flex; align-items: flex-start; gap: 12px; padding: 12px 24px; cursor: pointer; border-top: 1px solid #EEF1F5; }\n  .da-check-item:hover { background: #F7F9FC; }\n  .da-check-item input { flex-shrink: 0; width: 18px; height: 18px; margin: 2px 0 0; accent-color: #00E664; cursor: pointer; }\n  .da-check-item label { font-size: 15.5px; line-height: 1.5; color: #11003A; cursor: pointer; margin: 0; font-family: 'Figtree', -apple-system, sans-serif; }\n  .da-check-item.da-checked label { color: #8A8F99; text-decoration: line-through; }\n  .da-counter-bar { background: #FAFBFC; border: 1px solid #E2E6ED; border-top: none; border-radius: 0 0 12px 12px; box-shadow: 0 1px 3px rgba(0,0,0,0.08); padding: 14px 24px; font-size: 15px; color: #11003A; font-weight: 600; display: flex; justify-content: space-between; align-items: center; gap: 12px; font-family: 'Figtree', -apple-system, sans-serif; }\n  .da-counter-bar button { background: none; border: none; color: #00873B; font-size: 14px; font-weight: 600; cursor: pointer; text-decoration: underline; padding: 0; }\n  .da-progress { height: 4px; background: #E2E6ED; overflow: hidden; }\n  .da-progress span { display: block; height: 100%; width: 0; background: #00E664; transition: width 0.25s ease; }\n  @media (max-width: 600px) {\n    .da-check-header, .da-check-item, .da-counter-bar { padding-left: 18px; padding-right: 18px; }\n  }\n<\/style>\n\n<div class=\"da-check-wrap\">\n  <div class=\"da-check-header\">\n    <div class=\"da-title\">The follow-the-parcel audit<\/div>\n    <div class=\"da-sub2\">Run this before you automate anything else.<\/div>\n  <\/div>\n  <div class=\"da-check-body\" id=\"daCheckList2\">\n    <div class=\"da-check-item\"><input type=\"checkbox\" id=\"daC2Q1\"><label for=\"daC2Q1\">Pick one order and trace it end to end for a full day, from click to delivery confirmation.<\/label><\/div>\n    <div class=\"da-check-item\"><input type=\"checkbox\" id=\"daC2Q2\"><label for=\"daC2Q2\">Write down every manual step along the way, no matter how small it seems.<\/label><\/div>\n    <div class=\"da-check-item\"><input type=\"checkbox\" id=\"daC2Q3\"><label for=\"daC2Q3\">Flag every decision point where a human currently has to choose \u2014 which warehouse ships it, which carrier to use, whether duties apply, and how inventory gets allocated.<\/label><\/div>\n    <div class=\"da-check-item\"><input type=\"checkbox\" id=\"daC2Q4\"><label for=\"daC2Q4\">Note every place where two systems don&#8217;t talk to each other, where someone bridges the gap by hand.<\/label><\/div>\n    <div class=\"da-check-item\"><input type=\"checkbox\" id=\"daC2Q5\"><label for=\"daC2Q5\">Name the one exception type eating the most time this month, and start there.<\/label><\/div>\n  <\/div>\n  <div class=\"da-progress\"><span id=\"daProgressBar2\"><\/span><\/div>\n  <div class=\"da-counter-bar\">\n    <span id=\"daCounterText2\">0 of 5 checked<\/span>\n    <button type=\"button\" id=\"daResetBtn2\">Reset checklist<\/button>\n  <\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n<script>\n(function() {\n  var checklist = document.getElementById('daCheckList2');\n  if (!checklist) { return; }\n  var checkboxes = checklist.querySelectorAll('input[type=\"checkbox\"]');\n  var counterText = document.getElementById('daCounterText2');\n  var progressBar = document.getElementById('daProgressBar2');\n  var resetBtn = document.getElementById('daResetBtn2');\n  function update() {\n    var checked = 0;\n    Array.prototype.forEach.call(checkboxes, function(cb) {\n      var item = cb.closest('.da-check-item');\n      if (cb.checked) { checked++; item.classList.add('da-checked'); }\n      else { item.classList.remove('da-checked'); }\n    });\n    counterText.textContent = checked + ' of ' + checkboxes.length + ' checked';\n    progressBar.style.width = (checked \/ checkboxes.length * 100) + '%';\n  }\n  Array.prototype.forEach.call(checkboxes, function(cb) { cb.addEventListener('change', update); });\n  resetBtn.addEventListener('click', function() {\n    Array.prototype.forEach.call(checkboxes, function(cb) { cb.checked = false; });\n    update();\n  });\n  update();\n})();\n<\/script>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">&#8220;What you want is a single source of truth, a fully connected system\u2014and then everything becomes a math problem,&#8221; said Daniel Oh. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">That&#8217;s exactly how the operators in the next chapter treat it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<style>\n  .da-chapter-divider {\n    width: 100%; box-sizing: border-box;\n    margin-top: 48px; margin-bottom: 8px;\n    background: #11003A; padding: 56px 40px;\n    opacity: 0; transform: translateY(24px); transition: opacity .7s ease, transform .7s ease;\n  }\n  .da-chapter-divider.da-in-view { opacity: 1; transform: translateY(0); }\n  .da-div-inner { width: 100%; margin: 0; display: flex; align-items: center; gap: 28px; }\n  .da-div-num { font-size: 76px; font-weight: 800; color: #00E664; line-height: 1; flex-shrink: 0; font-family: 'Figtree', -apple-system, sans-serif; }\n  .da-div-label { font-size: 13px; font-weight: 700; letter-spacing: 0.1em; text-transform: uppercase; color: #00E664; margin-bottom: 6px; font-family: 'Figtree', -apple-system, sans-serif; }\n  .da-div-title { font-size: 34px; font-weight: 800; color: #ffffff; line-height: 1.25; margin: 0; font-family: 'Figtree', -apple-system, sans-serif; }\n  .da-div-dots { width: 100%; margin: 32px 0 0; display: flex; gap: 8px; }\n  .da-div-dot { flex: 1 1 0%; height: 4px; border-radius: 2px; background: rgba(255,255,255,0.15); }\n  .da-div-dot-done { background: #00E664; }\n  .da-div-dot-active { background: #ffffff; }\n  @media (max-width: 600px) {\n    .da-chapter-divider { padding: 32px 20px; }\n    .da-div-inner { flex-wrap: wrap; }\n    .da-div-num { font-size: 48px; }\n    .da-div-title { font-size: 22px; }\n  }\n<\/style>\n\n<div class=\"da-chapter-divider\" data-da-scroll-reveal id=\"ch3\">\n  <div class=\"da-div-inner\">\n    <div class=\"da-div-num\">03<\/div>\n    <div>\n      <div class=\"da-div-label\">Next chapter<\/div>\n      <div class=\"da-div-title\">Scale it<\/div>\n    <\/div>\n  <\/div>\n  <div class=\"da-div-dots\">\n    <span class=\"da-div-dot da-div-dot-done\"><\/span>\n    <span class=\"da-div-dot da-div-dot-done\"><\/span>\n    <span class=\"da-div-dot da-div-dot-active\"><\/span>\n    <span class=\"da-div-dot\"><\/span>\n  <\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n<script>\n(function() {\n  var targets = document.querySelectorAll('[data-da-scroll-reveal]');\n  if (!targets.length) { return; }\n  if (!('IntersectionObserver' in window)) {\n    Array.prototype.forEach.call(targets, function(el) { el.classList.add('da-in-view'); });\n    return;\n  }\n  var observer = new IntersectionObserver(function(entries) {\n    entries.forEach(function(entry) {\n      if (entry.isIntersecting) {\n        entry.target.classList.add('da-in-view');\n        observer.unobserve(entry.target);\n      }\n    });\n  }, { threshold: 0.35 });\n  Array.prototype.forEach.call(targets, function(el) { observer.observe(el); });\n})();\n<\/script>\n\n\n\n<h2 id=\"h-automation-that-scales-with-you\" class=\"wp-block-heading\">Automation that scales with you<\/h2>\n\n\n<style>.kadence-column101247_a0e46e-83 > .kt-inside-inner-col,.kadence-column101247_a0e46e-83 > .kt-inside-inner-col:before{border-top-left-radius:0px;border-top-right-radius:0px;border-bottom-right-radius:0px;border-bottom-left-radius:0px;}.kadence-column101247_a0e46e-83 > .kt-inside-inner-col{column-gap:var(--global-kb-gap-sm, 1rem);}.kadence-column101247_a0e46e-83 > .kt-inside-inner-col{flex-direction:column;}.kadence-column101247_a0e46e-83 > .kt-inside-inner-col > .aligncenter{width:100%;}.kadence-column101247_a0e46e-83 > .kt-inside-inner-col:before{opacity:0.3;}.kadence-column101247_a0e46e-83{position:relative;}@media all and (max-width: 1024px){.kadence-column101247_a0e46e-83 > .kt-inside-inner-col{flex-direction:column;}}@media all and (max-width: 767px){.kadence-column101247_a0e46e-83 > .kt-inside-inner-col{flex-direction:column;}}<\/style>\n<div class=\"wp-block-kadence-column kadence-column101247_a0e46e-83\"><div class=\"kt-inside-inner-col\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-columns is-layout-flex wp-container-core-columns-is-layout-8f761849 wp-block-columns-is-layout-flex\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-column is-layout-flow wp-block-column-is-layout-flow\">\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-thumbnail\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"150\" height=\"150\" src=\"https:\/\/www.shipstation.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/ned-woodward-circular-150x150.png\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-101313\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.shipstation.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/ned-woodward-circular-150x150.png 150w, https:\/\/www.shipstation.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/ned-woodward-circular-768x768.png 768w, https:\/\/www.shipstation.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/ned-woodward-circular-1024x1024.png 1024w, https:\/\/www.shipstation.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/ned-woodward-circular.png 1080w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 150px) 100vw, 150px\" \/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Ned Woodward runs logistics and fulfillment at <a href=\"https:\/\/www.shipstation.com\/stories\/spiceology\/\" data-type=\"link\" data-id=\"https:\/\/www.shipstation.com\/stories\/spiceology\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Spiceology<\/a>, one of the fastest-growing spice brands in the country. When COVID hit, the business flipped overnight from bulk food-service orders to a flood of small direct-to-consumer ones. The manual label-printing setup couldn&#8217;t keep up. Moving onto a connected system cut order-processing time in half.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<section\tclass=\"wp-block-shipstation-stats block not-prose padding-top--md padding-bottom--md\">\n\t<div class=\"content--lg\">\n\t\t<div class=\"container not-prose\">\n\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"stats-grid stats-grid--bar\"\n\tstyle=\"--stats-cols-mobile: 1; --stats-cols-desktop: 1;\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"stat-item\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"stat-number countup\"\n\t\t\t\tdata-countup-value=\"84\"\n\t\tdata-countup-duration=\"2000\"\n\t\tdata-countup-prefix=\"\"\n\t\tdata-countup-suffix=\"%\"\n\t\t><\/div>\n\n\t\t\t<div class=\"stat-label\">labor cut by automating shipping requirements for one high-volume account<\/div>\n\t\n\t\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t<\/div>\n<\/section>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">&#8220;We haven\u2019t had to hire seasonal staff to handle a 30 to 40% increase in direct-to-consumer volume through the holiday push,&#8221; Woodward said.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-column is-layout-flow wp-block-column-is-layout-flow\">\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-thumbnail\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"150\" height=\"150\" src=\"https:\/\/www.shipstation.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/maire-bavarday-rosa-circular-150x150.png\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-101317\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.shipstation.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/maire-bavarday-rosa-circular-150x150.png 150w, https:\/\/www.shipstation.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/maire-bavarday-rosa-circular-768x768.png 768w, https:\/\/www.shipstation.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/maire-bavarday-rosa-circular-1024x1024.png 1024w, https:\/\/www.shipstation.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/maire-bavarday-rosa-circular.png 1080w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 150px) 100vw, 150px\" \/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Ma\u00efr\u00e9 BAVARDAY-ROSA has onboarded ecommerce brands of every size at ecomspaces, and she&#8217;s seen the same gap almost every time: brands that grow their sales long before they build any real shipping automation to support it.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">&#8220;99% of the brands that we onboard do not have this system in place,&#8221; she said.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">One founder she worked with in Florida now processes 3,000 orders a day without adding headcount, once the systems were in place. Her advice to anyone still waiting: &#8220;The longer you wait, the harder it&#8217;s going to be, and it&#8217;s going to slow your growth.&#8221;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<section\tclass=\"wp-block-shipstation-stats block not-prose padding-top--md padding-bottom--md\">\n\t<div class=\"content--lg\">\n\t\t<div class=\"container not-prose\">\n\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"stats-grid stats-grid--bar\"\n\tstyle=\"--stats-cols-mobile: 1; --stats-cols-desktop: 1;\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"stat-item\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"stat-number\"\n\t\t>6x<\/div>\n\n\t\t\t<div class=\"stat-label\">order volume scaled (500 to 3,000 orders a day) without adding headcount<\/div>\n\t\n\t\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t<\/div>\n<\/section>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Woodward builds in one more safeguard as he keeps automating: he tests every new rule in a sandbox before it touches a live order, so a bad rule fails quietly instead of on 200 real orders at once.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 id=\"h-carriers-and-borders-get-complicated-fast\" class=\"wp-block-heading\">Carriers and borders get complicated fast<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Scale creates a second kind of complexity: carriers and borders. Mohammed Baloch of GlobalPost calls the result a &#8220;Frankenstein carrier portfolio&#8221;\u2014a carrier for local deliveries, a carrier for international, a carrier for overnight, until you&#8217;re managing individual reps and integrations and getting bad economics on your rate because your volume is spread too thin.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">James Marley of Swap Commerce has watched the compliance side of that same mess get more urgent, as de minimis exemptions that cross-border brands built their pricing models around have started disappearing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n<section class=\"wp-block-shipstation-testimonial block not-prose\">\n    <div class=\"\">\n        <div class=\"container\">\n                        <div class=\"testimonial-contained-bg bg-cobalt-lightest\">\n            \n                            <div class=\"testimonial-stack\">\n                                                    <div class=\"testimonial-item testimonial-item--align-left testimonial-item--quote-large testimonial-item--pos-side testimonial-item--img-avatar\">\n                            <div class=\"testimonial-item__media testimonial-item__media--avatar\">\n                    <img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.shipstation.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/james-marley.jpeg\" alt=\"james marley\" loading=\"lazy\" \/>\n                <\/div>\n            \n            <div class=\"testimonial-item__content\">\n                                    <div class=\"testimonial-item__quote\">\n                        <p>&#8220;De minimis isn&#8217;t just a tax rule. It&#8217;s an entire operational architecture that brands have built their cross-border model around, and that architecture is now gone. For brands that haven&#8217;t adapted, the duty risk now lands with the consumer at the door. That&#8217;s not a logistics failure. It&#8217;s a brand failure.&#8221;<\/p>\n                    <\/div>\n                \n                                    <div class=\"testimonial-item__attribution\">\n                                                    <div class=\"testimonial-item__person\">James Marley \u2014 VP of Cross-Border<\/div>\n                                                                            <div class=\"testimonial-item__business\">Swap Commerce<\/div>\n                                            <\/div>\n                \n                            <\/div>\n        <\/div>\n                                            <\/div>\n            \n                        <\/div>\n                    <\/div>\n    <\/div>\n<\/section>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">He&#8217;s seen brands trip over a subtler version of the same risk, too: using a marketing-friendly product description as the customs description. Call a white sweater &#8220;ivory&#8221; on the customs form, and a customs officer can read that as an attempt to ship actual elephant ivory. Holds at the border, fines, and delays follow.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 id=\"h-ai-rewards-the-operators-who-did-the-work-first\" class=\"wp-block-heading\">AI rewards the operators who did the work first<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Layer AI on top of all this, and the same rule holds: it helps the operators who&#8217;ve already done the process work, and it punishes the ones who haven&#8217;t.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Darin Lynch, founder of the ecommerce agency Irish Titan, argues mid-market brands actually have the advantage here: &#8220;AI is at its best when it does blue-collar work for white-collar workers. Mid-market is the Goldilocks of AI opportunity. They can workshop, they can sandbox.&#8221;&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<section\tclass=\"wp-block-shipstation-stats block not-prose padding-top--md padding-bottom--md\">\n\t<div class=\"content--lg\">\n\t\t<div class=\"container not-prose\">\n\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"stats-grid stats-grid--bar\"\n\tstyle=\"--stats-cols-mobile: 1; --stats-cols-desktop: 1;\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"stat-item\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"stat-number countup\"\n\t\t\t\tdata-countup-value=\"60\"\n\t\tdata-countup-duration=\"2000\"\n\t\tdata-countup-prefix=\"\"\n\t\tdata-countup-suffix=\"%\"\n\t\t><\/div>\n\n\t\t\t<div class=\"stat-label\">of consumers are comfortable using AI in their shopping journey\u2014but only in a controlled and defined way<\/div>\n\t\n\t\n\t\t\t<div class=\"stat-source\">Source: 2026 Ecommerce Delivery Benchmark Report<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t<\/div>\n<\/section>\n\n\n\n<style>\n  .da-check-wrap { max-width: 820px; width: 100%; margin-top: 28px; position: relative; left: 50%; transform: translateX(-50%); box-sizing: border-box; }\n  .da-check-header { background: #11003A; color: #ffffff; padding: 20px 24px; border-radius: 12px 12px 0 0; }\n  .da-check-header .da-title { font-size: 18px; font-weight: 700; font-family: 'Figtree', -apple-system, sans-serif; }\n  .da-check-header .da-sub2 { font-size: 14px; color: #80F3B1; margin-top: 4px; line-height: 1.5; }\n  .da-check-body { background: #ffffff; border: 1px solid #E2E6ED; border-top: none; }\n  .da-check-item { display: flex; align-items: flex-start; gap: 12px; padding: 12px 24px; cursor: pointer; border-top: 1px solid #EEF1F5; }\n  .da-check-item:hover { background: #F7F9FC; }\n  .da-check-item input { flex-shrink: 0; width: 18px; height: 18px; margin: 2px 0 0; accent-color: #00E664; cursor: pointer; }\n  .da-check-item label { font-size: 15.5px; line-height: 1.5; color: #11003A; cursor: pointer; margin: 0; font-family: 'Figtree', -apple-system, sans-serif; }\n  .da-check-item.da-checked label { color: #8A8F99; text-decoration: line-through; }\n  .da-counter-bar { background: #FAFBFC; border: 1px solid #E2E6ED; border-top: none; border-radius: 0 0 12px 12px; box-shadow: 0 1px 3px rgba(0,0,0,0.08); padding: 14px 24px; font-size: 15px; color: #11003A; font-weight: 600; display: flex; justify-content: space-between; align-items: center; gap: 12px; font-family: 'Figtree', -apple-system, sans-serif; }\n  .da-counter-bar button { background: none; border: none; color: #00873B; font-size: 14px; font-weight: 600; cursor: pointer; text-decoration: underline; padding: 0; }\n  .da-progress { height: 4px; background: #E2E6ED; overflow: hidden; }\n  .da-progress span { display: block; height: 100%; width: 0; background: #00E664; transition: width 0.25s ease; }\n  @media (max-width: 600px) {\n    .da-check-header, .da-check-item, .da-counter-bar { padding-left: 18px; padding-right: 18px; }\n  }\n<\/style>\n\n<div class=\"da-check-wrap\">\n  <div class=\"da-check-header\">\n    <div class=\"da-title\">Test-before-you-scale checklist<\/div>\n    <div class=\"da-sub2\">Run through this before you scale anything up.<\/div>\n  <\/div>\n  <div class=\"da-check-body\" id=\"daCheckList3\">\n    <div class=\"da-check-item\"><input type=\"checkbox\" id=\"daC3Q1\"><label for=\"daC3Q1\">Sandbox every new automation rule before it touches a live order.<\/label><\/div>\n    <div class=\"da-check-item\"><input type=\"checkbox\" id=\"daC3Q2\"><label for=\"daC3Q2\">Map your carrier mix for single points of failure \u2014 no mode should depend on just one carrier.<\/label><\/div>\n    <div class=\"da-check-item\"><input type=\"checkbox\" id=\"daC3Q3\"><label for=\"daC3Q3\">Calculate landed cost at checkout, not at the border.<\/label><\/div>\n    <div class=\"da-check-item\"><input type=\"checkbox\" id=\"daC3Q4\"><label for=\"daC3Q4\">Audit your product catalog this week for restricted-word risk in customs descriptions.<\/label><\/div>\n    <div class=\"da-check-item\"><input type=\"checkbox\" id=\"daC3Q5\"><label for=\"daC3Q5\">Choose carriers who act as compliance partners, not just those offering the lowest rates.<\/label><\/div>\n  <\/div>\n  <div class=\"da-progress\"><span id=\"daProgressBar3\"><\/span><\/div>\n  <div class=\"da-counter-bar\">\n    <span id=\"daCounterText3\">0 of 5 checked<\/span>\n    <button type=\"button\" id=\"daResetBtn3\">Reset checklist<\/button>\n  <\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n<script>\n(function() {\n  var checklist = document.getElementById('daCheckList3');\n  if (!checklist) { return; }\n  var checkboxes = checklist.querySelectorAll('input[type=\"checkbox\"]');\n  var counterText = document.getElementById('daCounterText3');\n  var progressBar = document.getElementById('daProgressBar3');\n  var resetBtn = document.getElementById('daResetBtn3');\n  function update() {\n    var checked = 0;\n    Array.prototype.forEach.call(checkboxes, function(cb) {\n      var item = cb.closest('.da-check-item');\n      if (cb.checked) { checked++; item.classList.add('da-checked'); }\n      else { item.classList.remove('da-checked'); }\n    });\n    counterText.textContent = checked + ' of ' + checkboxes.length + ' checked';\n    progressBar.style.width = (checked \/ checkboxes.length * 100) + '%';\n  }\n  Array.prototype.forEach.call(checkboxes, function(cb) { cb.addEventListener('change', update); });\n  resetBtn.addEventListener('click', function() {\n    Array.prototype.forEach.call(checkboxes, function(cb) { cb.checked = false; });\n    update();\n  });\n  update();\n})();\n<\/script>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Every fix in this chapter is invisible to the customer, but it doesn&#8217;t stay invisible for long. Run the follow-the-parcel audit, Watson says, and &#8220;problems like conversion and retention start making a lot more sense.&#8221; That&#8217;s where the real payoff shows up.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<style>\n  .da-chapter-divider {\n    width: 100%; box-sizing: border-box;\n    margin-top: 48px; margin-bottom: 8px;\n    background: #11003A; padding: 56px 40px;\n    opacity: 0; transform: translateY(24px); transition: opacity .7s ease, transform .7s ease;\n  }\n  .da-chapter-divider.da-in-view { opacity: 1; transform: translateY(0); }\n  .da-div-inner { width: 100%; margin: 0; display: flex; align-items: center; gap: 28px; }\n  .da-div-num { font-size: 76px; font-weight: 800; color: #00E664; line-height: 1; flex-shrink: 0; font-family: 'Figtree', -apple-system, sans-serif; }\n  .da-div-label { font-size: 13px; font-weight: 700; letter-spacing: 0.1em; text-transform: uppercase; color: #00E664; margin-bottom: 6px; font-family: 'Figtree', -apple-system, sans-serif; }\n  .da-div-title { font-size: 34px; font-weight: 800; color: #ffffff; line-height: 1.25; margin: 0; font-family: 'Figtree', -apple-system, sans-serif; }\n  .da-div-dots { width: 100%; margin: 32px 0 0; display: flex; gap: 8px; }\n  .da-div-dot { flex: 1 1 0%; height: 4px; border-radius: 2px; background: rgba(255,255,255,0.15); }\n  .da-div-dot-done { background: #00E664; }\n  .da-div-dot-active { background: #ffffff; }\n  @media (max-width: 600px) {\n    .da-chapter-divider { padding: 32px 20px; }\n    .da-div-inner { flex-wrap: wrap; }\n    .da-div-num { font-size: 48px; }\n    .da-div-title { font-size: 22px; }\n  }\n<\/style>\n\n<div class=\"da-chapter-divider\" data-da-scroll-reveal id=\"ch4\">\n  <div class=\"da-div-inner\">\n    <div class=\"da-div-num\">04<\/div>\n    <div>\n      <div class=\"da-div-label\">Next chapter<\/div>\n      <div class=\"da-div-title\">Feel the payoff<\/div>\n    <\/div>\n  <\/div>\n  <div class=\"da-div-dots\">\n    <span class=\"da-div-dot da-div-dot-done\"><\/span>\n    <span class=\"da-div-dot da-div-dot-done\"><\/span>\n    <span class=\"da-div-dot da-div-dot-done\"><\/span>\n    <span class=\"da-div-dot da-div-dot-active\"><\/span>\n  <\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n<script>\n(function() {\n  var targets = document.querySelectorAll('[data-da-scroll-reveal]');\n  if (!targets.length) { return; }\n  if (!('IntersectionObserver' in window)) {\n    Array.prototype.forEach.call(targets, function(el) { el.classList.add('da-in-view'); });\n    return;\n  }\n  var observer = new IntersectionObserver(function(entries) {\n    entries.forEach(function(entry) {\n      if (entry.isIntersecting) {\n        entry.target.classList.add('da-in-view');\n        observer.unobserve(entry.target);\n      }\n    });\n  }, { threshold: 0.35 });\n  Array.prototype.forEach.call(targets, function(el) { observer.observe(el); });\n})();\n<\/script>\n\n\n\n<h3 id=\"h-delivery-is-part-of-your-brand-voice\" class=\"wp-block-heading\">Delivery is part of your brand voice<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Customers don&#8217;t separate your marketing from your operations.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">&#8220;The tone of your website should match the journey in terms of delivery updates, packaging, and customer service,&#8221; said Chris Forbes, founder of <a href=\"https:\/\/www.shipstation.com\/stories\/the-cheeky-panda\/\" data-type=\"link\" data-id=\"https:\/\/www.shipstation.com\/stories\/the-cheeky-panda\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Cheeky Panda<\/a>. &#8220;If you&#8217;re warm and authentic in your advertising but robotic when something goes wrong, customers notice immediately.&#8221;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Sham Aziz of thecxway frames checkout as a trust transaction, not just a purchase.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n<section class=\"wp-block-shipstation-testimonial block not-prose\">\n    <div class=\"\">\n        <div class=\"container\">\n                        <div class=\"testimonial-contained-bg bg-cobalt-lightest\">\n            \n                            <div class=\"testimonial-stack\">\n                                                    <div class=\"testimonial-item testimonial-item--align-left testimonial-item--quote-large testimonial-item--pos-side testimonial-item--img-avatar\">\n                            <div class=\"testimonial-item__media testimonial-item__media--avatar\">\n                    <img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.shipstation.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/Sham-Aziz.jpg\" alt=\"Sham Aziz\" loading=\"lazy\" \/>\n                <\/div>\n            \n            <div class=\"testimonial-item__content\">\n                                    <div class=\"testimonial-item__quote\">\n                        <p>&#8220;Delivery is no longer a cost. It&#8217;s an experience. They&#8217;re handing over not just their money as part of an order, but a bit of trust\u2014and they want to see that trust come back in the other direction.&#8221;<\/p>\n                    <\/div>\n                \n                                    <div class=\"testimonial-item__attribution\">\n                                                    <div class=\"testimonial-item__person\">Sham Aziz \u2014 Founder<\/div>\n                                                                            <div class=\"testimonial-item__business\">the cxway<\/div>\n                                            <\/div>\n                \n                            <\/div>\n        <\/div>\n                                            <\/div>\n            \n                        <\/div>\n                    <\/div>\n    <\/div>\n<\/section>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Jessica Webb has one specific, easy fix that brands routinely skip: delaying the shipping notification until the package is actually moving.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">&#8220;Don&#8217;t send the notification to your customer until that item has actually entered the mail stream,&#8221; she said. &#8220;That way, when a customer gets that notification, they immediately see movement on that item and get excited for that package to actually be delivered.&#8221;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<section\tclass=\"wp-block-shipstation-stats block not-prose padding-top--md padding-bottom--md\">\n\t<div class=\"content--lg\">\n\t\t<div class=\"container not-prose\">\n\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"stats-grid stats-grid--bar\"\n\tstyle=\"--stats-cols-mobile: 1; --stats-cols-desktop: 1;\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"stat-item\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"stat-number countup\"\n\t\t\t\tdata-countup-value=\"68\"\n\t\tdata-countup-duration=\"2000\"\n\t\tdata-countup-prefix=\"\"\n\t\tdata-countup-suffix=\"%\"\n\t\t><\/div>\n\n\t\t\t<div class=\"stat-label\">of consumers say proactive shipping updates significantly affect their likelihood to repurchase<\/div>\n\t\n\t\n\t\t\t<div class=\"stat-source\">Source: 2026 Ecommerce Delivery Benchmark Report<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t<\/div>\n<\/section>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Delivery speed, cost, and reliability now get evaluated earlier in the shopper journey, right alongside product and price, not just at checkout. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 id=\"h-real-operators-real-proof\" class=\"wp-block-heading\">Real operators, real proof<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">None of this is theoretical. Brian Bianchetti runs People&#8217;s Choice Beef Jerky, a 100-year-old family business that can&#8217;t compete with Amazon on speed, so he competes on something else.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n<section class=\"wp-block-shipstation-testimonial block not-prose\">\n    <div class=\"\">\n        <div class=\"container\">\n                        <div class=\"testimonial-contained-bg bg-cobalt-lightest\">\n            \n                            <div class=\"testimonial-stack\">\n                                                    <div class=\"testimonial-item testimonial-item--align-left testimonial-item--quote-large testimonial-item--pos-side testimonial-item--img-avatar\">\n                            <div class=\"testimonial-item__media testimonial-item__media--avatar\">\n                    <img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.shipstation.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/brian-bianchetti.jpg\" alt=\"brian bianchetti\" loading=\"lazy\" \/>\n                <\/div>\n            \n            <div class=\"testimonial-item__content\">\n                                    <div class=\"testimonial-item__quote\">\n                        <p>&#8220;Our standard shipping is going to be slower than what you&#8217;re going to get on Amazon. But what you are going to get is human customer service. You&#8217;re going to get surprise-and-delight experiences in your package\u2014a handwritten note, an extra bag of jerky as a thank you.&#8221;<\/p>\n                    <\/div>\n                \n                                    <div class=\"testimonial-item__attribution\">\n                                                    <div class=\"testimonial-item__person\">Brian Bianchetti \u2014 CEO<\/div>\n                                                                            <div class=\"testimonial-item__business\">People&#039;s Choice Beef Jerky<\/div>\n                                            <\/div>\n                \n                                    <a href=\"https:\/\/www.shipstation.com\/stories\/peoples-choice-beef-jerky\/\" target=\"_self\" class=\"btn testimonial-item__cta\">\n                        Read Their Story                    <\/a>\n                            <\/div>\n        <\/div>\n                                            <\/div>\n            \n                        <\/div>\n                    <\/div>\n    <\/div>\n<\/section>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Sarah Gulfraz, whose UK fulfillment operation <a href=\"https:\/\/www.shipstation.com\/stories\/peacock-supplies\/\" data-type=\"link\" data-id=\"https:\/\/www.shipstation.com\/stories\/peacock-supplies\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Peacock Supplies<\/a> now ships for more than 40 ecommerce brands, has built her entire customer-trust strategy around visibility.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">&#8220;They can see within a day that it&#8217;s been dispatched from our side. They can follow the entire journey, and within two, three days, it&#8217;s there,&#8221; she said. &#8220;That gives us an edge over dropshippers, for instance, where it&#8217;s dispatched from their warehouse, and then two weeks later, it just mightily turns up at your doorstep.&#8221;&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">And Steven Turner of <a href=\"https:\/\/www.shipstation.com\/stories\/workwear-giant\/\" data-type=\"link\" data-id=\"https:\/\/www.shipstation.com\/stories\/workwear-giant\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Workwear Giant<\/a> sums up the whole chapter in one mantra: &#8220;We make the customer&#8217;s problems go away. That&#8217;s it. When we fail at that, that&#8217;s when things go wrong. But pretty much 99% of the time, we succeed.&#8221;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<style>\n  .da-check-wrap { max-width: 820px; width: 100%; margin-top: 28px; position: relative; left: 50%; transform: translateX(-50%); box-sizing: border-box; }\n  .da-check-header { background: #11003A; color: #ffffff; padding: 20px 24px; border-radius: 12px 12px 0 0; }\n  .da-check-header .da-title { font-size: 18px; font-weight: 700; font-family: 'Figtree', -apple-system, sans-serif; }\n  .da-check-header .da-sub2 { font-size: 14px; color: #80F3B1; margin-top: 4px; line-height: 1.5; }\n  .da-check-body { background: #ffffff; border: 1px solid #E2E6ED; border-top: none; }\n  .da-check-item { display: flex; align-items: flex-start; gap: 12px; padding: 12px 24px; cursor: pointer; border-top: 1px solid #EEF1F5; }\n  .da-check-item:hover { background: #F7F9FC; }\n  .da-check-item input { flex-shrink: 0; width: 18px; height: 18px; margin: 2px 0 0; accent-color: #00E664; cursor: pointer; }\n  .da-check-item label { font-size: 15.5px; line-height: 1.5; color: #11003A; cursor: pointer; margin: 0; font-family: 'Figtree', -apple-system, sans-serif; }\n  .da-check-item.da-checked label { color: #8A8F99; text-decoration: line-through; }\n  .da-counter-bar { background: #FAFBFC; border: 1px solid #E2E6ED; border-top: none; border-radius: 0 0 12px 12px; box-shadow: 0 1px 3px rgba(0,0,0,0.08); padding: 14px 24px; font-size: 15px; color: #11003A; font-weight: 600; display: flex; justify-content: space-between; align-items: center; gap: 12px; font-family: 'Figtree', -apple-system, sans-serif; }\n  .da-counter-bar button { background: none; border: none; color: #00873B; font-size: 14px; font-weight: 600; cursor: pointer; text-decoration: underline; padding: 0; }\n  .da-progress { height: 4px; background: #E2E6ED; overflow: hidden; }\n  .da-progress span { display: block; height: 100%; width: 0; background: #00E664; transition: width 0.25s ease; }\n  @media (max-width: 600px) {\n    .da-check-header, .da-check-item, .da-counter-bar { padding-left: 18px; padding-right: 18px; }\n  }\n<\/style>\n\n<div class=\"da-check-wrap\">\n  <div class=\"da-check-header\">\n    <div class=\"da-title\">Post-purchase brand voice audit<\/div>\n    <div class=\"da-sub2\">Run this against your last month of shipping notifications.<\/div>\n  <\/div>\n  <div class=\"da-check-body\" id=\"daCheckList4\">\n    <div class=\"da-check-item\"><input type=\"checkbox\" id=\"daC4Q1\"><label for=\"daC4Q1\">Read your last five shipping notification emails out loud. Do they sound like your brand, or like a carrier&#8217;s system?<\/label><\/div>\n    <div class=\"da-check-item\"><input type=\"checkbox\" id=\"daC4Q2\"><label for=\"daC4Q2\">Check whether notifications go out before the package has actually entered the carrier&#8217;s network. If so, delay them until it&#8217;s moving.<\/label><\/div>\n    <div class=\"da-check-item\"><input type=\"checkbox\" id=\"daC4Q3\"><label for=\"daC4Q3\">If a package is delayed, confirm that someone tells the customer before the customer has to ask.<\/label><\/div>\n    <div class=\"da-check-item\"><input type=\"checkbox\" id=\"daC4Q4\"><label for=\"daC4Q4\">Find one moment where a small human touch fits your margin \u2014 a note, a small extra, a personal message.<\/label><\/div>\n    <div class=\"da-check-item\"><input type=\"checkbox\" id=\"daC4Q5\"><label for=\"daC4Q5\">Confirm you&#8217;re reaching each customer on the channel they actually prefer, not just the one that&#8217;s easiest to send.<\/label><\/div>\n  <\/div>\n  <div class=\"da-progress\"><span id=\"daProgressBar4\"><\/span><\/div>\n  <div class=\"da-counter-bar\">\n    <span id=\"daCounterText4\">0 of 5 checked<\/span>\n    <button type=\"button\" id=\"daResetBtn4\">Reset checklist<\/button>\n  <\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n<script>\n(function() {\n  var checklist = document.getElementById('daCheckList4');\n  if (!checklist) { return; }\n  var checkboxes = checklist.querySelectorAll('input[type=\"checkbox\"]');\n  var counterText = document.getElementById('daCounterText4');\n  var progressBar = document.getElementById('daProgressBar4');\n  var resetBtn = document.getElementById('daResetBtn4');\n  function update() {\n    var checked = 0;\n    Array.prototype.forEach.call(checkboxes, function(cb) {\n      var item = cb.closest('.da-check-item');\n      if (cb.checked) { checked++; item.classList.add('da-checked'); }\n      else { item.classList.remove('da-checked'); }\n    });\n    counterText.textContent = checked + ' of ' + checkboxes.length + ' checked';\n    progressBar.style.width = (checked \/ checkboxes.length * 100) + '%';\n  }\n  Array.prototype.forEach.call(checkboxes, function(cb) { cb.addEventListener('change', update); });\n  resetBtn.addEventListener('click', function() {\n    Array.prototype.forEach.call(checkboxes, function(cb) { cb.checked = false; });\n    update();\n  });\n  update();\n})();\n<\/script>\n\n\n\n<h2 id=\"ch-closing\" class=\"wp-block-heading\">Putting it all together<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">None of this works as a one-time project. The operators in this guide didn&#8217;t fix shipping once. They built the habit of treating it as a growth lever rather than a line item, over and over as they scaled.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Four moves, in order:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ol class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Reframe.<\/strong> Decide shipping is part of your brand promise, not separate from it. Make one quick pricing or policy fix this week.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Fix the foundation.<\/strong> Run the follow-the-parcel audit before you automate anything else.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Scale it.<\/strong> Sandbox first, diversify your carriers, and get compliance ahead of volume.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Feel the payoff.<\/strong> Audit your post-purchase voice so customers feel the same brand all the way to the doorstep.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Shipping stopped being the back office a long time ago. The businesses in this guide are proof that the ones who noticed first are the ones pulling ahead.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">You don&#8217;t have to tackle all four moves alone. ShipStation gives you one platform to manage your carriers and automate the manual steps this guide keeps surfacing. It&#8217;s also how you run the audits above with real data instead of guesswork. Start with the follow-the-parcel audit, see what it finds. <a href=\"https:\/\/www.shipstation.com\/start-a-free-trial\/\">Then, let ShipStation help you fix it.<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity\"\/>\n\n\n\n<h3 id=\"h-about-the-voices-in-this-guide\" class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>About the voices in this guide<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>Rick Watson<\/strong>, Founder, RMW Commerce Consulting \/ Watson Weekly \u00b7 <strong>Daniel Oh<\/strong>, VP of Business Development, Acumatica \u00b7 <strong>Patrick Koehler<\/strong>, Founder &amp; CEO, KD Global USA \u00b7 <strong>Dan Caldwell<\/strong>, Team Lead, Technology Partnerships, Klaviyo \u00b7 <strong>Bethany D&#8217;Angelo<\/strong>, VP of Product &amp; Delivery, ShipStation Global \u00b7 <strong>Ned Woodward<\/strong>, Director of Logistics &amp; Fulfillment, Spiceology \u00b7 <strong>Ma\u00efr\u00e9 BAVARDAY-ROSA<\/strong>, Founder, ecomSpaces \u00b7 <strong>Mohammed Baloch<\/strong>, Senior Director of Mergers &amp; Acquisitions, GlobalPost \u00b7 <strong>James Marley<\/strong>, VP of Cross-Border, SwapCommerce \u00b7 <strong>Darin Lynch<\/strong>, Founder &amp; CEO, Irish Titan \u00b7 <strong>Chris Forbes<\/strong>, Founder, Cheeky Panda \u00b7 <strong>Sham Aziz<\/strong>, Founder, thecxway \u00b7 <strong>Jessica Webb<\/strong>, Senior Director of Product Management, ShipStation Global \u00b7 <strong>Brian Bianchetti<\/strong>, CEO, People&#8217;s Choice Beef Jerky \u00b7 <strong>Sarah Gulfraz<\/strong>, Ecommerce &amp; Logistics Director, Peacock Supplies \u00b7 <strong>Steven Turner<\/strong>, Business Development Director, Workwear Giant<\/p>\n\n<\/div>\n                                \n                                \n                                \n                                <\/div>\n        <\/div>\n        <\/div>\n    <\/div>\n<\/section>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Operators, analysts, and logistics leaders on turning shipping from a cost center into a competitive edge.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":180,"featured_media":101289,"template":"","categories":[],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-101247","guides","type-guides","status-publish","has-post-thumbnail","hentry"],"acf":{"shipstation_product_type":["shipstation"],"shipstation_features":"","shipstation_company_size":"","shipstation_industry":"","shipstation_funnel_stage":""},"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO Premium plugin v28.3 (Yoast SEO v28.3) - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-premium-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>How Ecommerce Operators Turn Shipping Into a Growth Lever<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"A guide to turning shipping into a growth lever, with shipping insight from experts on pricing, process, and scale.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.shipstation.com\/guides\/shipping-as-a-growth-lever-lessons-from-the-experts\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_CA\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Shipping as a Growth Lever\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"A guide to turning shipping into a growth lever, with shipping insight from experts on pricing, process, and scale.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/www.shipstation.com\/guides\/shipping-as-a-growth-lever-lessons-from-the-experts\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"ShipStation\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:publisher\" content=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/ShipStation\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2026-09-15T16:10:13+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/www.shipstation.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/shipping-insight-from-operators.webp\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"1403\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"789\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/webp\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:site\" content=\"@shipstation\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"11 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\\\/\\\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"TechArticle\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.shipstation.com\\\/guides\\\/shipping-as-a-growth-lever-lessons-from-the-experts\\\/#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.shipstation.com\\\/guides\\\/shipping-as-a-growth-lever-lessons-from-the-experts\\\/\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"Candace Barnette\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.shipstation.com\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/e0848680fe0ca697743d08e218915f6f\"},\"headline\":\"Shipping as a Growth Lever\",\"datePublished\":\"2026-09-15T15:27:08+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2026-09-15T16:10:13+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.shipstation.com\\\/guides\\\/shipping-as-a-growth-lever-lessons-from-the-experts\\\/\"},\"wordCount\":2284,\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.shipstation.com\\\/#organization\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.shipstation.com\\\/guides\\\/shipping-as-a-growth-lever-lessons-from-the-experts\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.shipstation.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/09\\\/shipping-insight-from-operators.webp\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-CA\"},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.shipstation.com\\\/guides\\\/shipping-as-a-growth-lever-lessons-from-the-experts\\\/\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.shipstation.com\\\/guides\\\/shipping-as-a-growth-lever-lessons-from-the-experts\\\/\",\"name\":\"How Ecommerce Operators Turn Shipping Into a Growth Lever\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.shipstation.com\\\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.shipstation.com\\\/guides\\\/shipping-as-a-growth-lever-lessons-from-the-experts\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.shipstation.com\\\/guides\\\/shipping-as-a-growth-lever-lessons-from-the-experts\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.shipstation.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/09\\\/shipping-insight-from-operators.webp\",\"datePublished\":\"2026-09-15T15:27:08+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2026-09-15T16:10:13+00:00\",\"description\":\"A guide to turning shipping into a growth lever, with shipping insight from experts on pricing, process, and scale.\",\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.shipstation.com\\\/guides\\\/shipping-as-a-growth-lever-lessons-from-the-experts\\\/#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-CA\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/www.shipstation.com\\\/guides\\\/shipping-as-a-growth-lever-lessons-from-the-experts\\\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-CA\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.shipstation.com\\\/guides\\\/shipping-as-a-growth-lever-lessons-from-the-experts\\\/#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.shipstation.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/09\\\/shipping-insight-from-operators.webp\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.shipstation.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/09\\\/shipping-insight-from-operators.webp\",\"width\":1403,\"height\":789,\"caption\":\"shipping insight from operators\"},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.shipstation.com\\\/guides\\\/shipping-as-a-growth-lever-lessons-from-the-experts\\\/#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.shipstation.com\\\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"Guides\",\"item\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.shipstation.com\\\/guides\\\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":3,\"name\":\"Shipping as a Growth Lever\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.shipstation.com\\\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.shipstation.com\\\/\",\"name\":\"ShipStation\",\"description\":\"The fulfillment engine behind hundreds of thousands of online sellers.\",\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.shipstation.com\\\/#organization\"},\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.shipstation.com\\\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":{\"@type\":\"PropertyValueSpecification\",\"valueRequired\":true,\"valueName\":\"search_term_string\"}}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-CA\"},{\"@type\":\"Organization\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.shipstation.com\\\/#organization\",\"name\":\"ShipStation\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.shipstation.com\\\/\",\"logo\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-CA\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.shipstation.com\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/logo\\\/image\\\/\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.shipstation.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2024\\\/10\\\/ShipStation-Lockup-DarkGreen-RGB.svg\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.shipstation.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2024\\\/10\\\/ShipStation-Lockup-DarkGreen-RGB.svg\",\"width\":1550,\"height\":247,\"caption\":\"ShipStation\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.shipstation.com\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/logo\\\/image\\\/\"},\"sameAs\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/www.facebook.com\\\/ShipStation\\\/\",\"https:\\\/\\\/x.com\\\/shipstation\",\"https:\\\/\\\/www.linkedin.com\\\/company\\\/shipstation\",\"https:\\\/\\\/www.instagram.com\\\/shipstation\\\/\"],\"aggregateRating\":{\"@type\":\"AggregateRating\",\"ratingValue\":\"4.8\",\"reviewCount\":\"1200\"},\"description\":\"The fulfillment engine behind hundreds of thousands of online sellers, ShipStation combines order management, rate shopping, inventory, and returns all in one platform, delivering 15x more labels per hour and up to 90% shipping discounts through 200+ carriers.\",\"telephone\":\"(512) 886-4006\",\"numberOfEmployees\":{\"@type\":\"QuantitativeValue\",\"minValue\":\"1001\",\"maxValue\":\"5000\"}},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.shipstation.com\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/e0848680fe0ca697743d08e218915f6f\",\"name\":\"Candace Barnette\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-CA\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/4968c49a12ca6da4ee4fefd7e355f6e6234cbc4df4275b3b2ba960455c628c2e?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/4968c49a12ca6da4ee4fefd7e355f6e6234cbc4df4275b3b2ba960455c628c2e?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/4968c49a12ca6da4ee4fefd7e355f6e6234cbc4df4275b3b2ba960455c628c2e?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"caption\":\"Candace Barnette\"},\"sameAs\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/www.linkedin.com\\\/in\\\/candacebarnette\\\/\"]},{\"@type\":\"SoftwareApplication\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.shipstation.com\\\/en-ca\\\/#software-application\",\"name\":\"ShipStation\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.shipstation.com\\\/en-ca\\\/\",\"applicationCategory\":\"BusinessApplication\",\"operatingSystem\":\"Web Browser\",\"aggregateRating\":{\"@type\":\"AggregateRating\",\"ratingValue\":\"4.8\",\"reviewCount\":\"1200\"}}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO Premium plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"How Ecommerce Operators Turn Shipping Into a Growth Lever","description":"A guide to turning shipping into a growth lever, with shipping insight from experts on pricing, process, and scale.","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/www.shipstation.com\/guides\/shipping-as-a-growth-lever-lessons-from-the-experts\/","og_locale":"en_CA","og_type":"article","og_title":"Shipping as a Growth Lever","og_description":"A guide to turning shipping into a growth lever, with shipping insight from experts on pricing, process, and scale.","og_url":"https:\/\/www.shipstation.com\/guides\/shipping-as-a-growth-lever-lessons-from-the-experts\/","og_site_name":"ShipStation","article_publisher":"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/ShipStation\/","article_modified_time":"2026-09-15T16:10:13+00:00","og_image":[{"width":1403,"height":789,"url":"https:\/\/www.shipstation.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/shipping-insight-from-operators.webp","type":"image\/webp"}],"twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_site":"@shipstation","twitter_misc":{"Est. reading time":"11 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"TechArticle","@id":"https:\/\/www.shipstation.com\/guides\/shipping-as-a-growth-lever-lessons-from-the-experts\/#article","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.shipstation.com\/guides\/shipping-as-a-growth-lever-lessons-from-the-experts\/"},"author":{"name":"Candace Barnette","@id":"https:\/\/www.shipstation.com\/#\/schema\/person\/e0848680fe0ca697743d08e218915f6f"},"headline":"Shipping as a Growth Lever","datePublished":"2026-09-15T15:27:08+00:00","dateModified":"2026-09-15T16:10:13+00:00","mainEntityOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.shipstation.com\/guides\/shipping-as-a-growth-lever-lessons-from-the-experts\/"},"wordCount":2284,"publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.shipstation.com\/#organization"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.shipstation.com\/guides\/shipping-as-a-growth-lever-lessons-from-the-experts\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/www.shipstation.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/shipping-insight-from-operators.webp","inLanguage":"en-CA"},{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/www.shipstation.com\/guides\/shipping-as-a-growth-lever-lessons-from-the-experts\/","url":"https:\/\/www.shipstation.com\/guides\/shipping-as-a-growth-lever-lessons-from-the-experts\/","name":"How Ecommerce Operators Turn Shipping Into a Growth Lever","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.shipstation.com\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.shipstation.com\/guides\/shipping-as-a-growth-lever-lessons-from-the-experts\/#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.shipstation.com\/guides\/shipping-as-a-growth-lever-lessons-from-the-experts\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/www.shipstation.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/shipping-insight-from-operators.webp","datePublished":"2026-09-15T15:27:08+00:00","dateModified":"2026-09-15T16:10:13+00:00","description":"A guide to turning shipping into a growth lever, with shipping insight from experts on pricing, process, and scale.","breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.shipstation.com\/guides\/shipping-as-a-growth-lever-lessons-from-the-experts\/#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-CA","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/www.shipstation.com\/guides\/shipping-as-a-growth-lever-lessons-from-the-experts\/"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-CA","@id":"https:\/\/www.shipstation.com\/guides\/shipping-as-a-growth-lever-lessons-from-the-experts\/#primaryimage","url":"https:\/\/www.shipstation.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/shipping-insight-from-operators.webp","contentUrl":"https:\/\/www.shipstation.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/shipping-insight-from-operators.webp","width":1403,"height":789,"caption":"shipping insight from operators"},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/www.shipstation.com\/guides\/shipping-as-a-growth-lever-lessons-from-the-experts\/#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/www.shipstation.com\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"Guides","item":"https:\/\/www.shipstation.com\/guides\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":3,"name":"Shipping as a Growth Lever"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/www.shipstation.com\/#website","url":"https:\/\/www.shipstation.com\/","name":"ShipStation","description":"The fulfillment engine behind hundreds of thousands of online sellers.","publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.shipstation.com\/#organization"},"potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/www.shipstation.com\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-CA"},{"@type":"Organization","@id":"https:\/\/www.shipstation.com\/#organization","name":"ShipStation","url":"https:\/\/www.shipstation.com\/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-CA","@id":"https:\/\/www.shipstation.com\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/www.shipstation.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/10\/ShipStation-Lockup-DarkGreen-RGB.svg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/www.shipstation.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/10\/ShipStation-Lockup-DarkGreen-RGB.svg","width":1550,"height":247,"caption":"ShipStation"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.shipstation.com\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/"},"sameAs":["https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/ShipStation\/","https:\/\/x.com\/shipstation","https:\/\/www.linkedin.com\/company\/shipstation","https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/shipstation\/"],"aggregateRating":{"@type":"AggregateRating","ratingValue":"4.8","reviewCount":"1200"},"description":"The fulfillment engine behind hundreds of thousands of online sellers, ShipStation combines order management, rate shopping, inventory, and returns all in one platform, delivering 15x more labels per hour and up to 90% shipping discounts through 200+ carriers.","telephone":"(512) 886-4006","numberOfEmployees":{"@type":"QuantitativeValue","minValue":"1001","maxValue":"5000"}},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/www.shipstation.com\/#\/schema\/person\/e0848680fe0ca697743d08e218915f6f","name":"Candace Barnette","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-CA","@id":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/4968c49a12ca6da4ee4fefd7e355f6e6234cbc4df4275b3b2ba960455c628c2e?s=96&d=mm&r=g","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/4968c49a12ca6da4ee4fefd7e355f6e6234cbc4df4275b3b2ba960455c628c2e?s=96&d=mm&r=g","contentUrl":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/4968c49a12ca6da4ee4fefd7e355f6e6234cbc4df4275b3b2ba960455c628c2e?s=96&d=mm&r=g","caption":"Candace Barnette"},"sameAs":["https:\/\/www.linkedin.com\/in\/candacebarnette\/"]},{"@type":"SoftwareApplication","@id":"https:\/\/www.shipstation.com\/en-ca\/#software-application","name":"ShipStation","url":"https:\/\/www.shipstation.com\/en-ca\/","applicationCategory":"BusinessApplication","operatingSystem":"Web Browser","aggregateRating":{"@type":"AggregateRating","ratingValue":"4.8","reviewCount":"1200"}}]}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.shipstation.com\/en-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/guides\/101247","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.shipstation.com\/en-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/guides"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.shipstation.com\/en-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/guides"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.shipstation.com\/en-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/180"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.shipstation.com\/en-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/101289"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.shipstation.com\/en-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=101247"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.shipstation.com\/en-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=101247"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.shipstation.com\/en-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=101247"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}