Shippers today have access to intelligence that was unfathomable just a few years ago. From sophisticated modeling technology that predicts how carrier rate changes will impact your unique shipping profile, to real-time alerts when costly anomalies occur, it’s easy to forget just how transformative data-driven decision making has become.

But here’s the thing: having great shipping data isn’t enough. To make a real difference, it must be put to work.

The Parcel Shipping Industry Is Continuously Evolving

As business functions go, shipping was among the last to experience the data transformation increasingly taken for granted in business. With no commonly shared data format among carriers and each shipment essentially an ad hoc event, shippers once had to rely on labor-intensive, manual invoice reviews after the fact. At best, this reactive approach helped them avoid repeating past mistakes—if they were lucky.

That’s exactly what we set out to change at Reveel.

Today, our Parcel Spend Management 2.0 (PSM) technology transforms shipping performance from a reactive exercise into a proactive strategy. Armed with advanced data science and AI, shippers can now identify savings opportunities in real time while helping their organizations work smarter and more effectively.

Why Shipping Performance Matters More Than Ever

For any organization that sells online or depends on items moving quickly—whether parts for manufacturers or therapies for patients—the ability to optimize shipping and fulfillment costs can be a game-changer. Strong shipping performance enables businesses to:

  • Offer competitive or “free” shipping without sacrificing margins
  • Lower operational costs across the supply chain
  • Respond faster to carrier rate changes and surcharges
  • Identify costly anomalies before they drain your budget

Without the right shipping data visibility, these costs can quietly accumulate for months. With proactive analytics, you can spot these patterns immediately and take action. 

Putting Shipping Insights Into Action

While shipping data makes all of this possible, data alone isn’t the goal. Having the right information is merely one step—the critical work lies in translating that data into business outcomes.

This means sharing shipping insights beyond the logistics team. Your shipping data can help colleagues across the organization be more effective:

  • Operations leaders can use shipping performance metrics to optimize fulfillment workflows and reduce bottlenecks
  • Finance executives gain visibility into true landed costs and can forecast shipping expenses more accurately
  • Marketing teams can better understand the cost implications of promotional shipping offers
  • Customer service professionals can proactively address delivery issues before customers complain

The current issue of PARCEL Magazine includes my article “Transforming Data Into Decisions.”  In it, I explore concrete examples of how shippers can leverage their data to drive better outcomes—not just in shipping, but across their entire organization.

My hope is that it serves as another example of the crucially important role that shippers and shipping data play in today’s business environment. Because when you put your shipping data to work, the impact extends far beyond the loading dock.

Ready to transform your shipping data into actionable insights? Learn how Reveel’s parcel spend management solutions can help you take control of your shipping performance. Get a demo here.