We commissioned Incisiv to survey leaders of multi-model transportation networks across six industries to find out what they are seeing, what they are doing to manage shipping costs, where gaps lie, the future, and more. Download the “State of Enterprise Shipping 2026” to learn more.
Last year we conducted our first annual survey of shipping leaders. It illuminated fast-evolving trends and challenges while helping shippers pinpoint opportunities for cost savings, performance gains and greater peace of mind.
This year, for our second annual survey, we upped the ante – turning to leading strategy firm Incisiv to dig even deeper and conduct objective, third-party analysis.
We wanted to learn not only what makes today’s shipping landscape tick, but also what shippers can and should be doing to succeed. And the timing could not be better.
Going into the research, some things were already readily apparent. Across modes and industries, shipping norms have changed with unprecedented speed over the past year. The fundamentals that for so many years ensured relative success – understanding the impact of carriers’ general rate increases, negotiating a strong contract, and monitoring the numbers on at least a quarterly basis – no longer suffice.
But it’s not just the rules that have changed. The game itself is very different as carriers show an unprecedented willingness to walk away from business. In fact, most rarely want all of any company’s shipping volume. Shippers and the supply chain, fulfillment, operational and finance teams they work with are no strangers to change, but it’s clear that the ones we are seeing today are more overt both for their frequency and their scope.
The State of Enterprise Shipping Today
With that in mind, we wanted to know what shippers in six core industries – retail, apparel and footwear, automotive, life sciences, manufacturing, and 3PLs – encounter in their work.
- What shifts do they confront every day?
- What technologies do they have in place?
- Where are they getting ahead and where are they falling behind?
To get answers, Incisiv surveyed 240 leaders who oversee multi-modal transportation networks with substantial parcel operations. For each of the aforementioned industries, 40 respondents from companies with $250 million to $5 billion in annual revenue participated.
The findings provide a view into a landscape and way of doing business that is changing utterly. They also reveal how shipping today really works, and in the process increasingly diverges from the calendar and longstanding processes that historically governed it.
They also show that a greater percentage of shipping organizations have the tools in place needed to effectively manage their operations. But having the right tools and using them correctly are two very different things. Only 13% of respondents reported benchmarking outside of the annual GRIs. A truly frightening finding given carriers’ overt reliance on accessorial changes, including surcharges on everything from delivery areas to demand and fuel.
In the report, shippers told us they are responding by tapping into multiple carriers, demonstrating a growing preference for a multi-carrier strategy and the flexibility and bargaining power it provides. 56% of shippers now report managing three or more parcel carriers, and one in four manage six or more carriers.
These, of course, are but a few of the findings. We invite you to dig into the research and to pull out the most salient findings for your operation.
Notably, you can also take the Shipping Intelligence Maturity Assessment at the end of the research. Taking only a few minutes to complete, it will provide you with a benchmark on how your shipping operation compares with those at similar organizations in four crucially important areas. These include network and spend visibility, contract and billing integrity, decision intelligence, technology and integration.
As always, we hope this information is helpful as you fine-tune your own organization and look for new opportunities to lower costs, better serve customers, and support the many business functions that depend on successful shipping operations.
