Holiday insights series: optimize your shipping

In this episode of The Cart Insiders podcast, we’re discussing shipping and supply chain with the CMO of ShipBob, Casey Armstrong. We’ll discuss what marketers should be preparing for right now as the holiday season approaches, and Casey will deliver actionable advice and insights on how to best optimize your order fulfillment in this unusual but exciting year for ecommerce businesses.

Listen on: Apple Podcasts   |   Google Podcasts   |  Spotify

During our conversation, Casey explores both 3PL vs non-3PL users and discusses the different strategies needed by each to negotiate a tricky season. He also highlights the importance of identifying key products and why ensuring that they are well-stocked in your inventory may be your best weapon to ensure customer satisfaction.

Casey dives into what might be the biggest shipping concern of online businesses this season—delays. As free shipping and speed of shipping are often selling points for online retailers, these delays can impact their overall holiday marketing strategy. He’ll discuss these expected delay issues and offer tips to preemptively mitigate those.

If you’re thinking about onboarding with a 3PL before the holidays, it might not be too late, according to Armstrong. He breaks down what information you’ll need to provide, and available integrations that can help streamline the process.

And of course, it wouldn’t be a holiday season if we didn’t discuss Black Friday and Cyber Monday. Casey shares his tips on preparing for these high-traffic days in particular. We also discuss the importance of creating a community around your brand.

“With the likes of Walmart, Target, and some of the other major retailers announcing that they’re going to be closed this Thanksgiving, I think this Black Friday/Cyber Monday is going to be bigger than people can even imagine. It’s going to be huge.”

Finally, Casey delves into some of the most overlooked aspects of shipping and supply chain during the busy holiday season. Listen to the complete episode for all this and more.

Main discussion points

• Learn about expected shipping issues unique to this year and hear tips on how best to mitigate them in advance. Casey also talks about the dangers of overpromising with shipping and the potential impact of retailers offering rapid shipping as an incentive or reward.
• Casey compares 3PL and non-3PL users and the different strategies needed to negotiate a tricky season. Casey highlights the importance of identifying key products and ensuring that they are well-stocked in your inventory.
• Casey runs us through the process of onboarding with a 3PL partner, giving us an idea of the time it should take, the information you’ll need to provide, and the integrations available. We also get insights into the latest news with the big shipping carriers and resources to monitor performance.
• Top tips on preparing for high traffic days like Black Friday and Cyber Monday as well as some of the most overlooked aspects of shipping and the supply chain.
• Finally, Casey shares his favorite business knowledge sources, including online communities, industry news, podcasts, books, newsletters, and more.