The parcel shipping landscape has never been more complex—or more critical to business success. Rising rates, growing e-commerce volumes, and “Prime-era” consumer expectations are forcing fulfillment and logistics providers to rethink how they operate.
In our latest 4 Walls & Beyond webinar, moderator John Monarch (Charlie Pesti) sat down with Brian Kirst, Chief Commercial Officer at SnapFulfil, and Maria Malasevic, VP of Sales and Marketing at Techdinamics, to discuss how companies can stay ahead. The conversation covered everything from smarter pricing strategies and operational flexibility to the technologies driving efficiency and protecting margins.
Here are some of the highlights.
1. Smarter Pricing to Protect Margins
According to Maria, today’s parcel pricing strategies have evolved far beyond finding the cheapest label. Shippers and 3PLs are embracing carrier diversification—often working with 4–8 (or even 15+) carriers, including national, regional, and same-day providers—to balance cost and performance.
For 3PLs, flexible, dynamic pricing models are replacing flat-rate markups. This means adjusting rates based on service level, zone, dimensional weight, and accessorial fees—sometimes simply to protect margins rather than generate additional profit.
2. Speed as a Non-Negotiable
Faster delivery is now at the core of operational strategy. Companies are:
- Investing in smarter order routing based on delivery time, inventory location, and cost.
- Leveraging regional and same-day carriers to shorten delivery windows.
- Using cartonization tools to reduce packaging errors, dimensional fees, and wasted space.
Brian emphasized that success comes from adaptability—combining efficiency with flexibility to build a resilient operation that can pivot quickly when customer needs or market conditions change.
3. Technology That Actually Moves the Needle
With so many tools available, it’s easy to get caught up in buzzwords. Maria advised mapping out every operational step and asking:
- Does this tool reduce manual effort?
- Does it eliminate errors or delays?
- Will it help us meet our 3–5 year goals?
The best solutions are flexible, scalable, and integrated into the broader tech stack—spanning WMS, OMS, shipping platforms, analytics, and billing systems. Both Brian and Maria stressed the value of partnering with domain experts rather than relying on “jack of all trades” platforms that rarely excel at everything.
4. The Hidden Margin Killers
One of the biggest and often overlooked costs? DIM factors. Shipping “air” instead of efficiently packed products eats into margins fast. Tools like cartonization software, dimensional scanners, and data analytics can help reduce these losses.
Brian also pointed to the importance of data visibility—knowing which zones erode profit, which carriers underperform, and where surcharges are creeping in.
5. Meeting Sky-High Customer Expectations
From real-time tracking to free returns, the “Prime effect” has reshaped both B2C and B2B shipping expectations. Shippers are responding with:
- Customizable order rules to automate decision-making.
- Advanced rate shopping across 20+ carriers and 1,000+ service levels.
- Invoice auditing tools to catch and recover hidden fees.
The smartest operators, Maria said, are leaning on automation, analytics, and flexible systems instead of simply throwing more labor at the problem.
Watch the Full Discussion
This webinar was packed with practical strategies for navigating today’s fast-moving parcel shipping environment. If you missed the live session—or want to revisit the conversation—you can watch the full recording here.
About the Speakers:
- Brian Kirst is CCO of SnapFulfil, a leading cloud WMS provider enabling agile, high-performance fulfillment.
- Maria Malasevic is VP of Sales and Marketing at Techdinamics, makers of TechShip and TechOMS, designed to streamline parcel logistics and order management.
