Jesscia Webb of ShipStation & Rachel McGarry of DHL Express talk about changing consumer behavior & how express shipping & new tech is shaping modern commerce.

[02.14] An introduction to Jessica and her role at ShipStation, and Rachel and her role at DHL Express.

[03.50] The evolution of the e-commerce market and the factors influencing it, from cost to consumer experience.

"The shopping experience for consumers has changed. Now shopping and shipping is the same."

[07.03] What ShipStation's recent report reveals about customer expectations for delivery, and how much they're willing to pay for premium and express shipping.

[09.18] How delivery speed translates to brand trust, credibility and reliability, and the online research consumers are willing to carry out to find the right shopping experience.

"If you don't have those options, the customer will go to another brand. Delivery options and speed are part of the full brand and shopping experience, starting at the checkout."

[11.50] Willingness to pay: when and where consumers typically expect free shipping, when they're happy to pay, and how much.

[16.52] How technology with ShipStation helps SMBs get visibility into buyer behavior around shipping choices.

[18.42] How SMBs can turn this data into customer insights to make smarter, more confident decisions.

[19.40] What ShipStation's report reveals about AI-mediated shopping, and how companies need to invest in AI if they want to get ahead of the game.

"80% of customers are already using some sort of AI chatbot for shopping or decision-making… So if that many people are willing to trust AI in their day-to-day life, it's something that e-commerce brands need to take seriously."

[21.54] Why AI and a lack of accurate data can undermine trust if done wrong.

"The fragility is in the data."

[23.05] How SBMs can compete, in a climate where margins are being squeezed from all angles, and what they can leverage as a differentiator instead of a focus on price.

"Having this data and understanding what customers are actually willing to pay for that premium delivery will help you keep those margins under control."

[24.36] The top three priorities for e-commerce businesses, the importance of testing solutions and measuring outcomes, and how you can focus on speed and convenience without sacrificing profitability.

[26.42] A case study exploring how one ShipStation customer leveraged the rate shopping feature to multiply operations x3 in peak season without adding headcount, whilst another was able to expand into new regions and create new revenue streams.

[30.59] What 2026 is going to bring for the industry and ShipStation.

"There's a lot of uncertainty, but with that shift there's such incredible areas of opportunity for carriers and technologies to unite in a way that's really meaningful."

Head over to ShipStation's website now to find out more and discover how they could help you too. You can also connect with ShipStation and keep up to date with the latest over on Facebook, LinkedIn or Instagram, or you can connect with Jessica or Rachel on LinkedIn.

Check out our other podcasts HERE.

Jeffrey Elder of Delta Air Lines & Derreck Travers of SmartKargo talk about DeliverDirect & combining speed, tech & simplicity for the best shipping experience.

[02.06] An introduction to Derreck and SmartKargo.

[02.33] An overview of DeliverDirect – who they are, what they do, and how they help their customers.

"We're an alternative delivery network… We're pulling different carriers together, with Delta as the middle mile."

[05.47] The ideal client for DeliverDirect.

[06.54] Why speed is a top priority for e-commerce businesses, the challenge of balancing speed and cost, and how DeliverDirect's network helps tackle that.

"The most successful e-commerce companies have strategies focused on serving the customer with speed. But the challenge retailers have is that speed often comes with a cost."

[09.28] How Delta partnered with SmartKargo to create DeliverDirect, specifically to tackle shipper's key pain points from predictability to pricing.

"It's January, you've planned the year and know the numbers you have to execute to. And then, a few weeks later, someone upgrades 1,000 zip codes to the next zone, and all your rates increase… For shippers, it makes it really difficult to plan – and we're talking about big dollars."

[13.01] How Delta recognized its own limitations when wanting to enter the small package delivery business, what they were looking for in a partner, and how and why they chose SmartKargo.

"Innovation is important for Delta, but recognizing what we do well, and what we don't do well, has also been very important. That's how things really came together."

[15.51] A closer look at how the solution works, from pickup to doorstep.

[19.40] The technology that powers DeliverDirect, and how businesses can customize their solution with add-on features.

[21.36] What integration, communication and customer relationships look like with DeliverDirect.

"Lots of service providers are trying to reduce cost, and they're making things self service. We've gone out of our way to do the opposite. We're very integrated and engaged with customers."

[23.55] The biggest benefits revealed from DeliverDirect's recent customer survey.

[27.18] How DeliverDirect is helping businesses reduce cost and make sustainability progress.

[28.30] A case study exploring how DeliverDirect helped a small retailer optimize delivery, with cost in mind, to reduce delivery speed by days and enhance customer satisfaction.

[32.55] Jeffrey and Derreck's predictions for the year ahead, and what they'll be focusing on at DeliverDirect.

"It's a great time to be a shipper, but there will be a capacity crunch… There's a lot of players in this business now. There's going to be a lot of pressure put on businesses to be viable and profitable. And I worry that customer experience is going to suffer as a result."

Head over to DeliverDirect's website now to find out more and discover how they could help you too. You can also connect with DeliverDirect and keep up to date with the latest over on LinkedIn, or you can connect with Jeffrey or Derreck on LinkedIn.

Check out our other podcasts HERE.

Chris Hamley of Brecham Group talks about setting projects up for success; asking better questions; why implementation isn't the end; & progress NOT perfection.

[04.01] An introduction to Chris and Brecham Group.

"Too many organizations focus on perfection. Really, our goal is to suck less. It's to get better, change how you think about the way you do business, and evolve every day."

[06.25] Why technology projects fail: the problem with people, why we need to define what failure actually looks like, and the experience that taught Chris to ask better questions.

"Too often it's not that the project was a failure, but it's that it didn't achieve the success that was expected… And the degree of that is defined by: how well did we talk and understand what we were doing – and were we ready for it?"

[12.10] The importance of diving deep, before you even start a project, and how mismatched expectations and project failures can be prevented by having better conversations.

"It's more than asking better questions, it's having better conversations. Because when you're asking a question, you're looking for an answer… How do you give a conversation prompt instead of a yes or no? That uncovers the detail."

[17.06] From a lack of shared language to rigidity in project structures, why customers don't ask the right questions or have the right conversations up front.

"People have a fear, because they don't always have that breadth of knowledge, of asking questions that make them look stupid. I've never suffered from that!"

[21.34] The key questions businesses should ask potential partners at the beginning of any new project.

[24.10] Chris's advice for facilitating better communication between client and vendor.

"You've got to come without ego or fear about what you do or don't know… Hear about what other people have done to be successful, and learn from it."

[26.11] How companies can keep positive communication going over time, and why the 'course-correcting' part of a project is more important than the 'go-live.'

"There's a misnomer that implementation is the end of a project – in reality it's maybe 60%. Then it becomes: what did we expect on a day-to-day or week-to-week basis, how do we expect the results to change, what will adoption look like... And that's a joint conversation."

[31.06] Whether striving for perfection is ever realistic.

"If you had a static environment where everything was the same every single day, you could probably be perfect at it. But I don't know where that exists."

[32.12] The impact created when companies do ask the right questions and have better conversations with their partners.

"It's about value realization. We all have financial or performance objectives we're trying to hit. When we have better conversations… it ultimately allows you to achieve the overall result faster."

[37.51] What businesses need to be thinking about now to prepare for success in 2027.

[38.59] Teaser alert: news on a brand new project partnership between Brecham and Let's Talk Supply Chain.

RESOURCES AND LINKS MENTIONED:

Head over to Brecham Group's website now to find out more and discover how they could help you too. You can also connect with Brecham Group and keep up to date with the latest over on LinkedIn, or you can connect with Chris on LinkedIn.

If you enjoyed this episode and want to hear more from Brecham Group, check out 515: Experience Precision Supply Chain Operations, with Brecham Group or their live show Performance Paradox.

Find our other podcasts HERE.