ProShip’s 2025 Parcel Report Reveals How Shipping Cost Pressures Are Reshaping the Role of IT and Supply Chain Teams
ProShip, a recognized leader in multi-carrier shipping software, has released its second annual industry analysis, The ProShip Report: Navigating the Future of Parcel Shipping 2025, developed in partnership with Orderful. The new report arrives at a pivotal moment for the parcel industry, as shippers across North America confront mounting cost pressures, increasing technological demands, and an operating environment that is becoming more complex by the year.
According to ProShip Vice President of Sales Tony Verrill, the report was designed to provide shippers with actionable intelligence at a time when the industry faces unprecedented disruption. “This year’s report underscores the rapid market change shippers are navigating,” Verrill stated. “Our observations aim to equip shippers with meaningful data in enterprise shipping as they confront rising costs, shifting expectations, and new operational challenges.”
The 2025 edition delivers a deep analysis of strategies, obstacles, and ongoing transitions affecting high-volume parcel shippers. Drawing upon an extensive industry-wide survey, the report signals a major transformation: logistics is no longer simply a high-level topic debated among executives. Instead, it has become a technology-driven discipline managed primarily by IT departments and supply chain professionals who now wield most of the strategic decision-making authority. This shift reflects the increasing reliance on digital tools, automation, and data integration to ensure timely fulfillment and maintain cost efficiency.
A Rapidly Shifting Parcel Landscape
The report highlights that organizations are rapidly consolidating their parcel operations and rethinking their fulfillment networks in response to rising carrier costs and growing customer expectations. As companies adopt more omnichannel distribution models, the role of technology—particularly systems built for complexity and high-volume processing—has expanded dramatically.
Readers of the 2025 report will find detailed insight into several industry-defining trends, including:
- The consolidation of parcel shipping activity into centralized, tech-driven environments
- The ongoing transition toward omnichannel fulfillment to meet same-day and next-day delivery demands
- The expanding responsibilities of IT teams as system reliability and scalability become more urgent
- The strategic anxieties pushing companies toward new investment in technology, facilities, and processes
These themes reflect a sector in flux, where companies must adapt quickly or risk falling behind competitors.
Key Findings: Cost Pressures Drive Strategic Realignment
Several findings from the report underscore the severity of today’s shipping environment. Among the most significant:
1. Unprecedented Cost Pressure
More than three-quarters of high-volume shippers identified shipping cost increases as a top-three concern, demonstrating that cost volatility is now impacting nearly every part of the supply chain. This pressure is forcing organizations to revisit long-term strategic plans and re-evaluate the efficiency of their carrier networks.
2. Carrier Diversification Becomes Standard Practice
To combat rate volatility and gain more control over their operations, 76% of shippers now rely on multiple carriers as part of their regular fulfillment strategy. Carrier diversification—once considered optional—is now solidified as the primary defensive tactic against unpredictable market conditions and capacity constraints.
3. IT and Supply Chain Teams Are Taking the Lead
Perhaps the most transformative finding is the shift in decision-making authority. Three-quarters of strategic leadership around parcel shipping now sits with IT and Supply Chain/Operations teams. This realignment confirms that parcel logistics is evolving from a corporate policy matter to a ground-level, technology-driven function where seamless system integration and data accuracy are essential.
4. Scalability Concerns Are Surging
Year-over-year, the number of shippers expressing concerns about the scalability of their existing shipping and supply chain systems more than doubled. This spike suggests companies are not only pushing their technologies to the limit but are also anticipating rapid growth—requiring systems that can expand without downtime or expensive retrofits.
5. External Threats Intensify
Shippers identified emerging risks such as regulatory changes, shifting consumer expectations, and policy-driven disruptions as major areas of concern. These external pressures are accelerating investment in technology, automation, and operational resilience to protect supply chains from unpredictable future events.
6. Distributed Fulfillment Is Now the Industry Standard
Nearly half of all high-volume shippers now operate multiple fulfillment centers to reduce delivery times, diversify inventory, and position products closer to customers. Distributed fulfillment has become not just a competitive advantage but a necessity in the race to meet rising service expectations.
The Industry Calls for Modernization
The report also features commentary from Erik Kiser, founder and CEO of Orderful, who highlights the critical importance of connectivity and digital transformation within modern logistics ecosystems.
“Modern logistics runs on connectivity, yet too many companies are still slowed by disconnected systems and outdated data flows,” Kiser noted. “This survey serves as a pulse check on an industry under pressure to modernize. By understanding how shippers are tackling integration, visibility, and cost control, we can collectively build a supply chain that’s more resilient, data-driven, and ready for what’s next.”
Kiser emphasizes that the parcel environment can no longer rely on outdated infrastructure and manual processes. Instead, shippers require solutions that can deliver real-time data, seamless system-to-system communication, and the agility needed to adapt to evolving market conditions.
Supporting a New Era of Parcel Strategy
As companies confront vulnerabilities revealed in the report, many are turning toward platforms built with long-term scalability and reliability in mind. ProShip asserts that its multi-carrier shipping software is engineered specifically to address the complexities raised by the survey.
Designed for high-volume environments where uptime is critical, ProShip’s platform delivers the stability and adaptability needed to keep pace with rapid operational change. Its architecture supports intricate fulfillment networks, automates compliance across carriers, and offers the flexibility required to integrate with a broad range of enterprise systems.
Verrill reiterated this point in the report: “By understanding these trends, companies can validate their current strategic position or take steps to improve their plan in alignment with fellow industry experts. With more options available for shippers than ever before, making the correct choice to synergize customer journey, operations, carrier and technology partners is crucial for building a strategy that can evolve with shifting customer expectations, operational demands, and market pressures.”
The ProShip Report: Navigating the Future of Parcel Shipping 2025 paints a clear picture of an industry undergoing significant transformation. Rising costs, unstable capacity, growing regulatory pressures, and increasingly demanding consumers are forcing companies to rethink their fulfillment strategies from the ground up.
At the center of this change lies technology—specifically, platforms that can scale, automate, and integrate complex carrier networks without disruption.
ProShip’s latest report not only captures the challenges facing shippers but also outlines the strategic pathways that can help organizations build resilience and thrive in an unpredictable market. As parcel shipping becomes more intricate and essential to business performance, the organizations best positioned for success will be those that embrace modern technology, empower their IT and supply chain teams, and diversify their fulfillment capabilities with confidence.
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