Let’s cut to the chase

If you walked the halls at Manifest 2025 thinking your supply chain is “good enough,” you might want to sit down for this. During an engaging panel, “Disrupting the Shipping Journey,” four industry leaders took the stage, and the room got a wake-up call.

Shipping excellence in 2025 requires moving beyond traditional cost-center thinking. Organizations that leverage data, standardization, and customer-centric innovation are turning their shipping operations into a true competitive advantage.

The Manifest panel

Our own Josh Lett joined industry leaders to explore how you can drive this evolution:

The takeaways

Here are the key takeaways from this powerhouse session:

🎯 **Data as the Game-Changer**

“We ship 1.2% of all the ecommerce volume in the U.S,” shared Josh Lett. At the center of this success is using deep data insights to transform shipping decisions. By mapping customer patterns across major carriers, we’re seeing how smart analytics drive better outcomes.

🎯 **Beyond Transaction to Partnership**

“It has to be a consultative relationship, it can’t be transactional or binary,” emphasized Allison Ullrich. “Instead of thinking of thinking I’m just shipping a box of socks. There’s just so much more involved that people are not aware of and they’re not slowing down.” Modern shipping requires using technology – using those partnerships – to deepen collaboration between brands, carriers, and tech partners.

🎯 **Standardization Drives Excellence**

Scott Wang highlighted how ISO 9001 certification and standardized operations create consistent performance even during surge periods. It’s about building a foundation that can scale while maintaining quality.

🎯 **Customer Experience: They’re Not Waiting For You**

The customer wants more control than ever. They demand transparency, flexibility, and eco-friendly shipping options including packaging. Meeting these expectations isn’t just good service—it’s good business.

🎯 **The AI Evolution Isn’t Coming – It’s Conquering**

“We’re seeing this evolution from execution to insight to automation,” Lett explained. AI isn’t just optimizing routes—it’s predicting needs, preventing errors, and unlocking new value opportunities.

The message was clear

If all this feels uncomfortable, good. That’s what disruption feels like. 

These experts didn’t just discuss change; they mapped out who’s winning and why. 

Special thanks to the Manifest panelists who laid out a future that’s already here, and it’s leaving traditional operations in the slow lane.

Customers are using our new Supply Chain Intelligence (SCI) applications to:

  • Reduce shipping costs by 2-5% of total shipping spend
  • Improve labor productivity by 5-15%
  • Reduce lost sales by 3-5%

Schedule 30 minutes to see how SCI can transform your shipping journey:  Request a Demo of Deposco.