Minimize Shipping Costs with Parcel Data Analysis

Transcription

1 Minimize Shipping Costs with Parcel Data Analysis BY TREVOR OUTMAN Business data is as old as commerce itself, But the relatively new technologies that allow supply and demand chain executives to utilize that data are drastically changing the way companies do business. And that change is only just beginning. Most executives are highly aware of the need to harness the power of Big Data to manage increasingly complex supply chains, forecast future demand, and eliminate the costs of unproductive inventory. But many have yet to recognize that data analytics can offer yet another powerful advantage: reducing shipping costs. Starting with the analysis of weekly parcel invoice data, you can gain transformative insights that can inform your operational decisions.

2 Here are four ways to use your own data to substantially lower your overall shipping costs: Monitor Service Usage 14.1% Ground 64.9% From an operational perspective, you should Smartpost always be keeping a close 5.4% Priority Overnight eye on service usage. 5.3% 2Day 10.3% Others* *Home Delivery, Standard Overnight, International Ground, International Priority, Express Saver, International Economy Information like that shown in the chart above can be pulled from parcel data and used to determine shifts from one service to the next. For instance, a movement towards expedited services will certainly inflate your costs. Every e-commerce company has a unique customer profile, and understanding the services (transit time) your customers select can help you identify what is more important: a lower shipping cost (longer delivery time) or an expedited delivery (higher cost). Understand Zone Usage Shipments by zone are also important to understand. Zone 2 would indicate a delivery within a 150-mile radius of the pickup location. Zone 8 would be a cross-country delivery, or delivery within a radius that is greater than 1,801 miles. Shipment costs increase, respectively, from Zone 2 through Zone 8. As shipment volume to the outer 02 MINIMIZE SHIPPING COSTS WITH PARCEL DATA ANALYSIS

3 zones increases, so will the shipping budget. Consequently, moving your inventory closer to the outer zones will transform the outer zone pricing to inner zone pricing. Keeping an eye on zone usage (see figure below for example) will help you determine when it is time to evaluate the opening of another warehouse location, or to outsource inventory to a fulfillment center: 31.5% SHIPMENT B Y ZONE 18.5% 9.2% 11.5% 8.5% 6.1% 13.4% 0.5% 0.7% 0.1% Canada INTL Noncontiguous Identify and Mitigate Pain Points Weekly analysis of parcel data also serves to educate supply chain management, procurement, and operations professionals on shipping pain points. Each shipper has unique shipping characteristics. Due to the complexity of parcel pricing and its direct correlation to shipping characteristics, it is imperative to analyze your own weekly data. A thorough and proper analysis will uncover multiple pricing pain points that could be addressed through contract negotiation efforts. For example, you can determine how many shipments for each service are being negatively impacted by the minimum charge (ground minimum charge that has not been negotiated is shown below): 0 3

4 The minimum charge of $7.57 for 2018 (as seen above) for ground service can be discussed and negotiated with your carrier. (Note: FedEx Ground Minimum charge is one cent more expensive at $7.58.) GROUND - RES AT $ % Not impacted The charts below represent a scenario in which a shipper had negotiated and improved minimum charges for various services: Not impacted GROUND - COM AT GROUND - RES AT NEXT DAY AIR AT $ % 72.7% 17.5% NEXT DAY AIR SAVER AT $ ND DAY AT $ DAY AT $ % 42.2% 65.2% 0 4

5 In this example, the negotiated improvement to the ground minimum charge was insufficient. As you can see, more than half the shipments are still impacted. What this means is that the shipper is not taking full advantage of the negotiated discount. This particular shipper has an average discount for ground service in the 1- to 5- pound category. Below are standard list rates for the 1- to 5-pound weight range: GROUND COMERCIAL RATES Weight $7.57 $8.36 $8.59 $8.97 $9.28 $9.40 $ $8.36 $9.09 $9.73 $9.94 $10.37 $10.78 $ $8.50 $9.48 $10.26 $10.68 $11.11 $11.49 $ $8.82 $9.71 $10.86 $11.35 $11.67 $12.34 $ $8.92 $9.91 $11.17 $11.80 $12.19 $12.82 $13.67 Once the discount is applied, list rates are improved to the net rates seen below: GROUND COMERCIAL RATES (with discount and minimum) Weight $5.00 $5.52 $5.67 $5.93 $6.13 $6.21 $ $5.52 $6.60 $6.43 $6.57 $6.85 $7.12 $ $5.61 $6.26 $6.78 $7.05 $7.34 $7.59 $ $5.83 $6.41 $7.17 $7.50 $7.71 $8.15 $ $5.89 $6.55 $7.38 $7.79 $8.05 $8.47 $9.03 However, the carriers apply a minimum charge to all services. So, even though the net rates above are extremely attractive and competitive, they are void of an applied minimum charge. The negotiated minimum is applied below. 0 5

6 All the cells highlighted in red are not taking full advantage of the discount due to the pricing floor, or minimum charge. GROUND COMERCIAL RATES (with discount and minimum) Weight $7.34 $7.59 $ $7.50 $7.71 $8.15 $ $7.38 $7.79 $8.05 $8.47 $9.03 Reference the chart below to see how the effective discount for shipments to these zones at these weights is significantly mitigated from the negotiated discount. ACTUAL GROUND COMERCIAL RATES DISCOUNT (after minimum is applied) Weight % 12.4% 13.9% 17.0% 12.4% 19.5% 22.8% 24.6% 14.8% 24.8% 28.7% 32.6% 18.4% 26.4% 31.5% 21.1% 29.4% 22.1% 32.1% 34.0% 23.4% 33.3% 34.0% % 26.1% 34.0% 34.0% On average, this shipper is losing half of thier discount due to the minimum charge (see below). Actual Contractual GROUND COMERCIAL Contractual vs. Actual Discount% Received 42.0% 44.4%44.5% 47.0% 47.0% 37.0% 38.9% 34.0% 33.0% 17.3% 0-5 lbs 6-10 lbs lbs lbs lbs 0 6 MINIMIZE SHIPPING COSTS WITH PARCEL DATA ANALYSIS

7 Evaluate Surcharge Impact Countless insights can be gleaned from an analysis of your weekly parcel data, but getting a good understanding of the minimum charge impact is going to be critical for most shippers. Additionally, accessorial surcharge impact should also be evaluated. Because no two shippers are alike, the surcharges that have a material impact will vary from one shipper to the next. TOP ACCESSORIAL CHARGES 26.3% Fuel Understanding which accessorial surcharges are your top offenders is important. (See a summary example below.) 34.5% Presidential 20.3% DAS 8.3% AHS 10.7% Other Charge Description Charge Count List Rates Incentive Amount (%) Net Spend (%) Residential Fuel DAS AHS Return 1,777,789 $5.18M $2.00M (38.7%) $3.18M (34.5%) 2,849,249 $5.27M $2.86M (54.1%) $2.41M (26.3%) 982,761 $3.04M $1.18M (38.7%) $1.87M (20.3%) 160,550 $1.23M $473.6K (38.3%) $762.0K (8.3%) 71,422 $567.2K $0.00 (0.0%) $567.2K (6.2%) 0 7

8 Charge Description Charge Count List Rates Incentive Amount (%) Net Spend (%) Saturday Del LPS Address Corr COD 10,114 $161.4K $0.00 (0.0%) $161.4K (1.8%) 12,675 $356.1K $207.6K (58.3%) $148.4K (1.6%) 5,512 $68.0K $9.9K (14.6%) $58.1K (0.6%) 4,277 $51.1K $0.00 (0.0%) $51.1K (0.6%) Some of these top accessorial offenders have a negotiated incentive and others do not; however, all accessorials can have a discount applied. Parcel Data Gives You an Edge As you ve likely concluded, a proper and thorough analysis can be extremely helpful in identifying key areas of strategic focus, whether it be for operations and/or pricing discussions with your carrier. The benefits of this type of analysis can extend beyond your bottom line. Analyzing parcel data is an exercise that most supply chain executives have yet to take advantage of. In fact, roughly 83% of organizations aren t utilizing big data analytics to improve their supply chain management. Removing yourself from this majority can give your business a tremendous advantage when it comes to unraveling the complex world of pricing in such an ultra-competitive space. 0 8