This article is part of our “Scale your ecommerce operation without limits” series, where we break down five practical strategies for building resilient, scalable delivery operations.
- Diversify to deliver – eliminating carrier bottlenecks for scalable shipping
- Automate for resilience – real-time delivery automation to eliminate manual strain
- Optimize with data – using delivery analytics for smarter shipping decisions
- Orchestrate without overwhelming – simplifying multi-option delivery experience
- Govern for growth – turning delivery operations into a scalable, repeatable machine
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When order volumes surge, manual processes can quickly become your weakest link. Picking and packing each order by hand, copying address data, comparing carrier rates on spreadsheets, emailing tracking numbers - these tasks might be manageable at 50 orders a day, but at 500 or 5,000, they lead to delays, errors, and burned-out staff.
The obvious solution is automation: using software and smart rules to handle repetitive shipping tasks instantly and accurately, scaling output without scaling headcount and drastically reducing the risk of human error.
Work smarter, not harder
Automation brings a massive efficiency boost. Routine tasks that ate up hours of employee time are executed in seconds by the system. For example, instead of a person sorting orders by destination and choosing carriers one by one, an automated shipping platform can do it all in the background based on predefined criteria.
This kind of streamlining lets companies process far more orders with the same team. In fact, companies using nShift’s delivery software have managed to cut manual processing by up to 90%, freeing their staff to focus on exceptions and customer service rather than paperwork.
Resilience through real-time responsiveness
One of the biggest wins from automation is the ability to respond to problems or changes immediately.
We’ve all seen how a carrier’s API going down or a service disruption can throw a wrench in fulfillment. With manual methods, your team might discover the issue only after dozens of shipments failed to book.
But with automated real-time carrier failover, the system detects a carrier outage and automatically routes labels to an alternative carrier without skipping a beat. Retailers leveraging nShift’s rules engine enjoy 99%+ uptime for shipments thanks to automated failovers and routing rules.
Essentially, your shipping operation becomes self-healing – it “auto-corrects” around carrier delays, capacity issues, or cost spikes by instantly applying the best alternative option.
Another area is peak scaling. During flash sales or holidays, order spikes can overwhelm manual workflows. Automation is like having an elastic workforce that expands to handle any volume.
Since software doesn’t sleep or get tired, it can operate 24/7 at full throttle. Orders that drop in overnight can be batch-processed and even have labels printed before your team walks in the door the next morning. This ensures you maintain fast fulfillment times even when order volume multiplies.
Fewer errors, less firefighting
Human mistakes in shipping (like an incorrect address, wrong service selected, or missing customs form) can be costly and time-consuming to fix. Automation greatly reduces these errors by standardizing processes.
The software will print the right label for the right package every time, and can validate addresses or product data against rules. This means fewer packages boomerang back due to mistakes, and fewer “fire drills” for your team to resolve preventable issues.
Global retailer JYSK saw a 40% improvement in warehouse picking efficiency after automating their pick-pack-ship flow. Not only was it faster, it was more accurate.
Automate end-to-end
Where should you begin automating? A good rule of thumb is to target any step that is highly repetitive or prone to error. Common candidates include:
- order import (integrating your e-commerce platform so orders flow in automatically)
- carrier selection and rate shopping (letting the system choose the cheapest or fastest option per order)
- label generation (no more cut-and-paste into carrier websites)
- customs documentation for international shipments
- status notifications to customers
- even trigger-based tasks like scheduling a pickup when daily volume exceeds X packages
Modern delivery management platforms can automate each of these steps in one unified system, essentially running your shipping department with minimal manual intervention.
Improved customer experience
Automation doesn’t just benefit your internal team; it also leads to a better experience for customers. Automatically sending tracking information and updates keeps buyers in the loop without your team manually composing emails.
Some retailers set up automated SMS or email alerts at each shipping milestone, so customers know exactly where their order is. This proactive communication (a form of automation) can shrink “Where is my order?” inquiries by up to 50%, as seen when ICIW implemented automated tracking updates.
Fewer anxious customers contacting support means your team can focus on growth rather than fielding repetitive questions.
Laying the groundwork
To implement automation, you’ll need to invest in the right shipping software or platform that supports these features.
Look for a system that easily integrates with your order sources (shopfront, ERP, WMS) and offers a robust rule engine. You should be able to configure business rules like “if order weight > 10kg, use Carrier X” or “if destination is local, print carrier Y label” without custom coding. The interface should let you monitor automation in action – e.g., a dashboard showing how many orders were auto-processed and any that need human review.
Once set up, maintain a habit of reviewing your automation rules periodically to tweak them as your shipping needs evolve (for example, adding a holiday-specific rule to switch carriers if one gets backlogged).
Automation is the key to resilient, scalable delivery operations. It slashes manual workload, reacts instantly to issues and surges, and drives accuracy to new highs. By automating early and often, you’ll gain the capacity to grow your e-commerce business without being limited by labor or operational breakdowns.
If you’d like to go deeper or share this framework with your team, explore the rest of the “Scale your ecommerce operation without limits” series:
- Diversify to deliver
- Automate for resilience
- Optimize with data
- Orchestrate without overwhelming
- Govern for growth
Ready to put it all into practice? Get the full guide: Scale your ecommerce operation without limits
Author
Thomas Bailey
Product Innovation Lead, nShift
Thomas plays a key role in shaping how new features and platform improvements deliver real value to customers. With a background spanning product, tech, and go-to-market strategy, he brings a pragmatic view of what innovation looks like in practice and how to make delivery experiences work harder for your business.
