Harshida Acharya

Most logistics tech fails long before it gets to the warehouse floor.

Not because the wrong tech stack was picked, but because there was no strategy to begin with, or the one they had never made it out of a slide deck.

I help 3PLs and retailers modernize fulfillment operations by bridging the gap between logistics strategy and execution, so tech initiatives don’t just launch, they actually work.

As Partner & Chief Strategy Officer at FulfillmentIQ, I lead teams that deliver high-stakes tech transformations for logistics leaders under pressure to scale. We specialize in WMS/OMS implementations, platform integration, and internal tool development- led by experts who’ve run warehouses, not just studied them.
 
I’m also the creator and co-host of the eCom Logistics Podcast where I’ve had the privilege of talking to some of the most smartest leaders in fulfillment and retail logistics; unpacking what’s actually working in the field and what’s just noise. Millions of impressions later, it’s become the go-to resource for logistics operators and tech leaders.

I also co-founded Ladies Who Logistic, a 700+ member network driving visibility, mentorship, and leadership for women across the supply chain.
 
What I’m focused on:
	•	Reducing implementation rework and accelerating time to value for logistics transformation
	•	Leading digital innovation initiatives that align ops and IT, from pilot to P&L
	•	Building tech that works in the real world, not just on paper
	•	Creating spaces where women in logistics lead, scale, and thrive
	•	Driving strategic conversations that shape how fulfillment systems are built and scaled

Recognition:
🏆 Top Retail Expert (RETHINK Retail, 2025 & 2024)
🏆 Women in Supply Chain (2023)
🏆 Shopify Top eCom Influencer
🏆 Business Elite 40 Under 40
…and others, but results always speak louder.

If you’re building logistics systems that need to scale or need a strategy that aligns tech and ops, let’s connect.

📩 fulfillmentiq.com | ecomlogisticspodcast.com

Partner & Chief Strategy Officer

Nate Skiver

Parcel + Ecommerce Delivery Consultant | Increasing parcel shipping knowledge throughout the ecommerce industry | Founder, LPF Spend Management

I am passionate about three things:
➡️ Parcel transportation, ecommerce, and sharing knowledge

Lucky for me, I’ve been able to focus on all three for the better part of 20 years.

The first 17 years were spent working for retailers, where I:

➡️ Built an $80M parcel program from the ground up over a six-year period, generating $10M+ in savings along the way
➡️ Led parcel transportation strategy and execution for a $4B apparel retailer
➡️ Led global order management operations supporting a $900M ecommerce business
➡️ Led a North American parcel RFP for a $15B apparel retailer

This career experience was great, but something was missing.

I couldn’t share my knowledge and experience in a way that provided value to more than my employer.

That changed with this text exchange in 2019.

◾ “I’ve been thinking about moving into consulting and would love to get your thoughts. Let me know when you have time to chat.”
◾ ”Let’s chat this afternoon. I have two options for you that would fund your transition. We need to move quickly though.”

Six weeks later I left the security of a very good job to start Level Playing Field with this goal: to share my experience and help ecommerce companies compete on shipping.

Now, I serve as a thought partner with my clients, focused on co-creating parcel shipping programs which reduce expense, while delivering a positive customer experience.

I am passionate about increasing parcel shipping knowledge throughout the ecommerce industry, one shipper at a time.

WHAT ARE THE RESULTS?
➡️ My clients have saved 6%-11% on their parcel spend, despite the most challenging pricing environment to date.

In addition to helping clients reduce shipping expense via carrier diversification and contract negotiation projects, I also provide value by:

✔️ Offering parcel invoice audit, spend management, and analytics services via a partner consultancy
✔️ Offering supply chain and omnichannel consulting services via a partner consultancy
✔️ Writing content focused on parcel and ecommerce delivery
✔️ Advising carriers on how to position solutions with retailers
✔️ Connecting people: carriers and retailers, ecommerce solutions providers and potential partners
✔️ Developing customized parcel training programs

Want to learn more? Email me 👉 nate@lpfspendmanagement.com

Find out more about Level Playing Field here 👉 https://www.lpfspendmanagement.com.

Of course, it can’t be all parcel all the time.

Personally, I am a proud father of two amazing kids, devoted husband, baseball fanatic, youth sports coach, lifelong Buckeye, and heavy metal fan.

Founder

A $600K total shipping cost increase.
From one FedEx surcharge change.

FedEx customers:
What is your exposure to the Jan 12th AHS/OS changes?

If you don’t know the answer.
You better figure it out now.
And begin working to address it with FedEx.

The $600K was identified for a client recently.

Granted, it’s “only” 1.4% of their spend.
But, left unaddressed, it’s another rate increase.

On top of the 5.9% GRI.
And the 1.5% FSC increase in December.
[more on the way in 2026]

And they were unaware of the change altogether.

Here’s what shippers can do about it.

1. Assess the impact
This needs to happen now.

If you don’t have the time or expertise to do it.
Partner with a parcel consultant.

Or have your parcel spend management provider perform the analysis.

2. Evaluate package dimensions and packing configuration for optimization opportunities

This requires a longer process to implement changes.
But it should be done in parallel to number 3 below.

3. Address through contract negotiations

Negotiating one agreement term in isolation is difficult.
But a few options to explore are:

•Offsetting Oversize/Large Package discounts
•Cubic threshold exception
•Custom surcharge language - % spend impact
•Custom surcharge language - deferred effective date

I’m happy to share more details for anyone interested.
-----
FedEx AHS/OS criteria changes are effective Jan 12th.

And it could have a massive impact on your shipping costs.

Assess the impact today.

And start addressing it as soon as possible.

Parcel + Ecommerce Delivery Consultant | Helping you ship smarter and reduce expense | Founder, LPF Spend Management

⚠️ UPS + FedEx surcharges are pushing rates higher ⚠️

This isn’t news, but we have another reference point.

The Q4 TD Cowen/AFS Freight Index.
[the focus here is on Ground parcel]

Per the Index, Q4 ground rates per package reached a record high.

Driven by UPS and FedEx surcharge increases.

Which will continue in 2026, on the back of GRI’s.

This isn’t new for either carrier.
As they try to increase revenue per package.
In a highly price-competitive US parcel market.

A few highlights from the Q4 index:

•A 13% sequential increase in avg surcharge $/pkg

•A change in residential demand surcharge criteria expanded the amount of volume impacted by these surcharges

•Ground fuel surcharge and diesel cost divergence
I’ve covered this before.
And it’s highlighted in the graphic.
Q4 ground fuel surcharges increased 1% over Q3.
While diesel $/gal declined 1.5%.
Ground FSC grew 26% YoY.
While tracked diesel prices only increased 4.7%.
-----
UPS and FedEx continue to attack the bottom lines of their customers.

With a continuous barrage of surcharge criteria changes and rate increases.

This will continue to be a near-monthly occurrence.

Until/unless customers defend against these changes by:
-introducing competition
-intelligently negotiating contracts
-closely managing their parcel spend


P.S. This content is included in my weekly newsletter, Special Delivery.
Subscribe for free using the link at the top of this post.

The USPS final-mile network is officially open for business.

Best of luck to the bidders.

https://lnkd.in/gk3JkU6y

You know that great deal you got from UPS or FedEx a couple of years ago?

When the parcel market swung to the shipper side.

It’s not such a great deal anymore.

Especially if your contract has been on autopilot.

Or if you’re single-sourced with UPS or FedEx.
[or even close to it]

Let’s say you negotiated a 4% rate cap.

That’s great.
You’ve avoided 1.9% of the base rate GRI.

But surcharges account for 20%-30% of your spend.
[assuming a high % of residential volume]

That’s fine, you negotiated deep surcharge discounts.
Like a 30%-40% fuel surcharge discount.

But UPS/FedEx handed those out left and right.
Knowing FSC would be a revenue generator.

With several FSC table increases each year.
So, the value of your FSC discount keeps shrinking.

The same can be said for Additional Handling.

Multiple double-digit rate increases.
And your 75% discount can only help so much.

And …
DAS applies to a growing % of your volume.
Zone changes have increased your average zone.
Oversize criteria changes are sending costs soaring.
Demand surcharges now apply with no volume criteria.

You get the idea.

You’re halfway through a 4-year contract term.
And that great deal isn’t looking so great.

If this is you, it’s time for a change.
It's time to take control of your parcel program.

And explore alternative carriers.
[at minimum]
Or bid your parcel business.
-------
You got a great deal from UPS/FedEx.
But it’s been a couple of years.

And that deal looks less and less great.
With each UPS/FedEx pricing change.
[on a near-monthly basis]

The good news, is that it’s still a shipper’s market.
And you have more carrier options than ever.
So, it’s time to take control of your parcel program.


P.S. I work with shippers to cut shipping costs through RFP's and/or adding alternative carriers. If you aren't getting the value you expected from your UPS and FedEx contract, let's chat.

Ecommerce + Retail Logistics Recap (Jan 19 – Jan 25)

📦 Parcel/Delivery 🚚
➡️ Amazon ends USPS partnership after $9.5 billion loss; 100,000 workers affected (https://lnkd.in/gmTEgcsm)

➡️ U.S. Postal Service Opens Bid Solicitation Platform For Entry to Last-Mile Delivery Network (https://lnkd.in/gk3JkU6y)

➡ USPS solicits retailers to reserve last-mile delivery capacity (https://lnkd.in/gD8_8vEF)

➡️ UPS, FedEx discounts heat up, but shipping costs still surging (https://lnkd.in/gVWHpTAQ)

➡️ FedEx, UPS tweaks could spur more large package fees (https://lnkd.in/guAwWsGw)

➡ USPS proposal requiring small parcel dimensions raises compliance fears (https://lnkd.in/g2AZfZrE)

➡ Quiet Logistics Closes its 3PL Business (https://lnkd.in/gkUFHF3u)

➡️ FarEye and Amazon Key partner to tackle last mile delivery challenges (https://lnkd.in/gyi-GeeF)

➡️ Canada Post’s tentative contracts scrap some delivery operations changes (https://lnkd.in/g8Z_XiXg)

➡ UPS to build massive $6.1M cooler in Louisville. Here's what we know (https://lnkd.in/gkDCuCWd)

🛍️ Retail/Ecommerce 📱️
➡ How Dick’s fulfills 80% of online orders from its stores’ shelves (https://lnkd.in/g2YWhPFV)

➡ Dollar General takes on Amazon with same-day rural delivery (https://lnkd.in/g2m9vmXt)

➡ Hibbett, DoorDash launch delivery partnership (https://lnkd.in/giseak4E)

➡ Prologis Revenue Climbs as Warehouse Demand Rebounds (https://lnkd.in/gVHNUKKv)

💸 Funding/M&A 🏦
➡️ Echo Global Logistics acquires ITS Logistics to create $5.4 billion combined entity (https://lnkd.in/gUwG4_Hp)

UPS can’t leave money on the table for long.
Another FSC increase is coming soon.

But how soon?
And will it be just 0.5%?
[to match FedEx]

I say it will be a 0.5% increase.
Effective February 9th.
[but announced before Jan 27th earnings]

Would you take the over or under?

You can negotiate 100’s of items in a parcel contract.
Here are 20 important ones 👇

1. Rebates
2. Base rate caps
3. Payment terms
4. Termination fees
5. Dimensional factor
6. Base rate discounts
7. Termination language
8. Agreement term length
9. Peak surcharge calculation
10. Minimum charge reduction
11. Minimum revenue commitments
12. Revenue-based incentives: % discount
13. Surcharge discounts: peak/demand
14. Surcharge discounts: DAS/EDAS/RAS
15. Surcharge discounts: fuel (% and/or cap)
16. Surcharge discounts: additional handling
17. Surcharge discounts: residential delivery
18. Dimensional factor: calculation threshold
19. Revenue-based incentives: tier thresholds
20. Rate caps: minimum revenue threshold
-----
-Which are most important?
-What’s missing?

Note: Image examples are intended as illustrations only 😉

10 reasons why you shouldn’t bid your parcel business. 👇

1. You enjoy overpaying
2. You’re waiting for the right time
3. You don’t want to do the analysis
4. You have the best UPS/FedEx rates
5. You like the 6%-8% annual increase
6. You recently bid the business … in 2019
7. You enjoy complex, restrictive contracts
8. You’re afraid of hurting UPS/FedEx’s feelings
9. You don’t want to work with a cringy consultant
10. You think re-negotiating with UPS/FedEx is enough

If this is you, do nothing.
Maintain the status quo.
Congrats on another year on autopilot.

But if this is you …

1. You enjoy cost savings
2. You take action and get things done
3. You enjoy digging into the details
4. You explore alternative carriers
5. You capitalize on a shipper’s market
6. You bid parcel based on need, not convenience 
7. You seek out collaborative partnerships
8. You do what’s best for your business at all times
9. You recognize the value a consultant brings
10. You know an RFP optimizes rates and service

Get started now on a parcel RFP.

Your bottom line, and your customers, will thank you.

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Harshida Acharya

Nate Skiver

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The Battle

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Nate Skiver

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