A new 20 million parcel analysis released by ePost Global has compared single-carrier, postal-only and multi-carrier performance across domestic and international lanes.
Its findings indicate that multi-carrier networks deliver measurable advantages in speed, cost and operational stability – especially as carriers tighten capacity and cross-border rules evolve.
Multi-carrier networks delivered performance advantages across multiple regions:
- Europe: Multi-carrier approaches delivered parcels 37% faster to France (four days vs six) and 24% faster to Germany, underscoring the speed advantage over postal-only and single-carrier contracts.
- North America: In USA-Canada shipping lanes, multi-carrier models outperformed postal-only and single-carrier approaches, maintaining service during labor disruptions and winter weather bottlenecks.
- UK and Australia: Multi-carrier networks consistently produced lower average parcel rates compared to the largest integrators, giving retailers better cost control on cross-border shipments.
- Domestic USA: Regional carriers excelled in rural areas, while nationals performed better in urban centers. Multi-carrier routing automatically leveraged these strengths, reducing exceptions and creating more consistent delivery outcomes.
The data was gathered through 20 million customer shipment patterns tracked by ePost Global in 2024 and includes consolidated information across product categories, shipment values and customs classifications.
It comes as retailers navigate a turbulent logistics environment. The USA’s suspension of the de minimis exemption has reshaped cross-border e-commerce costs. Trade policy uncertainty and shifting customs regulations add further unpredictability. Meanwhile, labor disputes across ports, parcel and post networks, and distribution hubs threaten reliability at critical points in the supply chain.
In this climate, retailers are finding that relying on a single provider is no longer a viable strategy.
Kelly Martinez, president and co-founder of ePost Global, said, “Multi-carrier strategies transform shipping from a fixed cost center into a performance optimization tool. Retailers and e-commerce organizations can no longer afford the operational blind spots that come with single-carrier dependency, especially when customer expectations for delivery speed and reliability continue rising.”
The shift represents a fundamental transformation in retail logistics strategy. As supply chain disruptions become more frequent and customer expectations continue rising, the data suggests that multi-carrier approaches have evolved from operational optimization to competitive necessity.
It warns that retailers who delay this transition risk falling further behind competitors already gaining measurable advantages in speed, cost control and operational resilience.
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