Peak season has always been a test of endurance for supply chains. Rising surcharges, volatile demand, and shifting customer expectations combine to create an environment where agility matters more than sheer capacity. Success no longer depends on scrambling harder than competitors, but instead on creating systems and practices that turn disruption into opportunity.
A recent webinar hosted by ProShip brought together logistics leaders to explore strategies for navigating this landscape. Speakers included:
- Tara Buchler, Principal, Strategy at JBF Consulting
- Andrew Sulak, Head of Partnerships at ProShip
- Ben Emmrich, Co-Founder & CEO at Tusk Logistics
- Lawrence Roycroft, Senior Solution Strategy Director at Blue Yonder
From Data Collection to Scenario Intelligence
The starting point is self-knowledge. Many organizations operate without a clean baseline of their cost structure, service performance, and quality measures. Without this, every disruption feels like a crisis because there is no foundation for evaluating impact and trade-offs.
“You must have a solid understanding of your data—specifically your margins. That’s the first lever to pull before anything else.”
— Ben Emmrich, Tusk Logistics
A well-maintained baseline enables companies to shift from reactive firefighting to scenario-based intelligence. Instead of relying on gut instinct or basic spreadsheets, businesses can model multiple responses to disruptions and select the most effective one. This approach not only ensures faster reactions but also fosters confidence across teams and partners when quick decisions are required.
Data, when organized and actionable, becomes more than historical recordkeeping. It becomes the engine for intelligent forecasting and proactive planning.
Integration Beyond Connectivity
Modern supply chains are made up of dozens of systems—WMS, OMS, TMS, multi-carrier shipping platforms—yet too often these systems operate in isolation. Integration is frequently reduced to the technical task of connecting APIs or transferring data, but the real value lies in enabling connected decisions.
For example, shipping systems should not simply print labels at the end of the fulfillment process. They can provide transparency earlier in the customer journey by surfacing shipping costs and delivery options during browsing or checkout. That transparency reduces cart abandonment and builds trust, providing the foundation for growth.
“The real intent and the value of true integration isn’t just connectivity and moving data around, it’s about enabling connected decisions.”
— Tara Buchler, JBF Consulting
Integration also sharpens fulfillment decisions. Placing inventory close to customers is often optimal, but it is not always sufficient. Shipping intelligence layered into fulfillment choices ensures that decisions reflect cost, speed, and capacity simultaneously (factors that matter most during peak when carriers impose restrictions and surcharges, and often fail to mail service commitments consistently).
Integration, when designed strategically, elevates shipping from an operational endpoint to a driver of customer experience and profitability.
Automation as a Productivity Multiplier
The most advanced data and integrations can still be undermined by human limitations. Habits at the pack station—choosing the same carrier label regardless of performance data—illustrate how decision-making often defaults to convenience.
Automation changes the equation. By embedding business rules, real-time performance insights, and predictive models directly into systems, organizations can automate carrier selection and other repetitive tasks. This ensures decisions are both consistent and optimized, while freeing human teams to focus on higher-value analysis and continuous improvement.
Automation also accelerates learning. When systems automatically adapt to deviations in carrier performance or delivery speed, those adjustments create feedback loops that refine decision-making over time. In an environment as dynamic as peak season, such loops are invaluable.
“How many people does it take to process 40,000 parcels manually? Automation takes away that pain by letting business rules and systems make the decisions for you.”
— Andrew Sulak, ProShip
AI as an Embedded Capability
AI adds another layer of opportunity. Already it is improving analytics, task automation, and decision support when it’s embedded within logistics platforms.
Most vendors are integrating AI into their solutions, meaning companies can benefit without building capabilities from scratch. These tools can surface performance anomalies, prescribe responses to negative trends, and analyze complex carrier contracts in hours instead of weeks. For shippers, the practical advantage lies in staying close to their vendors and fully leveraging the AI-driven features already available.
“People won’t be replaced by AI, but people who use AI will outperform those who don’t. It’s about leveraging agents to crunch data and action decisions faster than humans can.”
— Lawrence Roycroft, Blue Yonder
AI, viewed this way, is not a separate initiative but a natural extension of existing systems. It’s a tool that amplifies productivity and speeds up decision cycles.
Collaboration as the Hidden Enabler
Technology alone cannot carry peak season. Collaborative practices are equally vital. Aligning digital teams, planners, and carrier partners around promotional calendars, demand forecasts, and expected capacity ensures that surprises are minimized.
“In peak, take a collaborative approach. Work with internal teams, map promotional calendars, and brief carrier partners so everyone is prepared for what’s coming.”
— Tara Buchler, JBF Consulting
Collaboration reframes peak from a siloed challenge into a shared endeavor. Internal teams and external partners alike become stakeholders in preparing for and managing seasonal surges. This mindset of collective readiness often proves to be the differentiator when the unexpected occurs.
Redefining Peak as Opportunity
Peak season will always test supply chains with surcharges, volatility, and customer pressure, but it can also be the proving ground for resilience. Companies position themselves to thrive during peak when they use data to:
- Build scenario intelligence
- Leverage integration for connected decisions
- Automate where human limitations hold them back
- Collaborate across their ecosystem are positioned
The path forward is not about reacting faster to every crisis. It’s about building systems where disruption becomes a catalyst for smarter decisions and stronger customer trust.
“Plan, prep, and remember there’s a customer at the heart of this. Make promises you can keep, scale your propositions, and work collaboratively with partners to get through peak together.”
— Lawrence Roycroft, Blue Yonder
JBF Consulting helps shippers unlock cost savings, improve visibility, and build scalable logistics technology strategies. Contact us today to learn how our proven approach can deliver measurable benefits for your organization during peak season and beyond.
About the Author
Tara Buchler is Principal, Strategy at JBF Consulting, where she applies two decades of logistics and supply chain experience to help clients achieve transformational results. Known for her ability to translate complex business challenges into operational and software solutions, she brings deep expertise in technology and operations strategy, market dynamics, and implementation. Her collaborative approach and strategic insight have consistently enabled organizations to optimize their supply chain and drive sustainable growth. Tara holds a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration from Grand Valley State University.
FAQs
Peak season introduces higher surcharges, unpredictable demand, and increased customer expectations. These factors test the resilience of supply chains, making agility and smart systems more valuable than sheer capacity.
Clean, organized data provides a baseline for cost, service, and quality metrics. This foundation enables scenario-based intelligence, allowing companies to model responses to disruptions and make faster, more confident decisions.
True integration goes beyond just connecting systems. It enables connected decisions across fulfillment, inventory placement, and customer experience. For example, integrating shipping data at checkout can reduce cart abandonment and build trust.
Automation embeds business rules and real-time insights to standardize decisions like carrier selection, removing reliance on manual habits. AI further accelerates analytics, identifies anomalies, and optimizes contract evaluations—helping teams act faster and more effectively.
Collaboration ensures that internal teams and external partners (such as carriers) align on promotional calendars, demand forecasts, and expected capacity. This shared readiness reduces surprises and positions everyone to manage peak season disruptions more effectively.
