TAKEAWAYS Shaping the Future of the Global Supply Chain
PARSING OUT PARCEL SPEND Amid rising parcel volumes and increasingly ambiguous carrier pricing, Reveel’s inaugural Parcel Shipping Intelligence Market Survey uncovers a gap in how organizations understand and manage parcel spend. The survey of more than 150 North American supply chain and logistics leaders paints a clear picture: parcel shipping has become more complex and cost‑intensive, yet most shippers lack the insights needed to control it effectively. Most respondents predict their shipping volumes will increase or stay the same this year, but almost half (44%) report a lack of information about shipping expenses and what could help them improve. This points to growing frustration with carriers, as an overwhelming number of respondents (91%) plan to expand the number of carriers they utilize in order to mitigate rising and unpredictable parcel shipping fees. Other important takeaways include: • 87% of respondents expect their parcel shipping volumes to increase this year, while no organization anticipates a decline. • 44% report insufficient information on overall shipping costs. • 59% lack insight into demand forecasting, while 57% lack visibility into vendor (carrier) performance, and 50% lack clarity on inventory levels. • Respondents believe optimizing packaging (60%) and leveraging automation (48%) offer the strongest path toward reducing parcel shipping expenses. ( See chart below .) The report also indicates that parcel spend can consume a considerable amount of an organization’s budget—currently, logistics expenses average 22% of organizations’ overall operating expenses. Respondents report that, within their overall logistics budgets, parcel shipping costs break down as follows: • 37% allocate between $2 million and $10 million • 42% allocate between $10 million and $50 million • 21% allocate more than $50 million What Works: Most Effective Strategies to Reduce Shipping Costs Optimize packaging 60% Leveraging automation 48% Invest in shipping software for rate shopping 45% Annually renegotiating carrier contracts 41% Switching carriers 30% Diversifying carrier usage 22% We have not reduced shipping costs in the last year 11% Source: Reveel
Q4 LOGISTICS VIBES: “WAIT AND SEE”
What is your expected revenue growth for the next quarter?
Q2 24 Q3 24 Q4 24 Q1 25 Q2 25 Q3 25 Q4 25 Var
Positive
65% 70% 66% 68% 74% 77% 69% -1.6%
Neutral
18% 23% 19% 23% 12% 16% 17% 0.7%
Negative
18% 7% 15% 9% 14% 13% 14% 1.0%
Median
3.0% 2.0% 2.0% 3.0% 1.0% 2.0% 2.0% 0.0%
BlueGrace Logistics’ latest Logistics Confidence Index report—based on a quarterly survey of North American shippers across LTL and FTL modes— paints a nuanced picture of freight-sector sentiment as we move into Q4 2025. While confidence in revenue retreats, companies remain cautious around inventory positioning and order volume stability. Taken together, the trends suggest mild pessimism underpinned by a strategy-focused approach to operational resilience, notes the Index. “With looming interest rate drops that have yet to come to fruition and continuing volatility in trade agreements and tariff implications, it seems ‘wait and see’ continues to be the theme for 2025,” explains BlueGrace’s Jason Lockard, senior vice president of managed logistics. What to expect in Q4, according to the Confidence Index: Revenue expectations take a dip. (See chart above) • 69% of shippers forecast positive revenue growth in Q4 2025, an almost 10-point drop from 77% in Q3, though up slightly from one year ago. • Neutral sentiment dropped to 17% (from 23% in Q4 2024), while negative sentiment hit 14%, in line with earlier 2025 expectations. Inventory outlook stabilizes—with cautious restraint. • Inventory expectations saw a notable shift for Q4, with a 14.8-point decline in positive responses offset by a 14.6-point rise in neutral sentiment quarter-over-quarter. Order-growth sentiment shifts to neutral. • A majority (60%) of shippers shifted into the “neutral” category, marking the second-highest level of neutral sentiment since Q4 2023. The mean growth expectation declined from 1.7% to 1.2%, while the median fell to 0%, down from 1% last quarter.
14 Inbound Logistics • August 2025
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