01
Three contracts, no leverage
Store ops on one account, fulfillment on another, DTC on a third. Each one mid-tier, none of them pulling the full corporate volume into the negotiation.
Industries · Retail
One carrier strategy for stores, DCs, and DTC.
Most omnichannel retailers run three shipping patterns under three separate contracts. We consolidate the carrier relationship, then audit each lane independently — store replenishment, DC fulfillment, and direct ship-to-consumer all priced correctly.
Where the money leaks
Three problems we see in every retail audit.
02
Peak season surcharges destroy Q4 margin
Holiday-period surcharges run 25–60% on top of base rates. Most carriers will negotiate them down or eliminate them — but only when someone asks.
03
Ship-from-store is unmeasured
When stores fulfill online orders, the carrier rate is whatever's on that store's local account. No consolidated reporting, no cost optimization.
Our playbook
Four levers, specifically for retail.
01
Consolidated corporate account
All three patterns under one rate sheet. Carriers see the full book of business. Top-tier discount across stores, DCs, and DTC.
02
Peak surcharge negotiation
We negotiate caps or eliminations on holiday-period surcharges before Q4 starts. Worth 4–8 points of Q4 margin for seasonal brands.
03
Ship-from-store rate parity
Local store accounts get the same negotiated rates as the corporate DC. One cost-per-label number across the network.
04
Lane-specific routing
Where store-to-customer ships beat DC-to-customer ships on the lane, Kadix routes that way automatically.
17% off
Base-rate cut for a gift & home brand who also killed peak surcharges entirely
Best fit if you are
- ✓Retailers with stores + DTC + DC
- ✓Brands doing ship-from-store
- ✓Seasonal retailers with heavy Q4
- ✓Multi-banner retail groups
Probably not for you if
Pure-play brick-and-mortar without an online or ship-from-store program.
Other industries
Different verticals, same audit-first approach.
E-commerce & DTC
Shopify, BigCommerce, Amazon, multi-channel — we cover the full carrier stack you're juggling.
Open playbook →Third-Party Logistics (3PL)
Carrier rates are the second-biggest line on your bid sheet. We negotiate them as one consolidated book.
Open playbook →Distribution & B2B Wholesale
B2B parcel is a different problem from DTC. We treat it that way.
Open playbook → Want the retail playbook on your invoices?
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