Turning Boxes into Savings

The Challenge

For several brands, packaging was quietly inflating parcel spend. Box assortments didn’t match order shapes, packers were guessing, and parcels were billed at higher DIM weights than necessary. Brands needed to reduce parcel cost without compromising speed or protection.

Our Approach

Izba analyzed a year of order and SKU data to identify the top 95% of order configurations. We simulated billed weights (actual vs. DIM) under different box sets and mapped rate-card thresholds to pinpoint savings opportunities.

For DIM-billed brands, we expanded box variety and used compression to drop dimensional tiers. For actual-weight brands, we simplified box sets for speed and machinability. We then modeled parcel, dunnage, and pack-time impact — piloting the changes at 3PL sites and encoding cartonization logic into OMS/WMS rules.

The Outcome

Brands reduced parcel spend on top order patterns, packed faster with less dunnage, and entered peak with predictable costs. The result: lower shipping costs, cleaner unboxing, and a repeatable packaging system that teams can tune quarterly as mix and carrier rules evolve.