Ecommerce Shipping Analytics: What and How to Track

When ecommerce brands think about logistics, the first things that come to mind are often speed, cost, and carrier reliability. But what separates reactive fulfillment teams from proactive operators is how well they use shipping analytics to inform strategy.

Ecommerce logistics refers to the end-to-end processes of storing, shipping, and managing online order fulfillment, playing a crucial role in efficient supply chain management and the success of ecommerce businesses, especially when leveraging shipping analytics.

The ability to track performance across your entire logistics workflow in real time allows you to optimize spend, forecast more accurately, and hold your carriers accountable. Order fulfillment, is directly impacted by the insights gained from shipping analytics, improving processing, shipping, and delivery of customer orders.

So what shipping analytics actually matter? And how should ecommerce leaders and ecommerce business owners use them to drive real outcomes?

The Role of Shipping Analytics in Ecommerce Logistics

Ecommerce logistics refers to the intricate process of managing the movement of goods, services, and information from suppliers to customers. In today’s digital marketplace, ecommerce businesses face the challenge of coordinating a complex supply chain that spans manufacturers, warehouses, transportation providers, and end customers. Shipping data has become a vital asset in this environment, empowering ecommerce businesses to make informed decisions that drive efficiency and growth.

By leveraging shipping data analytics, ecommerce businesses can gain valuable insights into every stage of their logistics operations. This enables them to identify inefficiencies, streamline workflows, and reduce costs across the supply chain.

Ultimately, shipping analytics transforms raw data into a powerful tool for smarter, faster, and more profitable logistics management.

What is Shipping Data Analytics?

Shipping analytics refers to the collection and interpretation of data related to your ecommerce shipping and fulfillment operations. When used effectively, it helps businesses:

• Identify performance trends
• Pinpoint inefficiencies
• Benchmark carrier performance
• Improve cost control and customer satisfaction
• Monitor shipping performance across carriers and regions

For mid-sized and enterprise-level businesses, especially those scaling fulfillment across multiple carriers or regions, analytics isn’t a nice-to-have, it’s essential. Analytics also help optimize your logistics network by identifying bottlenecks and enabling more efficient distribution strategies. Integrating relevant data sources, such as TMS, OMS, and CRM systems, is crucial for comprehensive shipping analytics and real-time decision-making.

The Importance of Supply Chain Visibility

Achieving full visibility across the supply chain is essential for ecommerce businesses aiming to deliver a seamless customer experience. Real-time tracking of inventory, shipments, and orders allows businesses to quickly spot potential bottlenecks or delays and take proactive steps to resolve them before they impact customers.

This level of transparency is a cornerstone of modern ecommerce logistics, helping businesses maintain control over their logistics operations and adapt to changing demands.

A robust warehouse management system (WMS) plays a key role in enabling this visibility. By integrating inventory management, order tracking, and shipping processes, a WMS helps ecommerce businesses optimize their logistics operations from end to end. Enhanced supply chain visibility leads to faster delivery speed, lower shipping costs, and higher customer satisfaction—key factors that drive repeat business and long-term success in ecommerce.

Key Shipping Metrics to Track

Not all shipping data is equally useful. Tracking shipping inventory is essential, as it ensures you have visibility over the movement and storage of goods throughout the logistics process. Effective shipping analytics includes inventory management as a key component, helping to optimize the entire supply chain from warehousing to order fulfillment and delivery. Here are the core metrics your logistics team should focus on.

1. Shipping Cost per Order

Tracks total spend per shipment, including labels, surcharges, and handling, which supports cost saving initiatives by identifying areas to reduce unnecessary expenses. This helps you:

• Compare actual shipping costs vs. customer fees
• Monitor changes over time
• Detect overspending or pricing errors

Analyzing shipping cost per order enables ecommerce businesses to uncover opportunities for cost savings and improve overall operational efficiency.

2. Delivery Time and SLA Compliance

Compare actual delivery timelines with promised SLAs to:

• Evaluate carrier reliability
• Pinpoint regions or services causing delays
• Track on time deliveries to ensure SLA compliance and customer satisfaction.
• Justify SLA penalty clauses or contract renegotiations

3. Carrier Performance

Assess each shipping carrier by metrics such as:

• On-time delivery rate
• Package loss or damage rate
• Cost-efficiency per zone
• Comparison of different shipping carriers, including major shipping carriers like FedEx, UPS, and USPS, for cost and reliability

This enables smarter contract management and dynamic carrier allocation.

4. Order Volume by Zone

Geographic shipping analysis reveals:

• Where your demand is concentrated
• Which zones are the most expensive to serve
• Whether a new fulfillment node might reduce costs
• How analyzing shipping destinations can help optimize delivery routes and reduce shipping costs by identifying opportunities to split inventory or adjust warehouse locations
• The role of regional carriers in efficiently serving specific shipping destinations, often providing cost savings and faster last-mile delivery compared to national carriers

5. Exceptions and Failures

Track:

• Delays
• Lost packages
• Returns
• Failed delivery attempts
• Reverse logistics processes such as returns and exchanges
• Last mile delivery issues

This data helps you reduce WISMO inquiries and improve post-purchase experience.

How to Use Shipping Analytics Strategically

Tracking shipping data is only half the battle. Shipping analytics can optimize the entire logistics operation and fulfillment network by providing actionable insights that improve efficiency, reduce costs, and enhance customer satisfaction. Top ecommerce teams leverage analytics not only to monitor shipments, but also to inform strategic decisions about their logistics operation, including selecting the right ecommerce logistics partner or third party logistics (3PL) provider. By partnering with specialized 3PLs, businesses can streamline their supply chain, gain access to advanced technology, and benefit from a robust fulfillment network. Here’s how top ecommerce teams use it to drive impact:

Optimize Carrier Selection

Many ecommerce businesses and ecommerce companies rely on analytics to optimize carrier selection. Use historical performance and real-time data to:

• Identify underperforming carriers
• Automate carrier selection rules
• Reduce average shipping costs while maintaining SLA coverage

Improve Forecasting and Planning

Use shipping analytics to align operations with seasonal demand and the needs of the ecommerce supply chain:

• Forecast order volume by zone
• Pre-position inventory
• Adjust staffing and fulfillment resources

Scalable planning is essential to ensure your systems and processes can handle increased order volumes as your ecommerce business grows.

Proactively Manage Customer Experience

Customer expectations for fast, reliable, and transparent shipping are higher than ever. To meet and exceed these expectations, ecommerce businesses must proactively manage every aspect of the customer experience. This means ensuring timely delivery, providing accurate tracking updates, and maintaining open communication throughout the fulfillment process.

By prioritizing proactive customer experience management, ecommerce businesses can build trust, foster loyalty, and drive business growth. Leveraging shipping analytics and strong logistics partnerships ensures that every order arrives on time and every customer interaction reinforces your brand’s reputation for excellence.

Proactively Manage CX

Analytics allow teams to detect delays before customers do—enabling proactive outreach, shipment rerouting, or compensation, which is essential to meet customer expectations and ultimately protects brand trust.

These strategies help ensure orders reach the customer's doorstep efficiently.

Create Performance Dashboards

Build high-level dashboards that surface:

• Daily shipping cost trends
• SLA performance by carrier
• Region-specific delivery success

These dashboards turn complex operations into executive-ready reporting.

VESYL Analytics: Shipping Data That Works for You

Shipping analytics shouldn’t live in spreadsheets. VESYL’s analytics feature brings actionable logistics data into one clean interface—tailored to ecommerce operators who need clarity, not clutter. VESYL analytics helps track the journey of each online order from placement to delivery, and provides insights for analyzing bulk quantities of shipments, making it ideal for large-scale ecommerce operations.

What You Can Track with Vesyl

• Real-time shipment tracking
• Delivery performance and carrier comparisons
• Zone-level cost analysis
• Warehousing costs and storage efficiency
• Comprehensive commerce logistics metrics
• Custom reports on trends, outliers, and spend

Logistics is a Data Game

In an increasingly competitive ecommerce landscape, using shipping analytics well is more than an optimization tactic—it’s a strategic advantage. The brands that succeed are those that treat logistics like a high-performance engine powered by data, not guesswork.

As fulfillment networks grow more complex and customer expectations rise, your ability to turn your shipping strategies into action will define your competitive edge.

Shipping analytics is now essential for all types of businesses, from online retailers to brick and mortar stores and retail locations, especially as they compete to offer fast options like day shipping.