Shipping software ShipStation and Adobe Commerce have teamed to offer retailers global shipping options.
The expanded partnership builds on ShipStation’s ongoing collaboration with Adobe Commerce, opening ShipStation’s order management and shipping capabilities to Adobe Commerce retailers, the companies said in a Tuesday (Dec. 10) news release.
“Shipping is crucial for retailers — it affects customer satisfaction, cost control, and overall efficiency,” said Michael Haswell, VP of Strategic Partnerships at Auctane, maker of ShipStation. “By working closer together with Adobe Commerce, retailers can streamline their shipping processes, save time, and deliver flexible shipping experiences for their customers.”
According to the release, the partnership lets retailers compare shipping options, print shipping labels, automate workflows, manage orders, and streamline order fulfillment, while also consolidating orders across various selling channels to one platform.
In addition, Adobe Commerce retailers get access shipping features through the ShipStation extension, such as the ability to offer a range of in-cart delivery options like free, flat-rate, and live-rate within their online storefronts.
“Retailers are having to quickly scale their business operations to keep up with record eCommerce growth,” said Jason Knell, senior director, content and commerce partners at Adobe. “Our collaboration with ShipStation provides retailers with innovative shipping solutions so they can meet customers’ demands.”
Meanwhile, PYMNTS wrote last week about the shipping challenges facing retailers and consumers this holiday season with FedEx and UPS extending their surcharge windows.
In an interview with PYMNTS, Lisa Anderson, president of LMA Consulting Group, examined how surcharges, which are typical during peak seasons or for special circumstances like oversized items, have become particularly important this year.
“However, because inflation has been robust, and carriers are focused on increasing their revenue per package post-pandemic, surcharges stand out as especially noteworthy this year. Retailers are suffering as more customers request shipments with free freight and easy returns during peak season with high surcharges, and consumers are strapped and unwilling to pay extra for delivery.”
Anderson also pointed out that most surcharges are eventually passed on to customers, though the extent can depend on the carrier, retailer and product.
“Retailers forecast for these surcharges and plan the impact on their pricing, promotions and discounts,” she said. “They are likely to absorb more of the surcharges for their premium customers. With that said, inflation has caused havoc with shipping charges and surcharges in the last few years, which has put retailers, carriers and consumers on edge.”
Job cuts in government, technology and retail led the way as U.S. employers announced the largest number of cuts in one month since May 2020.
Among the 275,240 job cuts announced in March, 216,215 were in government, 15,055 were in technology and 11,709 were in retail, Challenger, Gray & Christmas said in a report released Thursday (April 3).
“Job cut announcements were dominated last month by Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) plans to eliminate positions in the federal government,” Andrew Challenger, senior vice president and workplace expert for Challenger, Gray & Christmas, said in the report. “It would have otherwise been a fairly quiet month for layoffs.”
The total number of job cuts made in March was more than three times the 90,309 cuts announced in March 2024, according to the report.
By sector, compared to March 2024, government job cuts were almost six times higher, technology cuts were about 6% higher and retail cuts were nearly twice as high, per the report.
All the government job cuts made in March occurred in the federal government, the report said.
The top reason employers gave for cutting jobs in March was “DOGE impact,” which was cited for 216,670 of the month’s cuts, according to the report.
Other common reasons included store, unit or department closing, to which 17,666 job cuts were attributed, and market/economic conditions, which accounted for 11,594 cuts, per the report.
Challenger, Gray & Christmas also said in the report that employers are planning to hire fewer workers than they were a year ago. Companies’ hiring plans dropped by about 37%, from 21,102 in March 2024 to 13,198 in March 2025, according to the report.
The specter of uncertain job security may accelerate a spending pullback that is already in motion, PYMNTS reported Wednesday (April 2). Consumer confidence that was already shaken may have been further impacted by the Bureau of Labor Statistics’ latest snapshot of the labor market released Tuesday (April 1), which found that the labor market slowed in February, with a decline in job openings over the past year.
The Conference Board reported March 25 that consumer confidence slipped for the fourth straight month in March, due in part to a plunge in consumers’ short-term outlook for income, business and labor market conditions.
