How Unchecked Shipping Assumptions Can Become Multimillion-Dollar Risks

Freight Audit, Recovery, and BI

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$430K

annualized savings opportunity

$6.9M

if issues scaled

$430K

annualized savings opportunity

$6.9M

if issues scaled

$430K

annualized savings opportunity

The Challenge

What One Assumption Concealed

For one global furniture retailer, the assumption was straightforward: Ground shipping would always cost less than air.

["Its internal modeling tool did not compare ground vs. air","A potentially better option remained outside the service-selection process"]

The Solution

What the Data Revealed

Intelligent Audit examined February through May 2026 shipment data and found that FedEx 2Day was significantly less expensive than Ground and Home Delivery for shipments to Alaska and Hawaii.

["Across 517 Home Delivery shipments and 107 Ground shipments,<br class=\"furniture-bullet-break\">the analysis identified $143,452 in potential savings over four months.","That was approximately $230 per affected package.","That represented $430,355 in annualized savings opportunity."]

"

Our internal modeling tool doesn’t rate shop ground vs air because the assumption is ground will always win. Kudos to you all for uncovering this for us.

"

Senior Manager, Parcel Transportation

,

Global furniture retailer

The Impact

What If Thousands of Shipments Were Affected?

Just 624 shipments over four months revealed a $430,355 annualized savings opportunity. What if a comparable gap affected thousands of shipments in the same period?

At approximately $230 per affected shipment, 5,000 shipments every four months would represent $3.45M in annual exposure

10,000 would represent $6.9M, assuming the pattern continued throughout the year.

Change the Decision Behind the Cost

The discovery gave the retailer a clear opportunity to update service-selection logic for eligible shipments.

["Intelligent Audit connects shipment data, contracted rates, and operational context to uncover opportunities like this.","Transportation teams can understand the cause, change the underlying decision, and prevent recurring overspend."]

Freight Audit, Recovery, and BI

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