We hit four of the biggest shipping days in DCL's history this holiday season and tracked a 65% year-over-year increase in orders shipped during Black Friday and Cyber Monday. The biggest highlight was our customers’ record-breaking order volume, exceeding forecasts by an average of 40%. We are so pleased to see such success from the brands we work with!
Our teams worked around the clock to ensure both direct-to-consumer and retail orders shipped quickly without compromising quality. Here's how we prepared and the peak season trends from our data.
How DCL Prepared for 2025 Peak
Above all, we are grateful for our customers’ partnership and collaboration that fueled a smooth and successful holiday season. Delivering orders promptly and accurately was our top priority this year, and it required extensive preparation (we started peak preparation in January 2025!).
Operational Improvements Made in 2025
Tripled the number of automated package sorts to accommodate the expansion of new carriers.
Implemented a second and third shift in multiple nodes to extend the hours of operation.
Improved our shipping and packaging materials model through new partnerships and technology that allow us to better forecast materials and eliminate any potential of stockouts.
Implemented new software and processes for Dangerous Goods labeling as it pertains to the categories of lithium-ion batteries and other flammables such as perfumes. This acts as a fail-safe to eliminate incorrect labelling and comply with a myriad of carrier requirements, increasing accuracy and throughput.
Installed cardboard shredding machines to increase the amount of recycled dunnage we use.
Added high speed wrapping machines to increase throughput and security of retail orders.
Shipping Improvements Made in 2025
The real win this peak season was the implementation of SelectShip. Ecommerce domestic shipping is rapidly gaining complexity, and our new shipping optimization platform gives brands an edge. By adding our SelectShip service in July of 2025, we had several new carriers fully integrated into our portfolio by peak. This expanded diversity had a big impact on capacity and mitigated risk.
Since implementing SelectShip we've seen:
19% reduction in overall shipping costs due to smart carrier and service selection, and all-in cost calculations.
31% faster delivery times throughout US deliveries
Saw 50% fewer delivery claims with added photo proof of delivery to increase accountability
2025 Holiday Performance Report
Anecdotally, we saw an increase in retail support, which peaked later in the year than we’ve seen in the past. Value added services to accommodate these retail orders was at an all-time high.
Overall, we love seeing order volume grow, because that means we work with successful, growing brands. A few key markers of the growth we tracked in 2025.
45% increase year-over-year in orders fulfilled
77% increase in units shipped out, compared to last year
65% year-over-year increase in orders shipped during Black Friday and Cyber Monday alone
41% increase in retail orders, compared to last year
100% increase in VAS support (mostly due to the increase in retail volume)
Average Delivery Times (between Black Friday and 12/23) for SelectShip
SelectShip Standard – 3.7 business days
SelectShip Expedited – 2.6 business days
SelectShip 2 Day – 2.1 business days
SelectShip Next Day – 1.2 business Days
Systems Performance
SelectShip: As mentioned above, the addition of SelectShip was a big win for our customers who’ve added the service. It’s a comprehensive tool that helps on multiple levels, delivering accuracy, faster delivery times, simpler cost structure, all at a per-package level. A key benefit of SelectShip was on full display during Cyber Monday sales. While a few major carriers capped shipping volumes, our users bypassed these limits and kept their deliveries moving at top speed.
Quality Team: Our dedicated quality team worked overtime this year to match the surge in order volume. They work on a percentage basis, so when order volume increases, so does their volume of quality checks. They matched the growth mentioned above to ensure premium quality assurance across all accounts.
Carrier Delays: USPS sortation facility in Kentucky had a major backlog following Cyber Monday week. The Postal Service dug themselves out of the backlog in time for 12/25 deliveries, and SelectShip was able to easily re-route orders to other carriers, and many packages avoided the USPS backlog until they got back on track.