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Peak reveals what spreadsheets can’t. Or: Peak is the ultimate stress test — and only real-time performance matters.
Peak season is still very active, and the most prepared teams are focused on meeting demand, protecting transit times, and keeping customers informed. At the same time, December is the moment when real demand, real constraints, and real performance are all visible at the same time. This creates a short window where leaders can make clear decisions based on what is happening right now—not on memory or assumptions when the overwhelming peak season ends.
During the peak weeks, you can clearly see which networks stayed stable, which routes became tight, and which partners continued to deliver reliably under pressure. This is also the time when the value of experience and preparation becomes clear. IB’s long history of serving Alaska, Hawaii, Puerto Rico, and other non-continental areas shows in our results: we stay steady when complexity rises.
A clear view of performance under real pressure
Many shippers are seeing wide differences in performance across their carrier mix. Non-continental regions—especially when shipping to Hawaii, shipping to Alaska, and shipping to Puerto Rico—are often the first to feel pressure when volume spikes.
This is where IB stands out.
Even in the middle of peak, IB continues to deliver in the high 90% delivered within 2-5 business days, including to the hardest-to-reach destinations. Our network is built for these routes, and our experience in affordable shipping to remote areas helps shippers protect their customer experience during the busiest time of year.
While many networks face delays or capacity limits, our consistent performance shows the strength of a model designed specifically for non-continental small parcel shipping.
For many brands, this reliability becomes the deciding factor when evaluating partners for their e-commerce shipping solutions.
Why this short planning window matters
December gives supply chain executives a rare advantage:
• the data is fresh
• the risks are visible
• the gaps are clear
• the pressure points show themselves
• every partner’s performance is exposed in real time
Once peak ends, everything looks stable again. But right now, teams can see the truth of their network performance across all parcel shipping lanes—especially when shipping to Hawaii from the mainland or reaching remote Alaska communities.
This is why many companies start planning Q1 integrations during peak. They use this high-visibility period to make smarter decisions about their carrier mix, non-continental strategy, and affordable shipping options.
Expert guidance: what high-performing supply chain leaders evaluate right now
To strengthen your e-commerce shipping strategy for 2026, here are the areas experts recommend reviewing during peak, not after:
1. Compare on-time performance by lane, not by average
A carrier with good overall averages may still struggle on specific routes.
Focus especially on:
• Hawaii shipping lanes
• Alaska bush routes
• Puerto Rico inbound and outbound
• U.S. territories
• rural zip codes and long zone-skips
IB maintains steady performance in these areas even during peak, which gives teams a clear benchmark.
2. Map where costs spiked unexpectedly
During peak, many companies face sudden cost increases on remote and non-continental routes—such as Alaska, Hawaii, Puerto Rico, APO/FPO, and U.S. territories.
This is the right moment to understand where these spikes happened and decide which lanes need a more stable and affordable solution for next year.
Shippers who optimize non-continental lanes early in Q1 often reduce total spend by peak season.
3. Track where customer experience was most fragile
Look at:
• late deliveries
• parcels stalled between mainland and island hops
• customer service escalations
• tracking gaps
• slow handoffs
These pain points show where you need a specialized partner.
4. Identify which partners stayed predictable
In peak season, predictability is worth more than speed.
A partner delivering 95–99% on time to remote areas gives you:
• fewer refunds
• fewer re-ships
• fewer customer escalations
• healthier margins
• higher customer confidence
IB’s small parcel shipping model is engineered specifically for this consistency.
5. Decide which changes must happen in Q1
Peak data is fresh now.
Integration windows open in January.
This is the ideal time to prepare:
• new carrier integrations
• technology onboarding
• print-from-home label workflows
• zone-skipping improvements
• non-continental diversification
• routing logic updates
When changes start in Q1, they’re ready long before next peak. Early Q1 is the best moment to integrate new partners or add new carriers. Teams that act early often get priority place in integration queues, faster onboarding cycles, and earlier access to testing windows. This ensures your network is ready long before the next demand surge or seasonal spike.
The best moment to prepare for Q1 integrations
Most supply chain teams run new integrations and onboarding in early Q1, when operations are calm. But the planning must happen now.
Planning now helps teams:
• choose partners based on real peak performance
• build a stronger non-continental shipping mix
• avoid repeating constraints next year
• secure more affordable shipping options
• prepare for the January surge of returns and gift-card demand
Q1 comes fast—and integration cycles are smoother when decisions are made while peak data is still clear.
Cut-off reminder for the final weeks
As we approach the last shipping days, please remember to check our updated cut-off dates for Alaska, Hawaii, Puerto Rico, and other remote regions.
Cut-offs help protect customer experience and avoid last-mile delays during the most sensitive part of peak.
IB cut-off dates for peak season 2025
•December 5 – APO/FPO (ZIPs 090–099, 340, 962–966)
•December 10 – UST (ZIP 969)
•December 10 – Rural Alaska (ZIPs 998–999)
•December 15 – Metro Alaska (ZIPs 995–997), Puerto Rico & U.S. Virgin Islands (ZIPs 006–009), and Hawaii (ZIPs 967–968)
A good time to connect
If your team is evaluating new partners for non-continental parcel shipping or preparing for Q1 integrations, we are here to support you. December is the ideal moment to make decisions based on real performance, and our network is ready to help you ship to Hawaii, Alaska, Puerto Rico, and other hard-to-reach areas with confidence.
If you want to use this rare high-visibility period to strengthen your 2026 network, our team can walk through your peak data and compare benchmarks lane by lane!
Contact Us | International Bridge
801-889-1281
