To help merchants prepare, Passport hosted a webinar featuring leaders from across the ecommerce ecosystem:
- Andrew Brown, VP of Customer Success, Passport
- Kat Sun, COO, Passport
- Joseph Jarroush, COO, Universal Yums
- Avi Moskowitz, CEO, PrettyDamnQuick
- Kabir Samtani, VP Merchant Success, Fulfil
- Kevin Swearingen, Director of Transportation, ShipBob
Together, they explored what it takes to succeed in a volatile environment and shared lessons learned from their own experiences.
📺 Watch the full webinar on-demand here:
Cross-Border Growth Is Redefining Peak
According to Passport’s 2025 Peak Season Playbook survey:
- 96% of ecommerce leaders expect international order volume to increase this year.
- Many anticipate global markets will contribute 21% or more of total holiday revenue.
That means international sales are no longer a side hustle — they’re central to peak performance.
Universal Yums has already seen this shift firsthand.
“If our international volume went up 12× in Q1, I can’t even imagine what peak will look like. Canada specifically is going to be huge for us this year.”
— Joseph Jarroush, COO, Universal Yums
To learn more about Universal Yums’ 12x international growth with Passport, read the full success story here.
Planning Early Is Essential
If there’s one golden rule for peak readiness, it’s this: the earlier you start, the smoother the season.
Kat Sun, Passport’s COO, explained the risks of waiting too long:
“Peak planning starts almost immediately after the last one ends. We’ve seen some of our highest-shipping customers come into peak without much of a forecast — and that creates real risk.”
— Kat Sun, COO, Passport
ShipBob follows a similar philosophy, mapping out plans as early as January and refining them into weekly cadences by Q3. As Kevin Swearingen put it, that discipline makes peak more predictable — and gives teams time to build contingency plans before the rush hits.
But even if you haven’t started that early, it’s not too late to put meaningful plans in place now. As Andrew Brown, VP of Customer Success at Passport, reminded attendees: “You could be fully up and running with Passport in a matter of weeks. There’s still time to put the right plan in place before Q4.”
Conversion Depends on Trust
Even the best logistics strategy won’t deliver results if shoppers abandon their carts. For international customers in particular, transparency around costs and delivery is what drives conversion.
“International customers may have never seen your brand before. Building trust means communicating clearly — from the product page through checkout — about delivery times, duties, and costs.”
— Avi Moskowitz, CEO, PrettyDamnQuick
For brands, this means getting duties and taxes right at checkout and aligning fulfillment promises with what customers actually experience.
Operational Excellence Protects Margins
Rising tariffs and higher costs put more pressure than ever on profitability. The panel agreed that smooth execution isn’t just about cost savings — it’s a revenue driver.
“Operational excellence isn’t just ops — it drives revenue. If you deliver on your promises, customers come back, and LTV (Life Time Value) goes up.”
— Kabir Samtani, VP Merchant Success, Fulfil
For brands weighing how much to invest in forecasting, partner communication, or fulfillment improvements, the ROI is clear: better operations pay for themselves in repeat purchases.
Resilience in Disruption
Last year’s Canada Post strike underscored how fragile peak can be — and how important it is to have partners that can adapt quickly.
“Canada Post ground to a complete halt. Within a day or two we were still maintaining ~95% of volume — that continuity is what merchants need.”
— Kevin Swearingen, Director of Transportation, ShipBob
That continuity not only kept orders moving but gave merchants the confidence to continue marketing aggressively through the season instead of pulling back.
To hear more about how ShipBob navigated last year’s Canada Post strike by partnering with Passport, read the full success story here.
Key Takeaways
Andrew Brown, VP of Customer Success at Passport, closed with a reminder that while peak can be stressful, it’s also a chance to build long-term trust with customers:
“Q4 is always one of the most exciting — yet stressful — times of the year. With thoughtful planning, it’s possible to lower that stress and set both you and your customers up for success.”
— Andrew Brown, VP of Customer Success, Passport
The consensus from the panel was clear:
- Start early – Treat peak as a year-round planning process.
- Communicate constantly – Keep partners and teams aligned before volumes surge.
- Protect your margins – Don’t chase short-term revenue at the expense of profit.
- Build resilience – Redundancy in networks and strong partnerships keep orders flowing when disruptions hit.
For brands willing to plan ahead and partner strategically, this peak season offers not just challenges but major growth opportunities.
There’s Still Time to Plan with Passport
Peak season pressure is real — but it’s not too late to pivot. The right partners can help you simplify complexity, protect margins, and keep customers happy through Q4.
Universal Yums turned to Passport to consolidate international shipping under one roof:
“To tame a lot of that complexity, it made sense to put everything under one roof, and Passport was able to handle that… Being able to rely on your partners and the experts definitely got us to where we are today.”
— Joseph Jarroush, COO, Universal Yums
ShipBob also partnered with Passport to turn a postal strike into a growth moment:
“Passport has allowed us to expand our capacity and also remain competitive in the rates that we offer our merchants. We are continuing to grow… we’re physically investing in our footprint. Canada is here to stay for us.”
— Kevin Swearingen, Director of Transportation, ShipBob
Ready to strengthen your peak season strategy? 👉 Request a demo to see how Passport can help you maximize your performance.
