Warehouse Wisdom, Weekly. 12/19/2025

🚚 Happy Friday.

As we head into the final shopping stretch before Christmas, logistics leaders are once again juggling two familiar forces: policy pressure and physical volume. Retailers are responding to tariff uncertainty by raising prices, cutting SKUs, or quietly rethinking their assortments altogether, while hoping customers stay focused on gift lists instead of line-item receipts. Meanwhile, the Port of Los Angeles is set to close out the year with its third-best cargo volume on record, a reminder that even with headwinds, freight rarely takes the holidays off.

It is a fitting way to wrap up the year. Costs remain stubborn, demand keeps showing up, and supply chains continue to adapt in real time. In this week’s edition, we will look at how online marketplaces are racing to move faster, what container shipping capacity means for 2026, why trucking labor data matters right now, and how warehouses and retailers are adjusting their operations and technology strategies heading into the new year. Let’s dive in!

Online Marketplaces

Marketplaces double down on speed, AI, and seller reach

Online marketplaces are clearly not slowing down as we head into the final days of the year. Instacart is the latest to jump deeper into AI with the launch of a new ChatGPT-powered app, aimed at helping shoppers plan meals and make faster purchase decisions. For retailers, this is another reminder that convenience and speed are becoming table stakes, even in grocery and essentials.

Marketplace expansion is also accelerating behind the scenes. Shopify merchants can now sell directly through Temu thanks to a new integration, giving sellers another channel to reach price-conscious consumers without rebuilding their tech stack. Best Buy is taking a similar approach by expanding marketplace access through its Rithum integration, signaling that even legacy retailers are leaning into marketplace models to broaden assortments without holding inventory.

Amazon, meanwhile, is reportedly developing a “rush” pickup option that would further compress delivery timelines and raise expectations for speed. For SMB sellers, the takeaway is clear: marketplaces are racing to win on fulfillment speed and reach, and sellers will need to decide which platforms are worth the operational complexity.

Freight and Shipping

Higher rates ahead as container shipping reshapes itself

Container shipping is setting up for another round of rate volatility. Carriers are signaling higher rates and fewer sailings on key Asia to U.S. routes, an attempt to manage capacity and avoid the pricing whiplash seen in prior cycles.

At the same time, shipbuilders have been busy. 2025 is shaping up to be a record year for containership newbuilding orders, adding vessels to a fleet that is already historically large. While new ships promise efficiency gains, they also raise the risk of oversupply if demand does not keep pace.

That concern is already showing up in analyst warnings that the industry could face a prolonged oversupply phase. For SMBs that rely on ocean freight, this means opportunity and risk may arrive at the same time, with lower rates appearing sporadically but long-term stability still hard to find.

Logistics Vitals

Trucking employment sends a caution signal

Recent Bureau of Labor Statistics data show truck transportation employment continued to slip in November, reinforcing signs that freight demand remains soft as the year winds down. Key numbers to know:

• 1,509,600 truck transportation jobs were reported in November, the lowest level since June 2021

• That total was 4,400 fewer jobs than October

• Since July’s recent peak, the industry has shed 13,800 trucking jobs

• For SMBs that depend on trucking capacity, labor contraction often precedes service variability when volumes eventually rebound

Warehouse Operations

Labor pressures rise as carriers and shippers reassess capacity

Layoffs across factories, fulfillment centers, and logistics operations suggest companies are pulling back after years of aggressive expansion. Many operators view this not as a collapse, but as a necessary reset.

That reset is also visible in trucking forecasts, which point to a soft finish to Q4 with improvement pushed into 2026. For warehouses and shippers, this creates a familiar balancing act between controlling costs today and staying prepared for future demand.

USPS is also introducing change by launching a bid process for access to its last-mile facilities. The move could unlock faster delivery options for some retailers, while adding complexity for others navigating final-mile strategy.

Warehouse Tech

Retailers get serious about smarter fulfillment

Retailers are increasingly focused on fulfillment technology that actually delivers results. Walmart detailed how it improved delivery performance in 2025 by investing in automation, network optimization, and better data usage.

Home Depot echoed that theme, highlighting its $25 billion ecommerce business and growing reliance on AI to improve inventory positioning and delivery efficiency. The emphasis is less on flashy innovation and more on reliability.

Mercado Libre may have gone furthest, announcing plans to deploy humanoid robots in a Texas warehouse. While still early, it signals how labor pressure and rising expectations are pushing retailers to explore automation options that once felt far off.

Warehouse Quick Deliveries

Shipping network expansion, AI adoption, and more…

• UniUni expands its North American presence

• A great recap of how top online retailers dove deeper into AI use in 2025

• Amazon’s AI shakeup