Sent Items #218: Off to the Races (err, trade shows)

We survived the first true business week of 2026! Many of you are headed to New York for NRF (I will not be there). Hope you have a great week.

We kicked things off earlier this week with our First Virtual 3PL Happy Hour of the year (catch the recap here). We discussed the state of fulfillment, learnings from peak 2025, and shared goals for 2026. It was great to see so many faces, even if we were all secretly drinking wine in mugs that said "Coffee."

Lots to cover this week. Container rates decided to pull a "New Year, New Me" and spike immediately, UPS and USPS are back together (it’s complicated), and Shopify is trying to replace us all with AI agents.

But first…

Happenings & Invites

🎙️ Monthly Matt's Chat Webinar I’m excited to keep the momentum going. Join me for this month's Matt's Chat, where we’re breaking down the operational infrastructure required to scale successfully in the new year.

• When: Wednesday Jan 14 @ 12:00 PM EST

• Where: Zoom

• Register Here: Sign Up for Matt's Chat

This month’s panel is featuring:

• Bryan Corbett (VP of Sales, Marketing, and Business Development, Barrett Distribution Centers)

• Dru Carpenter (Co-Founder, Yuzu)

• Courtenay Schick (Head of US Operations, waterdrop)

Note: Sponsored by our friends at Barrett Distribution Centers.

👉 Register Here to Join Us

🥩 Austin VIP Dinner – Feb 19 I am hosting an exclusive VIP Dinner in Austin, TX on February 19th. This is a curated evening for high-level networking and great food.

• Availability: strictly limited to 20 slots.

• Status: These will go quickly. If you will be in Austin and want to join, register here ASAP to secure your seat.

— Matt

Now onto some headlines…

The Logistics Lowdown

UPS & USPS: The "Ground Saver" Reunion It appears the break-up didn't last long. Supply Chain Dive confirmed this week that UPS and the Postal Service have finalized a renewed agreement for UPS Ground Saver (formerly SurePost). After a brief split where UPS tried to insource more volume, they are handing the "last mile" baton back to the USPS for economy shipments. Nate Skiver (LPF Spend Management) noted on LinkedIn that while this might boost UPS's margins by offloading costly residential stops, the benefits for shippers (speed/cost) remain to be seen. Source: Supply Chain Dive

I’ve been following Nate Skiver’s analysis on this. He points out that while this deal is poised to benefit UPS’s bottom line (reducing their costs for lightweight volume), shippers shouldn't necessarily expect those savings to trickle down immediately. It's a win for UPS margins, but a "wait and see" for shipper rates.

Container Rates Are Shooting Up (Again) If you thought ocean freight was going to be boring in Q1, I have bad news. As I highlighted in my LinkedIn post yesterday, we are seeing a sharp spike in spot rates starting the year. Data from JOC confirms that Asia-US West Coast rates have jumped nearly 22% in the last week alone, driven by Pre-Lunar New Year demand and carriers successfully pushing GRIs. If you have bookings for late January, double-check your rate sheets. Source: LinkedIn / JOC

Marc Lore’s $2B Bet: The "Amazonification" of Dinner Marc Lore (founder of Jet.com) is officially trying to do to restaurants what he did to e-commerce. A new Bloomberg profile details his massive bet on Wonder, which is pivoting hard into automation after acquiring Sweetgreen’s robotic kitchen tech. The vision? "Culinary fulfillment centers" where robots cook and pack meals from 100+ different restaurant brands in one location. Lore sums it up simply: "Amazon is pick, pack, ship. We are pick, cook, pack, ship." If you thought running a 3PL was hard, try doing it with hot soup.Source: Bloomberg (access here to get past paywall)

Shopify: 2026 is the Year of "Agentic Commerce" Harley Finkelstein (Shopify President) is making it clear: 2026 isn't about chatbots; it's about "Agents." Following their stock surge last year, Shopify is doubling down on "Agentic Commerce"—AI tools that don't just answer questions but actively browse and buy for consumers. With new integrations into ChatGPT and Perplexity, the goal is to make the "storefront" invisible and ubiquitous. Source: Nasdaq

🚚 The Regional Carrier Push Discussions from folks like Ben Emmrich (Tusk Logistics) continue to highlight the importance of carrier diversification. With the national carriers tightening their grip, the "regional carrier" strategy isn't just an alternative anymore - it's a necessity for resilience in 2026.

For example, here are some highlights from Tusk’s weekly report on alternative carrier performance:

📦 96% of all shipments last week were delivered on time

🔥 75% of all shipments last week were delivered within two days

⏱️ 29% of late parcels arrived the next day

If anyone wants an intro to Ben and his team, just hit reply!

Events & Invites

📅 Matt's Chats: The 2026 Kickoff We are back! Join me for the first Matt’s Chats of the year. We’re going to be digging into the "Real" 2026 outlook 👉 Register Here

🥩 Austin VIP Dinner (Feb 19) I am hosting an exclusive, closed-door dinner in Austin, TX on Feb 19. No pitch decks, no sponsors - just good food and high-level ops talk. ⚠️ Heads up: I only have 20 seats and they are nearly gone. If you want in, grab a spot now 👉 Register Here

Where I'll Be: Manifest 2026

🎰 Manifest Vegas (Feb 9-11) I’ll actually be there Super Bowl Sunday, hosting an event…stay tuned for more info!) If you’re planning to attend, do not pay full price. Use this link to grab a discounted: 👉 ManifestVegas.com/ThirdPerson

One Final Thought: As Harley Finkelstein (President of Shopify) often says, the modern brand is built on connection - not just transaction. Whether it's through our webinars, dinners, events, or finding the perfect logistics partner, I'm here to help you build those connections this year.

Have a great week ahead!

- Matt

Share this newsletter with friends and colleagues (link). Hit reply with any feedback and add me on LinkedIn and Twitter and subscribe to us on YouTube.