Carriers

This blog was contributed by International Bridge, a trusted ProShip carrier partner 

If your team has ever dealt with the extra effort required to reach Alaska, Hawaii, Puerto Rico, or U.S. territories - there’s finally a simpler way forward.

Shipping to parts of the U.S. that sit outside the mainland has always demanded more time and more attention than retailers would like, often meaning higher costs, complex rules, and manual workarounds that disrupt smooth parcel operations. Yet these regions represent millions of consumers with strong buying power, stable demand, and fast-growing e-commerce participation — a multi-billion-dollar consumer economy many retailers underestimate.

Serving these regions isn’t just about distance, but complexity as well. Specialty carriers have the expertise to navigate unique rules, costs, and logistics challenges in these areas that many standard carriers often can’t International Bridge (IB) specializes in simplifying access to these hard-to-reach markets, eliminating the complexity that has long slowed retailers down. By leveraging proven expertise and streamlined processes, IB empowers retailers to ship confidently without exceptions. Let’s dive into how they make this possible.

A Service Purpose-Built for Alaska, Hawaii, Puerto Rico, and U.S. Territories

This is exactly where IB Non-Con changes the experience. For over 20 years, IB has specialized in shipping to Alaska, shipping to Hawaii, delivering to Puerto Rico, and serving U.S. territories through fast, transparent, and affordable shipping solutions. IB Non-Con is built specifically for the destinations most national carriers struggle to reach — and it has supported some of the world’s leading e-commerce retailers along the way.

And now, with the new ProShip + International Bridge integration, retailers can access IB Non-Con directly inside the ProShip environment they already rely on for e-commerce shipping, parcel shipping, and automated carrier selection. And they can achieve this with no added systems, no new carriers, and no extra steps. Whether you ship hundreds or tens of thousands of parcels a day, the experience finally becomes effortless.

Beyond The Destination: The Real Challenge of Operational Friction

For retailers, reaching non-continental customers was never the problem. They have always found ways to ship to areas outside of the mainland. The real obstacle was the operational friction behind those shipments, and how it impacted businesses in different ways.

For small and mid-sized businesses, limited resources make it difficult to manage extra steps and manual processes required for special-case shipments.
Enterprise retailers face a different struggle: exceptions that disrupt automated systems and create inefficiencies at scale. Each workaround slows fulfillment and increased costs for high-volume environments.  

Without an advanced shipping platform and innovative international carrier integration, many operations deal with issues such as:

• Unpredictable delivery timelines
• Unexpected fees or surcharges
• Tracking gaps after parcels leave the mainland
• Manual routing or special-case rules

For small retailers, these hurdles are often enough to avoid serving these destinations altogether. As for enterprise teams, they add unnecessary complexity.

The ProShip + International Bridge integration removes this burden completely, letting remote shipments behave like standard shipments without the extra effort from your team. ProShip handles the automation, while IB delivers the specialized non-continental network behind every shipment.

Simplifying Service to Destinations That Once Slowed You Down

By enabling IB Non-Con within your ProShip environment, shipping to Hawaii, delivering to Alaska, and shipping to Puerto Rico becomes no different from shipping to the mainland. There are no new workflows to learn, no carrier accounts to set up, and no special routing steps.

Whether you’re a growing retailer expanding into new markets or a large enterprise refining your national e-commerce shipping strategy, the integration delivers the same benefit: remote-destination shipments finally behave like everyday ones.

It’s not just an operational improvement – it’s a strategic unlock, letting retailers reach high-intent consumers in markets where reliable delivery options are limited.

Why IB Non-Con Is a Natural Fit into ProShip’s Automation-First Environment

International Bridge has spent decades not only delivering to these regions but also building relationships within the communities we serve. This local familiarity and cultural understanding shape the way we design our routes, support our customers, and serve these markets with reliability and respect.

International Bridge has built its network specifically for destinations outside the mainland. IB Non-Con isn’t a repurposed mainland model — it’s a logistics system engineered for island and territorial environments, supported by infrastructure and processes most carriers simply cannot replicate.

Retailers immediately benefit from:

• Dedicated induction points in PR, HI, and AK designed for predictable movement
• A strong transit-time-to-price balance, enabling truly affordable shipping to remote markets
• Transportation routes built for island and territorial logistics — not mainland shortcuts
• Transparent pricing, with no unexpected or hidden fees
• Consistent tracking visibility from induction to final delivery

These advantages help retailers simplify their small parcel shipping strategy to remote areas without extra work or added systems.

One Integration, Many Meaningful Improvements

When shipments to remote U.S. markets stop behaving like exceptions, everything improves. Transit performance stabilizes, customer questions fall, and internal teams spend less time resolving issues. Checkout performance also rises, because customers in Alaska, Hawaii, and Puerto Rico gain confidence from clearer timelines and more consistent delivery histories.

These regions represent significant and often overlooked economic value. Their economies are diverse and resilient, and their combined consumer spending power rivals many U.S. states. However, customers in these areas often face limited or unreliable shipping options.

Serving them well isn’t just an operational win; it’s a competitive advantage.

Whether you manage high-volume automation or a small fulfilment setup, the integration creates a smoother and more predictable experience for both your team and your customers.

Shipping That Includes Everyone — Without Adding Complexity

International Bridge believes every shopper deserves dependable e-commerce shipping solutions, not only those in the lower 48. Remote areas represent vibrant communities, strong consumer demand, and meaningful GDP contribution.

The ProShip + IB Non-Con integration changes the preexisting storyline. By combining ProShip’s automation and IB Non-Con’s decades of experience in remote-area parcel shipping, retailers can now deliver with consistency and confidence everywhere their customers live, without exceptions, added work, or operational drag.

This integration fits seamlessly into your existing ProShip platform, enabling small retailers to unlock new revenue opportunities, mid-sized businesses to scale without added workloads, and enterprise retailers to eliminate inefficiencies that once slowed their networks. Beyond simplifying operations, it future-proofs your delivery strategy, strengthens your ability to compete, and opens access to markets that many retailers still overlook.

No exceptions.
No added work.
No operational drag.

IB handles the complexities within your ProShip environment so your customers can get the experience they deserve.

Ready to make Non-Con effortless?

Talk to IB about enabling Non-Con inside your ProShip Solution.

About International Bridge:

International Bridge is a provider of innovative domestic and international delivery solutions, offering low-cost, fast shipping through integrated software and customized transportation services. Learn more at www.myib.com.