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Don’t Let Sunsetting Logistics Software Sink Your Peak Season 

Published Date
Author Evan Knauss, Marketing Assistant

Discover how modern, scalable solutions help shippers stay flexible and in control during the busiest time of the year

There is a certain time of year that shippers are all too familiar with. It is often characterized by surging order volumes, high customer expectations, and increased levels of stress. Yes, we’re talking about peak season. Brands spend months preparing and pulling out all the stops to ensure operations run as smoothly as possible, and deliveries are made quickly, accurately, and on time.


But all the effort and dedication put into fine-tuning shipping strategies, managing carrier capacity, and optimizing logistics processes can quickly fall apart if you’re still relying on a potentially sunsetting shipping software solution. Sunsetting is when the vendor makes an intentional decision to discontinue or retire the software, typically encouraging the software user to transition to a new product or pay for costly upgrades. Regardless of the cause, sunsetting software can take a toll on even the most well-planned peak season strategies.


If this sounds like something you want to avoid, you’re right. Keep reading to explore why sunsetting software can be a serious liability during the busiest season of the year and how shippers can future-proof their operations with modern, multi-carrier shipping solutions.

The Problem with Sunsetting Logistics Software: End-of-Life 101 

A software product might be sunset for several reasons, such as reaching its end-of-life, generating low profitability, or requiring high maintenance costs to keep it running. In some cases, venture capital-backed (VC) solutions are acquired by a larger corporation with different priorities. As a result, the software can be sold for parts, restructured, or phased out for other initiatives.


While some software vendors make official announcements of end-of-life plans, others are not so upfront about it. The product’s gradual decline can be hard to notice, which leaves businesses unaware of their software’s future until major problems occur, giving them less time to plan for a replacement.


This can become a major issue, especially for high-volume shippers heading into peak season where they need to rely heavily on the functionality of their shipping software. Some telltale signs that your shipping software is sunsetting include:

  • A lack of product updates or new features 
  • Compatibility issues with modern systems 
  • Decreased or slow product support 
  • Performance or stability issues 
  • Increased security risks and alerts 

Peak shipping seasons demand technology that can handle rapidly changing conditions and higher volumes, and staying competitive in a constantly evolving industry requires the same. While your shipping software may appear to be working on the surface, sunsetting software lacks evolution and improvement which poses a significant risk to your business. 

How a Software Sunset Derails Peak Season Success 

There’s a reason why businesses spend so much time preparing for the moment peak season begins. Amongst the seasonal chaos, there is no time to deal with uncertainty. Shippers need to be laser focused during this critical time to ensure delivery expectations are met quickly and accurately as even the smallest misstep or delay can have a significant effect on customer satisfaction and brand reputation.


Relying on potentially sunsetting software at such a critical time is a disaster waiting to happen. Outdated or unsupported systems are likely to struggle during high-volume and high-demand periods like peak, leaving shippers at risk of several headaches such as:

  • Slow processing and system outages: Old or unsupported software is likely to struggle when handling a surge in demand. Processing several tasks at once can wear down the system, causing delays, crashes, or downtime when you need it to perform its best.
  • Limited carrier flexibility: During high-volume periods like peak, carrier capacity can be challenging to navigate. If your software doesn’t support new or alternative carriers, it can severely limit delivery options and impact your operations.
  • Integration challenges: Technology is always advancing, so sunsetting systems are less likely to integrate well with modern systems. A seamless integration with order management systems (OMS), warehouse management systems (WMS), and enterprise resource planning (ERP) systems is crucial for quick fulfillment and data visibility during peak demand.
  • Lack of support: No technology is immune to issues. But when those issues arise and you don’t have timely vendor support, your business can be left high and dry, forced to troubleshoot problems on your own. This is particularly common with VC-backed software vendors who are more focused on selling new deals to attract potential buyers. This leaves newly onboarded customers left behind with minimal guidance and little attention.

Shippers must understand that entering peak season with a sunsetting solution puts them at risk of breaking under the pressures of increased demand. And if your business falls victim to that failure, the damage spreads far beyond missed delivery deadlines.


The risk of lost revenue and customer disappointment can develop into something much worse, including long-term brand damage, negative reviews, and a loss of trust that’s difficult to rebuild. And in such a competitive environment, customers have plenty of other options and won’t hesitate to move on if your business falls short.

The Better Choice: Modern, Scalable Multi-Carrier Shipping Software 

When it comes to tackling peak season with confidence and building the foundation for future success, sunsetting software misses the mark. Shippers need long-term technology designed for speed, flexibility, and scalability. Top brands are implementing a modern multi-carrier shipping software (MCSS) solution like ProShip.


ProShip is a leading MCSS platform, trusted by some of the world’s largest retailers, manufacturers, 3PLs, and healthcare companies. Built to handle the complexities of shipping and scale with growing businesses, high-volume shippers can feel confident going into peak season backed by a solution that enables control and flexibility to meet the expectations of their customers.


Unlike potentially sunsetting shipping solutions, ProShip’s top-tier multi-carrier shipping platform empowers shippers with:

  • Continuous support and automatic updates: ProShip is dedicated to bringing continuous improvement to both our platform and how we support your business. Offering ongoing support and regular, automatic updates with a continuous integration and continuous deployment (CI/CD) approach, ProShip empowers your shipping operations to stay ahead of the competition with the newest features and enhancements. [Discover why Continuous Release is essential for today’s top brands.]
  • Seamless integrations: ProShip’s versionless architecture enables a seamless integration with your existing business systems like your ERP, WMS, and OMS. This allows for a smooth flow of data across your entire tech stack, eliminating silos and providing a clear view of your supply chain even during the busiest times of the year. [Learn why versionless software is the smarter choice.]
  • Automated carrier rate shopping: With 250+ domestic and international shipping carriers, ProShip’s automated rate shopping capabilities enable you to select the best-fit, most cost-effective carrier for every package. Utilize a powerful algorithm of 9 data sets including time-in-transit, last carrier pickup time, and contracted transit dates to maximize cost savings and customer satisfaction, especially throughout peak season.
  • Scalability without limits: Whether it’s to meet the demands of peak season fluctuations or to keep pace with your growing business, ProShip’s solution is designed to scale effortlessly as your business expands. The empowers shippers with the confidence to grow operations without compromising speed or efficiency.
  • Full control: Choose the way you want to ship with the power to tailor your shipping operations to meet your business’s unique needs. Whether it’s creating complex business rules to automate tasks, utilizing a hybrid carrier approach with both on-platform and API carrier engines, deploying on-premise or private-hosted cloud, or enabling a variety of carrier services, ProShip gives you the flexibility to customize your solution. [Discover unmatched choice in your parcel shipping operations.]

With all of the preparation and pressure put on peak shipping season, it isn’t the time to gamble with outdated or unsupported solutions. If your current shipping software is sunsetting or underperforming, this is your time to start looking for a platform that can empower your business with the flexibility and stability to deliver results when they matter most.


ProShip is a leading solution that will provide you with the tools and confidence you need to take on peak season and achieve long-term success. Ready to drop your sunsetting software and transform your shipping operations for peak excellence? Contact our team of shipping software experts or schedule a pressure-free discovery call to learn how you can ship smarter with ProShip.