That's a wrap on Online Retailer 2026

‍Sam's Tech Talk: what the freight data actually shows

How much of your freight strategy is built on data, and how much on habit? That questions at underneath CEO Sam Rowse's Tech Talk, “The freight market has moved. Most strategies haven't.” Most businesses still run freight the way they did five years ago - same carriers, national averages, the belief that paying for speed buys certainty. Sam walked the room through MachShip's inaugural Freightability Report 2026, and the numbers point somewhere else entirely.

Supporting the movement of more than 200 million items across Australia and New Zealand gives us a unique position from which to observe the freight market at scale, and that perspective is what makes the Freightability Report 2026 different. It isn't opinion, and it isn't a survey - it's what 25,000 customers and more than 500 carriers actually did. Behaviour, not sentiment.

Here's what the data actually showed:

•      Paying for premium delivery no longer guarantees it turns up faster.

•      A “national” freight price doesn't really exist.

•      The same quarter can look like a different market in Brisbane, Sydney, Melbourne and Perth.

•      Fuel costs are in the mix - but fuel isn't the real story.

The takeaway landed clearly: freight has gone from a cost you procure and forget to a capability you actively manage. Get it right and you protect both margin and customer experience. Get it wrong and you keep paying for it without knowing why.

The conversations that followed

The talk got people thinking; the stand is where they came to work out what it meant for them. Existing customers told us what's working and what they want next. Retailers who hadn't seen our platform before wanted to know how it handles carrier choice, live visibility and cost across a real network - less guesswork, more control over how orders move. For eCommerce teams under pressure on delivery promises and margin, that's the whole game.

Thanks for being part of it

To everyone who stopped by, shared what they're working on, or stayed to talk through the numbers - it was great to meet you.

Missed Sam's session, or want to go through the data yourself?
Read the Freightability Report 2026. Ready to see it on your own supply chain? Book a demo.

We'll see you at Supply Chain Week and MegaTrans in the next few weeks.

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