Sendle Suspension Exposes Why Hybrid Shipping Protects Retail Brands

Following the sudden suspension of Sendle’s services, logistics experts are warning Australian retailers that the biggest risk is not delayed parcels, but damage to brand trust. The disruption has exposed a structural weakness in ecommerce fulfilment: reliance on a single courier.

Interparcel Australia & New Zealand says the incident marks a turning point for the industry, accelerating the shift toward a Hybrid Shipping model, a strategy that allows businesses to run multiple carriers side by side to maintain continuity when one network fails.

“When a parcel doesn’t arrive, the customer doesn’t blame the courier; they blame the brand,” said Steve Zammit, CEO of Interparcel Australia & New Zealand. “This disruption didn’t create that risk. It exposed it.”

While the immediate challenge for retailers is keeping orders moving, Interparcel says the longer-term impact is reputational. Missed delivery promises, poor communication, and fulfilment delays often translate into negative reviews, refunds, and lost customers.

“A delivery delay can lose a customer for life,” Zammit said. “If your shipping model has no backup, your brand is effectively held hostage by a third party.”

Hybrid Shipping: Control and Continuity

A Hybrid Shipping model allows retailers to use their existing carrier accounts while maintaining access to alternative courier networks if disruptions occur. Interparcel says this approach gives businesses control over fulfilment decisions instead of forcing them to pause operations.

“For too long, businesses have been forced to choose between the stability of national carriers and the affordability of budget couriers,” Zammit said. “The reality is a modern retailer needs both. Hybrid shipping gives businesses control.”

To support affected merchants, Interparcel has opened access to its Shipping Manager platform with a 60-day free trial, enabling businesses to:

• Connect existing Australia Post MyPost Business, eParcel, or StarTrack accounts.
• Access alternative courier options, including CouriersPlease, Aramex, and FedEx.
• Import orders from leading ecommerce platforms, including Shopify, WooCommerce and eBay.
• Automatically route orders based on price, speed, or destination.
• Maintain branded tracking and proactive customer notifications.

“We’re giving businesses a command centre,” Zammit said. “If one carrier goes down, you don’t panic. You switch. Orders keep moving, and customers stay confident in your brand.”

A Shift in How Retailers Think About Shipping

Interparcel says hybrid shipping is no longer just an efficiency play, but essential infrastructure for protecting customer experience and brand equity.

“This is an opportunity for retailers to modernise how they ship,” Zammit said. “Those who adopt a hybrid model now won’t just weather disruptions, they’ll outperform competitors when it matters most.”

Retailers can access the 60-day free trial and set up a hybrid shipping dashboard here.